Your own hostel website can be a great channel to drive sales. In fact, we consider a great and easy-to-use hostel website the absolute basic in your digital marketing.
While there is a wide range of hostel website templates, a great page needs more than a pretty website design.
It needs usability. It needs SEO. It needs a clean design. And so much more.
No worries, nobody expects you to develop your own professional website. After all, your main job is to run a successful hostel business. We wrote a simple guide to 7 best wordpress themes for hostels and hotels.
In this article we walk you through a few details. We share on how to get in touch with us to get your own new hostel website.
We also share hostel templates, website hostels examples and last but not least software that makes your hostel-life easier.
Here is our solution:
- Get a new hostel website design
- Prices
- Get in touch
- What makes a great website for hostels and hotels?
- Hostel Website Templates
- Hostel Website Examples
- Property Management System for Hostels
Get a New Hostel Website Design
We have built several successful websites; from networks to simple and even complex hostel websites.
We at Hostelgeeks do not offer any website development anymore. We teamed up with a reliable and even better partner to deliver now cool websites for your hostel, hotel, homestays, and all types of accommodation.
You can get your website ready in less than two weeks.
Read: 7 best WordPress themes for hostels and hotels
Besides a quick and professional website, we also offer consulting for your Property Management System, Channel Manager and Booking Engine.
Read: our recommendation for a PMS – Property Management System for Hostels
Cloudbeds is another popular solution. Read here the complete review of Cloudbeds.
Prices – from 850€
How much is a new hostel website for your business? The prices start from 850€ for a basic setup of a website. We can discuss further upgrades and special requests once you get in touch with us.
The start price will setup your business to get read receiving online bookings.
The website will include:
- fresh design
- usability
- embedding of high-quality photos
- description
- basic SEO steps
- mobile-friendly
You will need to provide high quality photos as well as texts describing your different rooms and services.
Get in touch for your new website.
Interested? Get in touch with us. We can have a first look.
Fill out the form and getting in touch is absolutely free, there is no obligation or strings attached.
Please fill out the form below and let us know a few things about you and your business. We will then contact you back with a first briefing and more information.
Update: Hostelgeeks.com no longer offer this service.
Hosting and Maintenance of your website
A professional website needs reliable hosting and maintenance.
Host your website with us and get a reliable site with unlimited branded emails and free SSL certificate.
The first year included in the price – valued at $60/year.
If you do not have a domain yet, we will happily assist with finding and purchasing the perfect domain name and connect it to the host of your choice. Most domains cost around $12/year.
Today’s website visitors use, more often than not, their mobile device.
Your website will adapt real-time to all devices without compromising site performance. These visitors should also be able to find your site on search engines, we make sure your site has a good SEO base, the site will also track the visitors and their activity so you can make smart, informed decisions.
To make sure your website keeps being great and secure we will make sure that the tools are up to date.
If due to human error or act of god, the website changes or breaks, we have 3 backups store that are updated every month.
Indecisive? Make any changes to your site after it’s done. 3 hours of extra maintenance work are included.
What makes a great website for hostels and hotels?
Your website does not have to be the most complicated and most fancy one in the world. In fact, the easier the better. It should be straight to the point, but cover everything your future guests want to know.
After all, your website has one main goal:
Convert and drive bookings to your hostel.
This means a website should showcase your hostel in a simple, convincing way, cover all possible questions your future clients have and show every corner of the hostel.
Here’s a few topics your website should cover:
1. Room Types:
It is hard to believe a hostel or hotel would not show the actual room. And yet, it happens so often. How can you expect a client to book a room with you, when you do not show it?
You wouldn’t buy a pair of jeans you haven’t seen before, right!?
Therefore, showcase your different room types with good, quality photos.
2. Directions:
Your users may wonder how to get to your hostel. They want to know how far your hostel is from the main bus station, train station and the famous sight in your destination.
3. FAQs:
Besides directions, it could be also more detailed questions. For instance, you serve breakfast in your hostel and the user is wondering if you also serve vegetarian-friendly breakfasts. We will help you to identify the information we need to put on your website.
In fact, it is incredible simple to find out what your guests want and need to know.
Just take notes of all email requests you receive and the requests you hear every day at your reception desk. Write down all these questions, comments and doubts – and then create your FAQ and put it online.
Especially your emails will become less.
If your user finds everything online already, they do not go through the “hassle of sending you an email” and waiting for a reply. They find the answer with 2 clicks, and go ahead with their booking. Period.
You save time, the user saves time. Win-Win.
A great side-effect: Your online-user sees you know what you are talking about, and that you understand the traveler. This is where your hostel-branding starts. Do not underestimate the power of that detail.
4. Photos and other Media:
In terms of photos, that is not something to save any money on. Get a professional photographer and invest that money. That investment will pay off for sure.
You will be using your professional photos on booking portals as well as your own website, your facebook and instagram.
Bad, low-quality photos mean less customers. It is that simple! So why saving x€ on a photgrapher, when you will lose xx€ in long-term?
Other Key Factors for a successful hostel website
There is so much details that goes into a great website. It is more than great photos and a book-now button.
Here’s an excerpt of key areas the web has to cover:
- Loading speed
- mobile friendly design
- usability
- straight-forward content
- Google Analytics properly set up and running
- SEO – Search Engine Optimized so users/ clients/ guests can find you
- simple booking button
- consider several languages
All those things might seem easy for some and overwhelming for others. It is not rocket-science but it needs to be done properly. For the marketing-ninjas amongst us, you will enjoy those funny SEO Jokes.
Same as for the photos, you can do this on your own if you have the knowledge. Get in touch with us for a first consulting.
Hostel Website Templates
Would you like to build your own website? This is certainly possible. Then find here our recommendations for hostel websites templates.
We have found 7 wordpress themes you can use.
However, we recommend working with a professional web developer. There is many mistakes you will do when setting up your own website without prior experience.
We also did many mistakes when starting out; it is normal.
Same as for your hostel photos, we recommend getting someone on board that can help you build a cool, fast website to boost your sales.
Again, we do offer this service. Get in touch here.
Of course, there is web developers in your area you can also work with. Just bare in mind, that we bring more than 8 years of experience to the table. And, we built Hostelgeeks.com, a hostel network with more than 350.000 monthly users. We know a thing or two about building a successful website.
Hostel Website Examples
If you want to create and build your own webpage, then you might want to have a look at these hostel websites examples.
Below we list a few of our favorite and cool designs we think and know convert well.
1. Ecomama Hostel in Amsterdam
The website loads super fast and the content is straight to the point. The menu is kept simple, covering
- about
- location
- contact
- book
Bam! Only the footer covers more topics like faqs, jobs and the legally-required privacy statement.
2. Calle 11 Hostel in Santa Marta, Colombia
The Calle 11 Hostel comes with a certain instagram-filter. It makes sense then to show-off your hostel right away.
Calle 11 added a vertical image with a description text next to it, highlighting its main facilities like swimming pool, cool staff, cleanliness etc.
The website is also available in English, Spanish and French, assuming their main customers are native speakers to these languages.
3. Spin Designer Hostel – El Nido
Again, a great example and inspiration. The Spin Designer Hostel highlights its awards on the main page. This adds trust and a level of quality you can expect and experience.
While you should be conscious of what kind of website sends you “awards”, there is obviously high value to awards coming from Hostelworld, Booking.com and Hostelgeeks.com
The rating on Tripadvisor is also something to take into account. Depending on your destination, Tripadvisor is more or less important. Do your own research!
We also like the “Book Now!” button in the upper-right corner, highlighted in the brand color orange.
4. Selina Hostels & CoWorking
Another great website with several hostels across the world is selina. Find more information about Selina Hostels here.
This up-level hostel brand opened several hostels around the world and was facing the problem of communicating their properties in a simple way. Their solution is one of the best in the industry.
It is one of the biggest hostel chains in the world.
Big, bright images, a big and clear font
Property Management System for Hostels
Besides a professional, cool website every hostel needs a property management system or PMS for short.
What is a property management system?
The name is already self-explaining. A PMS is a software that helps properties like hotels, resorts, hostels and other accommodations to facilitate the management of properties, personal property, equipment, including maintenance, legalities and personnel all through a single piece of software.
Some PMSs allow as well invoicing, updating of availability (channel manager) and more.
We consider a professional PMS your second tool in your hostel-box.
Read: our recommendation for a PMS – Property Management System for Hostels
Any questions?
Anything not clear, doubts? Then please, drop us a line. You can always send us your questions.