Hostelzoo.com, the world’s largest independent hostel comparison website has launched, offering budget travellers the best place to find the lowest price for their accommodation needs.

From Bombay to Budapest, Hostelzoo indexes the details of more than 40,000 hostels worldwide and is the only web based application to search all four major hostel booking sites: Hostelworld, Hostelbookers, Hostelsclub and GoMio.

Constantly updated, through live API’s, Hostelzoo provides travellers with the most up to date information and best rates possible. The site allows travellers to compare hostels by bed type, price, availability, reviews and ratings, facilities and location, all on a single page.

The default ‘Grid View’ breaks the mould from traditional accommodation sites, allowing users to view and compare more properties much faster. It also offers a simple and fast 3 click process, saving time on public Internet kiosks with their search, compare & book.

Like their largest supplier (Hostelworld) Hostelzoo was developed by former hostel operators to fill a gap and satisfy the needs of the budget accommodation market. Developed with complete map integration, the website aims to target budget conscious travellers such as RTW Backpackers and Gap Year students, enabling them to visually search the globe as they move from one destination to the next.

Founder & CEO of the Sydney based start-up, Scott Ryan, claims they have produced the best user experience for booking hostels. “Travellers will love using our site - it’s fast, fresh and fun without all the advertisements and misleading ‘sponsored listings’. We are a completely independent company and all search results are impartial to our booking partners; we only display the best deal.”

The project has been a labour of love since formulating the idea three years ago with fellow travellers when they were struggling from one website to the next to compare prices and find availability.

“We want Hostelzoo to be a community marketplace. We are always open to feedback and I am looking forward to continuing to provide budget travellers with even more resources in the future,” he said.