My cousin laughed at my hostel booking strategy until I saved 200 bucks

My cousin Mike always insisted on booking hostels through the big name sites. He said my method of going direct through the hostel's own website was too risky. Last month I booked a 4 night stay at a hostel in Portland for $120 total through their site. Mike paid $180 for the same dates through a third party site and got stuck in a room with no window. Has anyone else had better luck booking direct instead of using the big booking platforms?

3 comments

3 Comments

riley_west2mo ago

What's the cancellation policy like on those direct bookings though? I've had a couple friends get burned when plans changed and the hostel wouldn't refund a dime, while the big sites at least gave them some kind of credit or partial refund.

piper_burns1mo ago

I actually read somewhere that direct bookings are getting more popular again because places are offering better deals to cut out the middle man fees... I tried it last year for a trip to Austin and the guy at the front desk threw in a free breakfast and late checkout just because I booked through their site. The cancellation thing is real though, I got stuck once when my flight got delayed and they wouldn't budge on the no refund policy. Still, saving 80 bucks like you did feels worth the gamble most of the time.

ryanh562mo ago

Direct booking means you're actually talking to the people running the place, not just a computer.