I look at a variety of hostel sites for potential booking but the pricing isn't clear to me. A 3-bed room lists at $33 and I assume the other beds are sold to other guests. But when it comes to totaling my stay, I see the cost for all 3 beds. What if no one else rents the room - am I liable for that much higher cost?
Posted by
OP
6 posts
I am looking at Hostelworld. I assume it works just as you describe but when it totals for the particular 3-bed room, if I use one bed, it should come to about $160, but what it shows as a total is over $400. I guess I am unfamiliar with the protocols of online booking hostels.
Posted by
Copenhagen, Denmark
971 posts
Check if you are booking a dorm or a private room. In dorms you pay for your bed, but many hostels also have private rooms, where you pay for the entire room.
Posted by
OP
6 posts
Morton has explained what I was asking about. I looked for any description of 'dorm room' and did not find it. So I will pass up such 'private rooms' in future. Thank you both.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32462 posts
nancy,
I don't ever use Hostelworld but prefer to deal directly with the Hostels I'll be staying in. I frequently use HI Hostels as I have a membership with them, so book directly on their website. Having a membership provides preferred booking (over non-members) and slightly cheaper rates. I've found that the facilities at HI Hostels are usually consistent from one location to the next, so no major surprises. However, they're quite popular with school groups, so keep that in mind.
HI usually has several properties in larger cities, so it's possible to choose which area to stay in. If I'm dealing with an independent Hostel (such as the one I often use in Rome), again I deal directly on their website. I prefer to avoid the "middleman".
As the others have already mentioned, if you're booking a Dorm Room, you'll only be paying for one bed. These are often bunk beds so hopefully you're comfortable sleeping on the top bunk. If you book a private room at a Hostel, you're paying for the entire room. Many of the Hostels I've used in recent years have an ensuite in each dorm room, but of course it's "communal living" so that has to be shared with all the residents of that room. If it's a six or eight bed dorm, you could be waiting for awhile! A few properties still have the communal "bathroom down the hall".
One other point to mention is that a couple of the Hostels I've stayed in have been co-ed. That's really not a big deal IMO, and everyone seems to behave themselves.
Posted by
Ottawa
1446 posts
Contrary to Ken, I tend to prefer smaller private hostels (for the most part) and I didn't like the HI ones when I tried them (issues of noise, cleanliness and location - do read reviews carefully!).
I use Hostelworld to book some of these. Booking.com also lists some hostels. A few private hostels will also list one or two private single rooms, with shared bath. Some larger private hostels have their own websites, like Wombats.
Which cities are you looking at for hostel stays?