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submitted by rob-on-reddit
Greetings /r/travel,
I've used Hostelworld for ~5 years under the assumption it was publishing all positive and negative reviews.
When a recent review I submitted didn't show up on the site, I sent an inquiry and received the response below
TL;DR - Reviews mentioning bed bugs are censored.
I think that's pretty unfair to customers.
Do you agree or disagree? Is there another booking website that does not remove these reviews? Or should I just stop staying in the cheapest guest houses I can find? :-)
Hi Rob,
Thanks for contacting Hostelworld.com.
I should let you know about our policy regarding bed bugs. Our standard policy is that we don’t publish reviews regarding bed bugs as this can seriously damage a hostel business (to the point of closure in some cases). We recognise, however, that this is an ongoing issue and that customers must also be protected. As soon as we receive information regarding bed bugs at a hostel via review or otherwise, we make contact with the property to ensure that the problem is being resolved. As you may imagine, due to the nature of international travel, particularly within the backpacking community who are so much more mobile than other travel sectors, this is a global issue which hostels are constantly trying to combat. If we feel that a hostel is not doing enough to eliminate the issue within their property, we will publish the reviews regarding bed bugs or send a further warning to them as we do not wish for our customers to be exposed to bed bugs and especially not to bring them home with them.
Thank you once more for your feedback as it is through our customers that we can continue to improve our services.
If you want I can resend you a new one but you will need to don't mention about the bed bugs.
Looking forward to hearing from you,
By the way, this is my second submission of this topic. In the first, I mentioned the name of the hostel. That thread was deleted by an /r/travel mod. It appears to have been removed for naming the hostel. As far as I can tell, criticizing particular businesses is not against /r/travel rules.
all 23 comments
[–]getmeoutofhere15Australia 4 points5 points6 points  (9 children)
Kind of a misleading title. They only censor reviews about bedbugs because as the response said, it can shut down a business and there is no guarantee the bugs are from that particular hostel. Also what someone thinks is a bedbug bite could be from a mosquito or other bug.
In terms of your other post being removed, you likely didn't follow one of the posting guidelines.
[–]rob-on-reddit[S] -3 points-2 points-1 points  (8 children)
Kind of a misleading title
To censor means to examine for removal. The title isn't misleading. It could be more descriptive.
In terms of your other post being removed, you likely didn't follow one of the posting guidelines.
I don't see which one
[–]getmeoutofhere15Australia 0 points1 point2 points  (7 children)
The mod gave you an explanation. Stop complaining.
[–]rob-on-reddit[S] -2 points-1 points0 points  (6 children)
You're certainly free to ignore my replies.
/u/jippiejee did not cite a policy in that post. She/he mentioned naming and shaming. I don't see any policy against naming businesses in a critical post in either Reddit's sitewide rules or /r/travel's rules
[–]getmeoutofhere15Australia 0 points1 point2 points  (5 children)
Don't know what I ignored from you but alright...
I'm going to agree with hostelworld here, and will remove your post too. Bed bugs is a serious problem, but it transports itself through travellers from place to place. Singling out specific places for this is unfair and totally damaging to hostels, who usually will work very hard to deal with the problem that's introduced by others. The hostel you're now calling out with your naming and shaming might be the one who totally dealt with the problem, while the next hostel the person with the infected sleeping bag goes to will not.
Believe it or not Reddit allows for some flexibility and a Mod is allowed to remove posts like yours.
[–]rob-on-reddit[S] -1 points0 points1 point  (4 children)
Don't know what I ignored from you but alright...
You didn't ignore anything. What I'm saying is if my comments bother you, you don't need to read them. I was responding to your suggestion that I stop complaining.
Believe it or not Reddit allows for some flexibility and a Mod is allowed to remove posts like yours.
For sure. Mods can do whatever their online powers permit.
Generally, they don't delete every post they dislike. They tend to follow the Reddit guidelines and the guidelines of the subreddit.
Sometimes they don't. There are various consequences. If it's egregious, that mod may be removed. If it's a minor quibble like this one, a user may choose to discuss it further. That's all, no biggie
[–]getmeoutofhere15Australia -1 points0 points1 point  (3 children)
Generally, they don't delete every post they dislike. They tend to follow the Reddit guidelines and the guidelines of the subreddit.
They removed one post and they gave you the reasoning. Had nothing to do with them disliking it.
[–]rob-on-reddit[S] 0 points1 point2 points  (2 children)
Had nothing to do with them disliking it.
I did not say they disliked my post. I was speaking generally
[–]CharlieKillsRats 0 points1 point2 points  (1 child)
The post was removed, with a long and very good explanation of why. Which is the same reason people are commenting here about hostelworlds removal as well. Downright reasonable and explained. We remove heaps of posts here, and you got a great and reasonable, and understandable explanation of why and how to correct the post as well. That more than we give 95% of removed posts (you don't want to see our modqueue).
In other words, relax.
[–]rob-on-reddit[S] 0 points1 point2 points  (0 children)
In other words, relax.
I'm cool with it. The main point of this post was to ask if there are alternative websites.
The above was just a conversation I had with getmeoutofhere15. I don't think there is anything wrong with it. It's not offensive. We disagree but they're not personal attacks.
(you don't want to see our modqueue).
I do appreciate the work you do, and of course this sort of thing is at your discretion. Thanks again for your effort! This really is a great sub to which I enjoy contributing. See you next time...
[–]flame7926Flying away 2 points3 points4 points  (5 children)
I think it makes sense not to post those reviews because people think they are such a big issue, when the hostel can resolve them almost immediately, and the bugs might be from a different place or might not be bed bugs at all.
[–]rob-on-reddit[S] -3 points-2 points-1 points  (4 children)
the hostel can resolve them almost immediately
Hmm, I don't think that bed bugs are easy to resolve. If they were, they wouldn't be able to destroy a business as hostelworld claims.
I do respect your opinion and those of others on this forum.
[–]MONSTERTACOHostel Worker 1 point2 points3 points  (1 child)
I've worked at a number of hostels. If the hostel is properly equipped you can kill bedbugs reliably in less than 6 hours by super heating the room.
[–]rob-on-reddit[S] 0 points1 point2 points  (0 children)
That's cool. What does being properly equipped entail?
This hostel was in an older, run down building in Asia, in a country not known for its strict adherence to building and fire codes.
I did not find out about the quality of the building until I arrived. My gut tells me they're not equipped to take care of bed bugs as efficiently as you describe.
[–]flame7926Flying away 0 points1 point2 points  (1 child)
I think they can sanitize sheets pretty easily, while one report of bedbugs can have a large impact on their business. I think that's more what the review was referring to, what the reviews do
[–]rob-on-reddit[S] 0 points1 point2 points  (0 children)
You should read about bedbugs! They can stick around even when a mattress is replaced by living in the wooden frames of beds. They can be really difficult to eradicate. Their eggs can survive for a long time and can survive washing. If you take these home with you in your backpack you'll have a rough time and may end up throwing away furniture. If your neighbors in an apartment building have bed bugs, and they don't take care of them, you'll never get rid of them.
The last point is my major gripe with the hotel where I stayed. It was part of a building complex that didn't seem to be clean. They portray themselves as a hotel at an address that in fact houses around 50 different hotels. They have one sign outside the elevator with branding that appears to be clean, although even some of those look old and dirty.
Had I known there were so many hostels/hotels right next to each other, I would have been more alert to the fact that they probably have issues with bed bugs
[–]MrGoodEmployeeChicago 4 points5 points6 points  (1 child)
I think that's fair as long as they do follow through with it if the place keeps getting bedbug reviews.
If you want I can resend you a new one but you will need to don't mention about the bed bugs.
It was written so well up until that point.
[–]rob-on-reddit[S] 1 point2 points3 points  (0 children)
Cool. I respect your opinion. I wonder if there is any site that does not censor material to such a degree, for those of us who would like to hear about such things.
Personally, if I saw a review mentioning bedbugs from 6 months ago, and the proprietor responded a few weeks later explaining the situation and that the problem was taken care of, then I would be willing to stay there.
Transparency is important to me.
[–]Oax_MikeMexico 1 point2 points3 points  (0 children)
Seems reasonable to me.
[–]evokoiUnited States 0 points1 point2 points  (3 children)
Off this point-- should I ask you where that hostel was? Just in case...
[–]rob-on-reddit[S] 0 points1 point2 points  (2 children)
I'll tell you by PM, but I can't mention it here or I believe my comment will be removed. See the last paragraph of my post.
So far as I can tell there aren't any rules in /r/travel against critiquing particular businesses, but moderators don't always follow the rules.
[–]evokoiUnited States 1 point2 points3 points  (1 child)
But I think people have a right to know but I understand it's private...
[–]rob-on-reddit[S] 0 points1 point2 points  (0 children)
But I think people have a right to know but I understand it's private...
Well then I commend you for being brave enough to disagree with the majority of other commenters in this thread!
It's clear you've put some thought into it yourself. It's not an easy question. Being critical of another individual or organization is something to which those entities often take offense. They will argue it hurts them. The question is, when, where, and how should you be allowed to be critical without censorship or punishment?
This varies by country as well as by business. In the US, a business can make rules forbidding certain forms of speech, although they are not allowed to discriminate based on race, religion, sex, or other protected classes.
There are several interesting free speech cases being opened against colleges. Colleges are increasingly censoring speech on campus by expelling students or decreasing newspaper budgets, and students are reacting to that with lawsuits claiming that the college is punishing students for mere speech.
Ultimately, you can do whatever you want in this world. Depending on the society in which you live, there will be different consequences. The more you are informed about such consequences, the more you can contribute to society in a positive way.
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