Hostel World

Advantages: when it works - fast, convenient
Disadvantages: Didn't work for me

...I used Hostel World (via Flybe.com) to book a bungalow at a camping village in Rome. I found the website excellent to use, and there was certainly a lot of information about the camping village, including, crucially, transport information. The pricing for the accomodation was competitive, with a small booking fee of USD2, which I was quite prepared to pay for the convenience, plus a 10% deposit. I like not having to pay the full amount, as I often ...
...the email address provided by Hostel World. I never received a response, but assumed that it was simply due to staff at the village not checking their email or being short-staffed over the Christmas break. Unfortunately, when we arrived they had no record of our booking. Luckily, they still had bungalows available and so we were not left homeless for the evening. They also very kindly agreed to take into account the deposit we had paid to Hostel ... Read review

Advantages: Cheap, reliable accomodation all over the world
Disadvantages: First choice not always available unless you book early

I have used hostel world several times to plan trips away and found it very useful and completely reliable. When you enter a destination you are given a list of hostels and cheap hotels. There are reviews and ratings from other members which is a really useful guide. You are also told details of facilities and location and there are often photos of rooms and a map indicating exactly where it is. When you log on you can see all the bookings you ...
...You make a booking through hostel world and they take a 10 % deposit which secures your room. You pay the rest to the hotel when you arrive. You can cancel your reservation and recieve your deposit back until a few days before your stay. There is a $2 booking fee which isn't refunded if you cancel but you can become a member for $10 which means you don't pay the booking fee. Worth it if you are going to stay at more than 5 different places in a year. ... Read review

Advantages: none?????
Disadvantages: avoid if you dont want to donate them your deposit, fee and no show change.

...INTERSOF HOSTEL, SOFIA, BULGARIA with hostel world and was greeted at the hostel with a demand of a bill upfront that didnt deduct my £13 deposit, I tried to argue this with the hostel owners(which was hard due to language), but could only get the reply that hostel world takes your deposit and that I must agree to pay that £13 over what I owed. After having an arguement for about 1/2 hour with agressive bulgarians I was told to take my baggage and ...
...to England I find card billed for an extra no show charge of £9.50 by hostal world and absolutely no method of complaint on their website. Aswell as being left in the lurch financially of having to find the nearest place available to stay after a very long journey, I had to donate in exess of £24 to this attrocious company! ... Read review

Advantages: You can book a room before you leave, knowing you have somewhere to stay when you arrive in another country
Disadvantages: there is a small transaction fee

I used Hostal World to book into a hostal in Russe, Bulgaria. Using their website, I was able to see a detailed description, and more importantly for me, reserve the room over the internet. This meant that when I turned up at some ungodly hour in the morning, I knew that the room was mine. The room was excellent value for money, but, it wasn't really a hostal in the traditional sense, more of a Soviet era government issued flat. The owners were ... Read review

Advantages: good location, great staff
Disadvantages: not so clean, a lot of street dogs near

...city. the atmosphere in the hostel is the best, form all the hostels i've ever been, because nowhere the staff talks with you all day long. next time in Bucharest, i'll definitivly choose funky chicken (by the way, nice name!) regards for Miki and Andrea! good job with the hostel! ... Read review