Hostelworld vs. SynXis Central Reservation System:
Which Is Right for You?

The Decision

Choosing between Hostelworld by Hostelworld.com and SynXis Central Reservation System by Aven Hospitality hinges on your hotel’s specific needs. Hostelworld primarily targets hostels and budget accommodations, offering a basic reservation platform with limited features. Conversely, SynXis caters to a broad range of property types, providing extensive management tools, integrations, and advanced features. Your decision depends on whether you prioritize a straightforward booking interface or a comprehensive reservations platform.

Hostelworld has a limited presence with no recent reviews and a zero-star overall rating, indicating weak credibility for hotel reservations. In contrast, Aven Hospitality’s SynXis boasts over 50 reviews, all within the last six months, with a high 4.2/5 rating and an NPS of 8.52/5. Given this recent, detailed feedback, SynXis clearly offers more reliable insights. Are you comfortable relying on a platform with no recent data or reviews?

Is Hostelworld or SynXis Better for Hotels?

Hostelworld is designed mainly for hostels and budget accommodations, offering a minimal reservation system that focuses on online distribution. Its core strength lies in simplicity, but it lacks advanced management features, integrations, or extensive customization options. If your hotel is a small boutique or hostel needing only a basic booking channel, Hostelworld might suffice—though its lack of recent reviews and poor overall ratings are concerning.

SynXis, however, is built for larger, multi-property hotels and resorts, providing a suite of features like RMS and PMS connectivity, central rate and inventory management, and a sophisticated booking engine. Its robust capabilities support complex operations, making it ideal for hotels seeking a centralized control system. Given its comprehensive feature set and recent positive reviews, SynXis offers more value for hotels aiming to scale.

If your property requires advanced reservation management and channel distribution, go with SynXis. If your hotel simply needs a straightforward booking link to a niche market, Hostelworld could work—but with significant limitations.

Edge: SynXis

Is Hostelworld or SynXis Easier to Use?

Hostelworld’s interface is extremely basic, but its lack of features makes it minimally complex. However, the platform’s limited functionality means there's little to learn or manage, which might appeal to extremely small operations. Its usability is hampered by no recent updates or detailed user feedback, making it difficult to gauge onboarding experience or staff adoption.

SynXis scores a 4.38/5 for ease of use, with many users praising its intuitive interface and straightforward navigation for managing multiple properties and rates. Its onboarding process is rated 4.08/5, indicating solid support during setup. Many users highlight the platform’s efficiency, reducing staff training time and simplifying complex tasks like rate management across channels.

Edge: SynXis

Which Has Better Features: Hostelworld or SynXis?

Hostelworld offers no unique features beyond basic online booking and distribution. Its feature count is zero, making it unsuitable for hotels that need more than fundamental reservation capabilities. It might serve as a simple booking portal but lacks management tools, reporting, or integrations.

Aven Hospitality’s SynXis offers 16 advanced features, including RMS connectivity, PMS integration, call center functions, geotargeted pricing, dynamic pricing, availability management, booking rules, support for weekly/monthly rates, TMC management, multi-property oversight, content tools, guest profiles, reporting dashboards, channel management, and a booking engine. This extensive list caters to complex hotel operations seeking control over their distribution and revenue.

Edge: Aven Hospitality

Which Has Better Customer Support: Hostelworld or SynXis?

Hostelworld provides no recent reviews or information about support, leaving its customer service credibility unclear. Its lack of data suggests minimal support infrastructure, which could be risky if issues arise.

SynXis’s support receives a 4.07/5 rating, with reviews praising its proactive account management and responsiveness. Users cite their support team’s expertise as a key benefit, though some mention delays in technical issue resolution and slow implementation of new features. Still, the overall support experience appears more reliable and comprehensive.

Edge: SynXis

Which Has More Integrations: Hostelworld or SynXis?

Hostelworld integrates with only a single verified partner, limiting its connectivity options. Its minimal ecosystem restricts users from connecting with other essential hotel management systems.

Aven Hospitality’s SynXis offers 80 verified integrations, including popular PMS, RMS, and channel managers like Visual Matrix PMS, WebRezPro, Profitroom, and Inntopia. Shared integrations, such as Yanolja Cloud Solution, ensure seamless connectivity across multiple platforms, streamlining hotel operations and distribution management.

Edge: Aven Hospitality

Which Do Hoteliers Rate Higher: Hostelworld or SynXis?

Hostelworld has no recent reviews or ratings, making it impossible to assess user satisfaction. Its lack of recent data significantly weakens its credibility as a reservation solution for hotels.

SynXis, with 50 recent reviews, holds a 4.2/5 overall rating, and an impressive 85% likelihood to recommend. Hoteliers across segments like independent, branded, and resort hotels rate it highly, with many praising its ease of use, connectivity, and management features. This consistent, recent positive feedback positions SynXis as the stronger choice.

Edge: Aven Hospitality

How Much Do Hostelworld and SynXis Cost?

Hostelworld’s pricing details are not publicly available, suggesting a possibly limited or bespoke pricing model, or that it may not be suitable for larger hotels expecting transparent costs. Its lack of a free trial or tiered pricing indicates minimal flexibility.

Aven Hospitality’s SynXis charges a base fee of $400, with no mention of additional monthly per-room charges, implementation fees, or free trials. Its straightforward pricing structure, combined with comprehensive features, offers clear value for medium to large hotels.

What Type of Hotel Should Use Hostelworld?

• Hotels that serve budget travelers, hostels, or small accommodations with simple reservation needs.
• Teams that prioritize quick setup and minimal management.
• Properties with limited operational complexity, such as boutique or niche lodging.
• Hotels that require only basic online distribution channels without extensive integrations.

Not ideal if:

• You need advanced reservation management or multi-property support.
• Your hotel aims to scale or optimize revenue through dynamic pricing and channel management.
• You require detailed reporting or integrations with PMS/RMS systems.
• You want ongoing support or a platform with recent updates.

What Type of Hotel Should Use SynXis?

• Hotels with multiple properties seeking centralized reservation and revenue management.
• Larger resorts, branded hotels, or properties with complex rate structures.
• Teams that value seamless integrations with PMS, RMS, CRM, and channel managers.
• Hotels aiming to increase direct bookings via advanced booking engine features.
• Properties that need ongoing reporting, guest profiles, and content management.

Not ideal if:

• You run a small boutique or hostel with minimal management needs.
• Your budget is extremely limited, and you prefer basic booking links.
• You prefer a platform with no recent user reviews or proven support.
• You are primarily a niche property with no scale or multiple locations.

The Bottom Line for Hotels

In essence, Hostelworld is a niche platform focusing on simple online distribution for budget and hostel properties. Its limited features, lack of recent reviews, and weak overall support make it unsuitable for hotels looking for growth or sophisticated management tools.

SynXis, on the other hand, is a scaled, feature-rich reservation system designed for hotels that need to control multiple channels, properties, and rates. Its recent positive reviews, extensive integrations, and support network make it the clear choice for larger or multi-property hotels.

If your hotel requires a straightforward booking platform for a small niche market, Hostelworld might suffice—but with significant limitations. For any hotel aiming to grow, optimize revenue, and streamline operations, SynXis provides a more reliable, scalable solution.

Edge: SynXis