HostelBookers.com has set an industry first in the budget accommodation sector by rolling out videos of its properties.Some 100+ videos can now be viewed on the site, featuring accommodation in Amsterdam, Singapore, Rome, Venice, Florence, London, Edinburgh and Dublin.

The aim of the project is to offer HostelBookers’ users a better experience on the website - allowing them to see properties in more detail than with images alone. For an example of the videos - which were created using up-to-the-minute portable technology (see below) - go to: http://www.hostelbookers.com/hostels/england/london/15159/.

 

HostelBookers’ Head of Ecommerce, Ed Goldswain said: “We were keen to produce a type of video that was in sync with our market, and the Nokia N95 seemed the ideal tool for the job. We wanted to shoot the properties as they were, in a totally realistic fashion, without staging any of the shots. The videos form a major part of our ongoing quality assurance drive: the aim of the exercise, after all, isn’t to create a glossy ‘sales’ video, but to be totally transparent and allow our customers to see more of what a property’s actually like before they book it.”

 

HostelBookers also claims another budget sector first by teaming up with TripAdvisor, to promote a selection of the videos, which can be found by going to: http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/members-videos/HostelBookers

 

Ed Goldswain continues: “The whole video project is an extension of the company ethos: HostelBookers is the only website in its sector that conducts rigorous quality assurance reviews of its portfolio. In this respect, www.tripadvisor.co.uk is the perfect partner for us, and once again we are excited to be leading the way in our sector.”

 

Martin Verdon-Roe, Director of Sales, Europe for TripAdvisor said, “HostelBookers’ videos on TripAdvisor provide valuable content for our younger demographic by giving them a behind-the-scenes look at accommodations for budget travellers. Shot with a camera phone, travellers benefit from a real view of the properties, allowing them to select what best suits their needs.”

 

The company has undertaken the entire project in-house - from the recording to the editing - and will be opening the field up to user-generated content in the near future. Ultimately, HostelBookers will be looking to roll out as many videos of its properties as possible in the coming months.
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