HostelBookers

As an accommodation provider, I use different websites to recieve bookings for our various properties; Hotels, Hostels and furnished apartments. So far, hostelbookers.com is the best. I recommend it to everyone.

Hostelbookers are one of the best company's ever, great service, no messups,

It is by far the worst booking platform which neither provides good service to the listed properties, nor to the travelers who count on their reliability. Their commission policy, which charges over 20% of the total amount for the booking is consciously hidden from the end customer. NO ONE who books through HW knows that the so-called "deposit" goes to Hostelworld pocket, not to the property. This is totally misleading the customer's awareness where their money go to. From our experience as hostel owners, we were totally surprised when one of the HW managers A. N cancelled more than 11 reservations without our knowledge, based on her personal attitude towards us. Another big disappointment is their software which is completely outdated, there is no app for the properties, the password reset procedure takes over 48 hours, which might ruin anyone's business. Moreover, by default one property account adjust its availability not only at Hostelworld, but also at Hostelbookers, Hostels.com, etc. which might lead to a serious problem when a password reset is required. HW Team Leader - A. S., was totally disrespectful when we addressed to her our complain for an improper customer behaviour, she neglected our case and her arrogance forced us to cancel our partnerhip with Hostelworld.

This website is part of Hostelworld Group. You can see on the first page:,, no booking fees, no service charge". It's a big fat lie, but European commission don't care.

DO NOT BOOK WITH THIS WEBSITE

If you don't know what to believe about this site, please believe this review. I never write reviews about anything but if I can save someone else from experiencing what i experienced it'll be worth it.

I was planning a trip to miami with my friends and i used this website to "book" a hotel for our trip. I had never heard of it but I was on google and I saw a good amount of people had used the website so we decided to try it. We found the hotel, selected the dates, and proceeded to enter our card information. When they were taking my money, there certainly wasn't a problem there. The problem came afterwards.

My first red flag came when i checked my email to see if i received their confirmation and I didn't see it. I saw that it was it my spam... Why would it automatically go there?

My second red flag came when I clicked on the website they gave me to activate my account, it said "404 page not found" so now I'm like DO NOT TELL ME THIS IS A FRAUDULENT WEBSITE.

My third, fourth, and fifth, red flags came when I called the hotel I "booked" with through this website and they told me each and every time that they did not see my reservation there. I asked them how long it takes usually for a reservation to show up after booking and they said 20 minutes max. I called 40 minutes after booking, then i called the next morning during normal business hours, and finally i called a third time and still nothing. So what i dont understand is why my card was charged yet I have no reservation. I understand you have a "nonrefundable deposit" clause but i feel like you guys should draw the line at FRAUD. I would love my money back but I already dont trust you guys and know better than to get my hopes up about you guys trying to right this wrong.

Oh and dont bother calling them or emailing them about any issues you may have, they'll never get back to you.

Bottom line, do NOT waste your money by booking on this website. You're better off using booking.com or expedia.

Hostelworld Scum!
On behalf of me and my husband, I turn to you in a matter of a misleading and lack of transparency performed by an online travel agency operating at the U. K. #hostelworld #hostelbookers #hostels dot com, #bedandbreakfatworld, #backpackeronline #scout24 owned by #WebReservationInternational
This agency,#hostelbookers (HB) denies our legal and moral right to get a refund of a payment they charged us after we cancelled a reservation at a B&B. In Amsterdam. The cancellation took place after we found out that we were misled about the services supplied via the B&B. And learn, to our sorrow, about the booking cancellation dishonest policy of HB.
On April 2014, looking for a room in Amsterdam via an Hebrew written website called Travelist we found the hostel Cribs B. B. Both me and my husband saw that the deal at the Cribs includes breakfast. We decided to book the room for seven nights starting on May 20th (over a month in advance). Travelist directed us to complete the deal with Hostelbookers. We were asked by HB to supply our credit card details, and only after giving our bank the order to charge us on the amount of 171 Euros (25% of the deal), we got by email the confirmation of the deal.
Two days latter, On 12 April 2014 I read the details of the room and found out, to my surprise, that the confirmation we received does not include the detail about breakfast. Though it was promised at the original site which directed us to Hostelbookers, and though it's called B&B. I decided to ask the costumer service of HB if the deal includes breakfast. They turned me to the Cribs declaring that we can cancel the deal, but the 25% they charged from our account is not refundable.
We decided to cancel the deal. The cancellation took place on April 18th.
From that moment on, I wrote to HB several emails explaining my demand for a refund of 171 Euros they charged from our bank account. They kept on ignoring my arguments and repeating two sentences: "no refunds" and "breakfast not included in the deal". I wrote to them that I believe the commitment for breakfast was an honest mistake, but we don't have to pay for it.
My main argument, completely ignored by HB (who did not bother to answer my last appeal) are these:
1. We were misled about the services we are going to get at the Cribs.
2. As a result of the misleading, we cancelled our reservation
Within 48 hours.
3. The cancellation took place on April 18th: over a month before
The due hosting, on May 20th.
4. opposed to British law, we learned about HB's cancellation policy (no refund on 25% of the deal) by email, only after we booked the room and gave HB the details of our credit card- which means they already instructed the bank to
Charge us, without letting us know by email about their strict and
Unfair policy.
There is also a misleading in the way the website of HB announces, in very big letters NO BOOKING FEES.
We shall be very grateful if you can order Hostelbookers to follow the law and basic decency, and order them to make a refund to our bank account. Avoid Hostelworld/#Hostelbookerd/#Hostels dot com#
#WebReservationInternational are non-compliant with EU Consumer Law.!
The main problems:
1. A lack of mandatory information on the TRADER'S IDENTITY in particular: the name of the owner, their email address, phone number, depriving consumers from an effective contact channel.
2. A lack of clear instructions on How To Complain
3. Optional price supplements, such as: Baggage Fee, Booking Fee, Insurance Fee, priority boarding...
4. The total price of the service is not indicated upfront when the main elements of the booking are first displayed.
EU Laws protects you against this:
What if that small print says:,, the deposit you just paid is non-refundable"?

What if it says:,, You cannot cancel your booking"/ contract unless you pay the company an extortionate amount in compensation?

According EUConsumers law: These types of Unfair Contract terms are PROHIBITED! EU Laws protects you from these sorts of abuses. EU Consumer Laws allows you to cancel your Booking

As a hotelier i submitted a request to get listed on their sites ages ago, i had access to the extranet and filled all the info, it's been ages and still not published.