Hostelworld - London

Heidi M.

I paid a 25% returnable deposit to book one night on YHA Ambleside website and the booking somehow ended up on Hostelworld. I had to cancel the booking and expected my deposit back. I didn't receive a refund from Hostelworld and I was then also charged the remaining fee for the room that we had cancelled. I called YHA who said I would have to contact Hostelworld for the 25% and the remainder would come from YHA!! I then called Hostelworld who apologised and refunded my deposit. No refund came from YHA and I had to call again to eventually get everything back.

To cap it all!! I've just received my phone bill and was charged 45p for my call to Hostelworld which is in Ireland! All a total mess and has put me off EVER staying with YHA again.

Aoibhe K.

I accidentally booked a room for the wrong date and paid €100 for one night. I cancelled with the hour of booking it. The hostel owner said if I contacted Hostelworld, I would get a refund since I cancelled quick. I did not get one. Customer service was extremely unhelpful in this situation and we were left with no where to stay for the night. Impossible to get in contact with anyone too, all automated emails.

Felix E.

I can only add to the previous comments, I have absolutely no clue how this company is still operating. I wanted to change a booking in due time but I was not able to access my booking, neither in a browser nor through the app. The ‘manage booking’ link in my confirmation email led to their main page.

In the end, my change was only possible through the hostel directly, but they could not refund my 39$ deposit that I had already paid to hostel world upon my initial booking. I tried to reach them via several of their email addresses, all of which do not seem to work. Smells like fraud to me, I will not use this platform again.

David E.

Poor Communication and Service at Hostelworld

I had a distressing experience with Hostelworld. My booking was canceled without any notification, and the company’s support has been less than satisfactory. I was forced to rebook in high season, paying double the initial cost. Their ‘evidence’ of contacting me was a screenshot, not an actual forwarded email. Please beware and double-check your bookings!!

Ariane F.

Definitely they deserve 0 stars. I made my reservation and when I received the confirmation by email they changed the dates and also my phone number. Later trying to solve the problem my booking was cancelled. I’ve tried to contact them but no response. I lost my money!

Jyoti B.

I wish there was a provision to give 0 stars . I am really disappointed with their service. I could have saved a lot if they had Abu Safari- Jaisalmer in their listing . Why don't you add good hostels which are affordable too in the list . Adding brands is good but think about the local people owning hostels too

Mania

I reserved a bed in a female-only dorm at a hostel in Copenhagen through Hostelworld. When I got there I was informed that no female-only beds were available and that I would have to share a mixed-gender dorm. Their customer service was unhelpful and I had to chase multiple times weeks after I was back to receive my refund. The only explanation I was given after asking for one multiple times was "This was an availability issue as some hostels can be overbooked." after they had already closed my case. I also had to chase separately to remind them that they had charged part of my booking fee and had to return it to me as the hostel would not refund me for that. Book directly through hostels/hotels instead of through this service as you will at least not have to chase multiple people. Their response make me think that this can happen frequently and you don't want to be in a foreign city, late at night, without a place to stay.

Brian D.

The search function on hostel world is abysmal. I often don’t find the cities I am searching for. Even when I find the city, not all hostels appear in the app. I know this because I’ve google searched hostels in a city and found links via google for Hostelworld, but if I search through the app, nothing. Really frustrating.

The searchable selection of hostels dwindles in comparison with their competitor. For instances, I am searching in Chiclayo, Peru, and I see 102 properties (8 hostels) on the Dutch owned website, and 3 hostels on hostelworld. After 10 months of traveling I am dumbfounded as to how this company stays in business, with such a poorly functioning app, and drastically fewer places to stay.