I finally gave in and tried those hostel booking sites everyone raves about

For like two years I swore I'd never use them... seemed too good to be true with all those discount claims. I always just booked hostels directly through their own websites or walked in off the street in places like Prague and Budapest. But last month I was planning a trip through Portugal and every direct booking was either sold out or way over my budget. So I caved and tried one of those aggregate sites for a 3 night stay in Lisbon... saved about $45 total compared to going direct. The catch was that the site charged a little extra for cancellation flexibility and the room ended up being in the basement with no window. Still though, for the price I paid it was hard to complain. Has anyone else found that the savings are real but you get stuck with the worst rooms?

2 comments

2 Comments

ericp671mo ago

Yeah but you're looking at it the wrong way. For $45 you got a bed in Lisbon during peak season and the room had no windows which means it was pitch black for sleeping. Perfect for jet lag recovery. I'd take a basement bargain over paying double for a view I'm not gonna stare at while I'm passed out anyway.

dixon.amy1mo ago

and of course they gave you the dungeon room with no windows, because that's their whole business model right? you save money but you're basically agreeing to be the hostel's way of getting rid of their worst inventory. i've done the same thing in Amsterdam and ended up in a room that was literally just a bed in a closet near the boiler. the savings are real but i swear the algorithm knows exactly which rooms nobody else wanted and saves them for the discount bookers. in my experience you gotta read the fine print about room type guarantees or lack thereof. still though, forty five bucks is forty five bucks and the basement probably stays cooler in the summer anyway.