OTAs aren’t your enemy – but they’re not your partner either.
Hostelworld’s new Elevate programme has sparked widespread conversation across the hostel sector – and rightly so. While framed as a way to boost visibility and drive bookings, it signals a broader shift in how OTAs operate and what that means for hostel brands navigating an increasingly pay-to-play landscape.
For teams already working hard to balance guest experience, rising costs and digital visibility, Elevate is a reminder of something many already know: when you don’t fully own your booking journey, you’re always at the mercy of someone else’s algorithm.
This isn’t about rejecting OTAs – they’re a valuable part of the mix. But it is a moment to pause and consider how we can rebalance the scales – building more control, more resilience and a stronger direct connection with the guests who choose us.
What is Hostelworld Elevate – and why does it matter?
Hostelworld recently reintroduced their Elevate programme – a tiered system designed to “reward” hostels that meet certain criteria, such as maintaining high guest review scores, offering consistent availability, and, crucially, accepting higher commission rates.
In return, hostels are promised increased visibility, better placement in search results and access to conversion-boosting features.
The message is clear: those who pay more get seen. Those who don’t risk losing visibility regardless of the quality of their guest experience.
What does this mean for hostels?
In practice, Elevate means that many hostels are now faced with a difficult decision. Opt in and absorb higher commission costs or opt out and risk being penalised in platform visibility.
For many hostels already working within tight margins, higher commission rates add real pressure. And in an environment where visibility drives bookings, there’s a growing concern that access to guests is increasingly tied to how much you’re willing – or able – to pay.
But there’s something even more important at stake here: control. Control over how you’re found. Control over how your property is perceived. Control over your guest relationships and your brand reputation.
That’s why Elevate has struck such a chord. It reinforces the pressure points that already exist for many hostels – particularly around the link between visibility and commission – and brings into focus the importance of strengthening direct booking channels as part of a more balanced approach to distribution.
What this tells us about OTAs and where they’re heading
The Elevate model isn’t unique. We’ve seen similar ‘pay to play’ shifts across major platforms – from Airbnb’s search algorithm shake-ups to Booking.com’s visibility boosters and email marketing restrictions.
What we’re witnessing is a steady platformisation of hospitality: a move toward centralised control, monetised visibility and diminishing differentiation between properties.
OTAs are businesses and increasingly, their product is not your hostel – it’s the guest data and attention they can package, monetise and control.
That doesn’t mean OTAs are bad. But it does mean we need to stop treating them as neutral discovery tools and start recognising them for what they are: powerful commercial players with goals that don’t always align with yours.
Why owning your marketing and booking journey matters more than ever
This is the real heart of the issue.
OTAs are a valuable tool – but when changes like Elevate come in, it becomes clear how little control hostel teams often have over how they’re found, framed, and booked online. That’s, of course, not a criticism but the reality of operating within third-party systems that are always evolving to suit their own goals.
Investing in your own marketing and direct booking strategy isn’t just a ‘nice to have.’ It’s your best defence against the whims of external platforms. It’s how you build resilience. It’s how you avoid large commission fees. And it’s how you develop real, loyal, long-term communities of guests who come back – not because you were at the top of a search result but because your brand actually meant something to them.
What can hostels do now? (And where do you start?)
We get it – you can’t just switch off OTAs and you don’t have to. No one is advocating for abandoning the platforms that bring you bookings. It’s about rebalancing the mix and building a foundation that gives you more control, more ownership and more long-term value.
Here’s where to focus your energy:
1. Optimise your website for conversion and discoverability
OTAs make it incredibly easy to book – and your website needs to do the same. That means reducing friction, making key info easy to find, and ensuring guests can go from browsing to booking without hesitation.
Focus on:
- Fast load times, mobile-first design, and intuitive booking flows
- Prominent, clear CTAs (especially “Book Now”) across all pages
- Real guest imagery and video to help people picture themselves there
- FAQs, directions, reviews and key trust signals visible upfront
- Pricing transparency and best-rate guarantees when possible
And with more and more users turning to ChatGPT et al to search over Google… Don’t forget GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation):
- Secure mentions on trusted blogs, travel guides, and digital publications – AI engines prioritise these sources
- Use natural, search-friendly language across your pages
- Answer real guest questions (e.g. ‘best hostels for solo travellers in Amsterdam’)
2. Use Instagram, TikTok – and even Reddit – to drive search, visibility, and trust
Social media platforms are now a key part of the guest booking journey – they are where travel decisions are being made. Increasingly, travellers are turning first to TikTok to search for inspiration on where to stay, eat, and explore. If your hostel isn’t showing up in that search behaviour, you’re not in the decision-making mix.
Focus on:
- Creating content that answers what people are actively searching for (e.g. ‘best party hostel in Prague’ or ‘quiet hostels for remote work in Lisbon’)
- Using keywords in your on-screen text, captions, hashtags, and alt text especially on Reels and TikToks
- Dedicating part of your content strategy to cold audiences – people who haven’t heard of you but are actively looking
- Leveraging Instagram Broadcast Channels to share exclusive updates, last-minute direct deals or booking perks with your most loyal followers
- Monitoring and joining relevant Reddit threads (like r/solotravel or r/backpacking) where travellers are seeking recommendations – especially when your guests are already talking about you there
- Collaborating with with aligned content creators to tap into their audiences
- Optimising your bio and highlights to make essential info easy to access
- Driving traffic to your booking page through Linktree or smart linking tools
Extra tip: Search your own hostel name or city + ‘hostel’ on Reddit and TikTok to see what people are asking, saying, and searching – then use that to inform your content.
3. Grow and activate your email list
Your email list is one of the few digital assets you truly own and it’s one of the highest-converting channels when used well.
Focus on:
- Collecting emails through your website and at check-in with a clear value exchange (e.g. free drink, local guide, discount code)
- Sending short, visually engaging monthly updates with availability, local events, or booking incentives
- Setting up simple automations like welcome emails or return guest offers
- Reaching out to past guests around key dates (e.g. ‘you stayed with us this time last year…’)
Extra tip: Use your social media to drive email sign-ups especially when offering time-sensitive perks.
4. Create direct booking offers that OTAs can’t complete with
Guests need a reason to book with you. Why would they book with you when they can head to an OTA and book in seconds without paying a penny at that time? The most effective direct booking offers aren’t simply shaving 10% off – you need to create value OTAs simply can’t replicate.
Focus on:
- Bold, experience-led perks e.g a free drink a day, late check-out, best room allocation, early access to events, or city transport passes
- Making the benefit feel exclusive and generous
- Promoting these offers in channels OTAs don’t have access to, like your Instagram broadcast channel, email list or private community groups
- Creating urgency through time-limited or seasonal offers – e.g. ‘Book a 3 night stay direct in June and get your fourth night free’
- Make your offers VISIBLE – social media bios, website pop-ups (without being annoying), everywhere. Make it easy for people.
Extra tip: Make it feel personal. Phrasing like ‘Our way of saying thanks for booking direct’ feels warmer – and helps reinforce brand connection over platform convenience.
5. Track what’s working and double down on it
Without tracking, even your best marketing efforts are guesswork. If you don’t have visibility on where your bookings are coming from, what content is converting, or how people move through your site, it’s impossible to optimise.
Focus on:
- Setting up proper tracking links (UTMs) for every campaign, post, email and platform
- Reviewing your analytics regularly – from Google Analytics and your booking engine to heatmaps and scroll data
- Asking guests how they found you at booking or check-in, and mapping that alongside performance data
- Using a dashboard (like the one we build for our clients) to see everything in one place so you can make smarter, faster decisions
Extra tip: Don’t just track top-line metrics like reach or clicks. Focus on what’s actually contributing to bookings – time on site, conversion rate, exit pages, or specific campaigns that drive ROI.
Final thoughts: Elevate is a reminder – not a reason to panic
Hostelworld’s Elevate programme has brought important questions to the surface – around visibility, commission and the balance between owned and third-party channels.
For hostel teams, it’s an opportunity to pause, reassess, and strengthen the parts of the guest journey you can control – from the first impression on TikTok to the final click on your booking page.
OTAs will likely always play a role. But the more ownership you have over your marketing, messaging and booking experience, the better positioned you’ll be – whatever changes come next.
Need help building a direct booking strategy that actually works? We help hostels around the world grow visibility, attract the right guests and take back control of their marketing. If you’re ready to get started, email hello@staythenight.net – we’d love to chat.
You can sign the petition on ‘Global hostels taking a stand against Hostelworld’s Elevate programme’ here.
