Hostelworld.com Launches Newly Redesigned Website With $25,000 Giveaway

DUBLIN, Aug. 10 /CNW/ - Hostelworld.com, the world's number one hostel booking website, today announced the launch of its newly redesigned website. The website has undergone a complete transformation, including many aesthetic changes that complement functionality improvements. Some of the key benefits for Hostelworld.com customers are enhanced search functionality, quicker download speeds, and more of Hostelworld.com's unique content.

The new website hosts a wide range of new features:

• Improved navigation makes it easier to utilize the website
• Enhanced hostel search and filtering functionality allows customers to find the perfect hostel quickly and easily
• New page layouts - designed with feedback from users - prioritize the information customers want to see, such as ratings, reviews and photos
• Enhancement of the "Guides & Info" section of the website, which provides rich information, advice and ideas to help travellers get the most out of their trip
• Further improvements to Hostelworld.com's travel social network, "MyWorld", gives customers greater control of their bookings by allowing them to cancel and make changes, in addition to allowing them to meet friends and stay connected online while travelling
• Improved travel services to help with the essential extras needed when travelling, such as travel insurance, guidebooks and a flight metasearch.

To celebrate the launch of the redesigned website, Hostelworld.com has also launched an innovative $25,000 "treasure hunt" competition with a prize of $2,500 cash for ten daily winners (www.hostelworld.com/treasure-hunt). Each day a video question will be posted on the website by Hostelworld.com's editor, Colm Hanratty. The answers can only be found in the pages of the newly designed website. Those who answer correctly will be entered in a drawing for a chance to win one of the daily $2,500 cash prizes. Furthermore, all entrants will receive no booking fees for four weeks.

"After celebrating our milestone ten year anniversary in 2009, we felt that the time was right to not only give Hostelworld.com a brighter, fresher look, but also to update and improve the functionality, tools and services that we currently offer, enhancing the overall experience for millions of Hostelworld.com customers," said Feargal Mooney, CEO of Hostelworld.com. "The travel industry and the technology underpinning it are constantly changing, and our goal is to be at the forefront of that change so that our users have the very best tools for booking budget travel. We're also very excited to be launching such a large scale giveaway in conjunction with the website redesign launch. The 'treasure hunt' competition will help people to familiarize themselves with the website's new look and new features, while also giving them the opportunity to win a fantastic cash prize, as well as no booking fees for four weeks just by entering."

About Hostelworld.com

The global market leader for over 10 years, Hostelworld.com is the leading provider of online reservations to the budget, independent and youth travel market. It offers confirmed online reservations for over 24,000 hostels and budget hotels in 186 countries worldwide. The site also offers budget travellers a Travel Store, over 3 million user reviews, free travel videos, podcasts, customized city guides, a travel social network and more. Hostelworld.com is headquartered in Dublin and is fully owned and operated by Web Reservations International Ltd (WRI) www.hostelworld.com/press.

For further information:

Sarah Faith, The Castle Group, [phone], [email protected], Web Site: http://www.hostelworld.com