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Hostelworld is one of the excellent ways to find budget accommodation and connect with adventure lovers. It is a hostel booking platform that allows you to explore more than 36000 properties in 178 countries. You can easily select the country, look for a hostel you want to stay in, and join a ready-made crew to travel using Hostelworld.
Hostelworld is a great option for travelers looking for budget-friendly accommodation and a chance to make some friends along the way. Their ‘Roamies’ and chat option are made to enhance the way you connect with people on your trip. Be aware that you might end up paying more than the displayed price due to local taxes which most of the time will be added later.
Let’s examine the pros and cons of making hostel reservations through Hostelworld.
Pros and cons.
Pros
- Quick filters are available that can help you search faster.
- Great for budget travelers.
- Hostelworld has a massive database of properties worldwide, making it an excellent resource for international travelers and backpackers.
- Travelers can use the Roamies feature in the app to explore new places with ready-made groups.
- Its chat feature allows travelers to connect with people in the same hostel.
- 24/7 online support is available.
Cons
- The ‘final price’ you see on the booking page is not final as local taxes will be added later.
- Does not support payments from PayPal.
What is Hostelworld and how does booking work in it?
Hostelworld is the largest platform for locating and reserving cheap accommodation, including hostels, bed and breakfast stays, apartments, hotels, and even campsites. Operating this website to explore hostels around the world is super easy.
Starting your search in Hostelworld
Choose your vacation destination, select the check-in and check-out dates, add the number of guests, and tap “Let’s Go!”.
After that, the page navigates visitors to a list of accommodations per their selected parameters. You will find basic information about the accommodation, including, Hostel rating, name, price, pictures, and more. You can shortlist the hostel that fits your budget and travel itinerary.
Choosing your accommodation
You can choose from private rooms and dorms as your preference and check the facilities provided by various hostels before confirming your reservation. Apart from the list, you will find a quick filters checkbox on the right side. It gives you three different filters to filter out properties and restrict the search.
Using advanced filters
Advanced filters also help you churn out the best quality stays as per your preference. You can select the price range, rating, room type, facilities, and more. Once you select the options and apply the changes, you will get a filtered list of hostels accordingly.
Checking property’s details
When you find a suitable accommodation that tickles your interest, you can learn more about the place by clicking on it. Once you click, a new window will open with a detailed property description. You can then select the number of rooms and book your stay. The website will take you to a secure payment gateway to pay and confirm your bookings.
Using Hostelworld is just like any other hotel booking website, and you will find affordable accommodations. You will find thousands of options, from hostels and apartments to bed and breakfasts that fit your budget. So, if you are planning your vacation and are on a strict budget, Hostelworld is where you can find cheap accommodations.
Is Hostelworld trustworthy?
Hostelworld is trustworthy and legitimate, and booking through the platform is risk-free. It happens to be among the most popular hostel websites! They use a secure payment gateway, so you don’t have to worry about credit card information or the security of your bookings.
Despite the website’s vast audience, they have a solid structure in place that assists them in avoiding overbooking and other prevalent booking issues.
What is Hostelworld Roamies feature?
One of the unique features of this platform is Roamies. They have recently updated this feature that allows travelers to explore places with different travelers worldwide. Hostelworld has partnered with G Adventures and came up with this epic idea for small group tours.
If you love to explore new places and connect with people on the go, Roamies is for you. They are small-group tours full of daring people like you! Travel to destinations you have only imagined visiting while staying in some of the world’s best hostels. Local guides will ensure that you are as entrenched in local life as possible while giving you the freedom to explore for yourself.
Prepare for many treasured memories. The adventures will take you everywhere, from most talk-about places to unpopular local spots. This feature allows you to book trips around Asia, Europe, South America, and Central America. They have pre-planned trips for adventure seekers. You can select the trip that entices you the most.
How to register for a Roamies tour
When you decide on an adventure you want to take, you can click on it and check out the itinerary. The duration of the trips varies from one day to more than a month, and you can choose based on how long you want your trip to be. When selecting a trip, you can check the location, itinerary, duration, and cost.
Things that already included in the tour package
Not just that, on your trip, you will be traveling with local guides who know in and out of place. From transport to local attractions, they will help you explore the place like never before. Hostelworld offers budget-friendly stays and trips for people worldwide who love adventure and exploring new places.
Travel with your buddies on a budget using the Hostelworld Roamies and see the world from a new perspective. All trips include accommodation, meals, transport, and other basic facilities. You will travel with a group of up to 24 people, and these trips have an age restriction from 18 to 35 years.
These tours combine the independence of traveling alone with the safety of an organized group because you will be accompanied by a dedicated Chief Experience Officer (CEO) throughout the tour.
Does Hostelworld charge a cancelation fee?
The cancelation fee depends on the type of booking you have made. Different hostels have different cancelation policies, and as per that, Hostelworld charges a fee. Being one of the best hotel booking sites, it shows its cancelation policy clearly in the booking types. There are three types of bookings: refundable, non-refundable, and standard flexible:
Free Cancelation Bookings
Refundable bookings have a free cancelation policy if canceled prior to 24 hours of check-in time. Your booking deposit will be refunded as soon as you cancel your booking. Ensure to initiate the cancelation before 24 hours to avoid any cancellation charges.
Please note: your cancelation will not be refunded to the source account. Instead, you will receive a voucher for the same amount. You can use that voucher within six months of the cancellation date for your future bookings.
Non-refundable Bookings
One of the cheapest and least flexible booking options is non-refundable bookings. If you cancel a Non-Refundable booking, your booking deposit will be forfeited and charged for the remaining amount. If you can justify your cancelation reason to the Hostelwolrd support team, you might get a full or partial refund. But you shouldn’t count on that.
Standard Flexible Bookings
When making your reservation, choose “Flexible Booking” to pay a slightly higher booking deposit in exchange for the freedom to alter your booking dates later. Standard flexible booking offers you to change dates multiple times.
If you wish to cancel your bookings made under the standard flexible option, you must cancel before 24 hours of the check-in date. Else you will not receive any refund. When you initiate the refund before 24 hours of check-in time, you will receive a voucher for the exact amount that can be used for future bookings with Hostelworld.
Is it cheaper to book on Hostelworld than directly with the hostel?
Hostelworld earns a commission ranging from 10% to 25% on each booking made through their mobile application or website. This commission is typically built into the reservation price and passed on to you as the customer. Because of these fees, you might pay 10% to 25% more than that when you reserve through Hostelworld.
When you book through Hostelworld, your funds will be divided between Hostelworld and the hostel. Therefore, it is can be cheaper to book a hostel using their website. However, the downfall of booking the hostel through the website is you will lose the benefits you get when you use the Hostelworld website. For example are features like flexible booking options, lists of hostels, pre-planned trips, and more.
More about this is covered in our article: Direct Booking A Hotel Vs via OTA.
Hostelworld Chat Option
The chat option allows visitors to connect with other backpacks living in the same hostel. You can contact them prior to your stay to discuss the trip and connect better. Overall, it is a unique and helpful way of exploring the undiscovered and popular parts of the world with people around the globe.
How to leave a review on the hotel you found on Hostelworld?
Not everyone can leave a review on Hostelworld. Only travelers who have booked and stayed in one of their listed hostels can leave a review. So, it is evident that all the reviews are legitimate and reliable on their website. If you have used Hostelworld for your vacation bookings and want to leave a review, follow the following steps:
- Login to your account on Hostelworld.
- Then tap the account icon on the upper right corner of the window and select bookings from the drop-down list.
- Choose the hostel from your past bookings on which you want to leave a review.
- Click add a review to post a review on the selected hostel.
- You can rate the property’s safety, location, staff, ambiance, cleanliness, price, and other amenities on a scale of 1 to 5 in the Rating section.
How much is the Hostelworld deposit fee?
When you make a hostel reservation for your trip with Hostelworld, you must pay a booking deposit fee. The fee is approximately 15% of the total booking cost. The rest amount is to be paid at the time of check-in. Apart from the deposit fee, there are no additional charges that Hostelworld levies.
Who determines the hostel’s cancelation policy?
Hosts can set their cancelation policies on Hostelworld.com.
The “cancel by” date is usually 24 hours before check-in time, and cancelation/no-show fees generally equal the initial night’s stay. However, some hosts are stricter, moving the “cancel by” date forward or increasing the cancellation fee.
During peak seasons, strict policies are more common. Before making a reservation, always read the cancelation policy of the hostel. You can find it by tapping “View House Rules” in the listing’s Property Description field.
You can read more about this in our article about hotel’s cancelation policy in general.
Does Hostelworld charge for any foreign transactions?
There are no additional international charges applied while booking. However, if you pay your host with a credit or debit card, your bank will determine the currency and exchange rate, as is customary.
In what currency does Hostelworld charge?
You can view and pay your booking deposit fee in US Dollars, Euros, and Pound sterling. Please remember that the remaining balance due, which must be paid upfront to the hostel, will be in the local currency of the property booked.
Users can view the price on the booking list in their local currency, but Hostelwolrd doesn’t guarantee that the same exchange rates are applied. You should keep in mind that exchange rates fluctuate.
Is there any age restriction to use Hostelworld?
Users should be above 18 to use Hostelworld and make vacation reservations. Furthermore, you certify and guarantee that you are at least 18 years old, have legitimate permission to enter into these Terms, use the Hostelworld Services in compliance with them and that every information you provide is accurate and genuine.
Additionally, there is an upper limit for the age for booking trips using Hostelworld Roamies. A traveler should be between 18 and 35 years to book trips.
Does Hostelworld provide a booking guarantee?
Yes, Hostelworld provides a 100% booking guarantee. However, suppose you have a problem upon arrival at your booked accommodation, like there is no record of your booking with the hostel manager. In that case, they will credit your account with an additional US $50.
If you want to receive a claim, you need to contact the Hostelworld team within 48 hours of reaching their hostel. While requesting a claim, you will require a copy of the booking confirmation email and booking reference number. Once they authenticate the details of your request, Hostelworld will credit your account with the booking deposit amount and an additional US $50.
You can use this amount to make deposits for your future booking on Hostelworld. If the property closes due to unforeseeable circumstances, the booking guarantee does not apply.
