Can we talk about booking hostels through third-party sites vs direct?

I used to always book Hostelworld for the convenience, but after getting hit with a 15% markup on a place in Prague that had no availability shown on their own site, I switched to calling or emailing hostels directly. The guy at the front desk told me they keep 5-10 beds off the big platforms for walk-ins or direct bookings, saving me at least $30 on a weeklong stay. Has anyone else found better deals going direct?

2 comments

2 Comments

jesse9881mo ago

That bit about keeping beds off the big platforms is right... I read an article saying some hostels only put a few rooms on sites like Hostelworld to avoid paying those high commissions. Called a place in Barcelona once and got a private room for what a dorm would have cost online.

dixon.felix1mo ago

Exactly. A lot of hostels are getting smart about that. I've started just calling places directly whenever I can, even the big chains. Saves me money and they get to keep more of it too.