HostelWorld.com

alared

Anyone used them?
Opinions and comments please.
Linked to Ryanair,I think.

kawan2

I'm not sure if it is the same one but I did use

http://www.hostelworld.com

to book a room in Kyoto, Japan. Mind you, I flew with Virgin and not Ryanair.

They are more like a "hosting site" because once the booking was confirmed, you had to contact the hostel directly yourself if you have any queries. It posed quite a problem to me at that time because my credit card was about to expire when I made the booking. I was told to contact the hostel directly to tell then the new details when I got my new card. I'm not sure if it's because the owner speaks hardly any English or whether I had to pay by cash for the remainder amount that I didn't get any reply from any of my emails to her. Luckily, the reservation was ok when we turned up and the owner was very helpful.

Gabrys

I've used hostelworld but was a bit disappointed when i turned up at the hostel and spoke to other travelers who booked the same room at a cheaper price. From what i understand hostelworld charge a booking fee which inflates the price.

I have since then used an alternative service called Hostel Bookers which is just a good and does not charge a booking fee.

Badger_Lady

I have used them twice - once in Italy and once in Amsterdam.

It seems very simple and effective, although I somehow missed the piece of information on the Amsterdam booking that said "this is a Christian hostel with a 3am curfew and no drugs / alcohol"!!! Bit of a shocker, that...

I believe (could be wrong) that Ryanair earn commission if you use their links but you can also go directly through Google. I always check a variety of sources, but so far hostelworld has won my business each time.

blue_haddock

I've used them a few times, only had one problem and that was with the hostel supplying incorrect room infomation rather than it being a problem with the website itself.

o_t_e

I've used them a few times without any bother. If you find a place on there you'd like to stay at it's worth googling them (a) to see if there are any reviews, and (b) to see if you can book with them direct at a cheaper rate.

dearbarbie

not used them but interesting posts, will be using them a lot in China next yr!