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I booked a hostel on a cheap non-refundable rate via Hostelworld, for a stopover of one night only.

Hostelworld charges a small deposit. The remainder is to pay at the property once there, even in the case of non-refundable rates.

In the meantime, I missed a train connection due to a delay and cannot make it to the city where I booked the hostel.

I initially asked the railway company to compensate me or arrange accommodation but they refused, saying that I can take a later train connection that involves a change a 3am - seats only, no proper couchette - and arrives at 5am the next morning. If I made the connection I would have arrived there by 11pm. But this is not the main topic of the question.

Instead, I arranged a plan B to be able to have a good night's sleep in another city that I can still reach.

I suppose the hostel still expects the payment of the nonrefundable reservation in full. But they do not have my card information as I cannot get there. What happens next in this case? Do they have a way to collect the payment in some other form?

DavGin
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2 Answers2

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If the hostel notices and is run by a competent company, they'll charge your card for the price of the first night booked with them. As per the official HostelWorld guideline for hostels:

How to Charge a No Show and Minimize Losses at Your Hostel

A no show can be a frustrating experience for any hostel owner. It happens when a customer fails to arrive or cancels their reservation upon arrival. In this article, we'll provide information on how to handle no show policy and credit card access to minimize losses at your hostel.

To protect your business from customers not turning up, you are entitled to charge a fee equivalent to the cost of the guest's first night's stay in case of standard booking and the full cost in case of non-refundable booking. This fee will help cover some of the losses incurred due to the no show.

You can try to call them and see if they'd be willing to cancel or move your booking free of charge.

JonathanReez
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You should call the hostel and arrange for them to be paid. You committed to it at the time of the booking.

In some cases a hostel will not charge if you call and explain why you can not make it if it is still early enough for someone else to use the bed, but that is up to them.

If the booking agency has your card details they might charge you that way.

Willeke
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