Side-by-Side Comparison
We’ve lined up the metrics that matter—no fluff, just the numbers and workflows that impact hostel life every day.
Little Hotelier
Hostel Mate
Little Hotelier
vsHostel Mate
$104+
Price (Monthly)
$37
Price (Monthly)
$104+
$37
Per-room tiers + add-ons
Pricing Transparency
Flat per-bed
Pricing Transparency
Per-room tiers + add-ons
Flat per-bed
≈1–2 weeks
Setup Time
Live in <4 h
Setup Time
≈1–2 weeks
Live in <4 h
$0–299 (white-glove)
Setup Fee
$0
Setup Fee
$0–299 (white-glove)
$0
Hotel/B&B-centric
Hostel-Native Design
Yes
Hostel-Native Design
Hotel/B&B-centric
Yes
Tier + extras
Pricing Model
Flat subscription
Pricing Model
Tier + extras
Flat subscription
3–5 days
Staff Training Time
<30 min
Staff Training Time
3–5 days
<30 min
Why Hostels Aren’t Mini-Hotels
Dorm turnover is faster, check-ins bunch up around night buses, and your communal lounge probably doubles as tonight’s karaoke arena. Treating that like Room 204 at the Ritz? Cue reception tears.
- 7× average check-ins per hour vs hotels
- Beds not rooms—40 beds = 1,820 nightly SKUs per year
- Walk-ins spike after 10 p.m.
- Inventory flips constantly across OTAs
- Guests split bills and share links—payments must be painless
- Event board is the heartbeat (sunrise hike at 5 a.m.)
Built by backpackers at 4 a.m. check-in, not B&B accountants
Hostel Mate was first scribbled on a surf-wax box in Bali when two hostel managers couldn’t find software that treated bunks as first-class citizens.
Little Hotelier has earned praise for simplifying boutique hotel admin, but hostels need muscle-memory-friendly layouts built for 3 a.m. arrivals and 12-bed dorm turnovers.

12 Ways Hostel Mate Gives You Back Your Evenings
- Bulk-edit dorm prices for an entire season—18-second revenue hack right in your PMS
- Automatic pre-arrival WhatsApps with door codes, Wi-Fi and digital house rules—zero inbox chaos
- Rock-solid staff permissions: night guard ≠ manager, front-desk ≠ owner (goodbye ‘oops’ edits)
- Rolling 24-hour operational reports—because hostel life never clocks out at midnight
- Smart overbooking guardrails squeeze last-minute revenue without dreaded walk-of-shame relocations
- One-click inventory sync to Booking.com, Hostelworld, Airbnb & 50+ OTAs—no double-bookings
- Self-service guest check-in nukes reception queues and auto-captures e-signatures
- App-powered smart lockers unlock via Bluetooth or backup PIN—no lost keys, ever
- Friendly deposit nudges slash no-show rates during peak season (fill every bed)
- Granular audit logs track who changed what, when and why—perfect for accountability
- Auto-managed waitlist: uncertain bookings jump to confirmed beds the second a spot opens
- Return-guest recognition: CRM remembers profiles, perks and favourite dorms—hello loyalty
Real-World Hostel Problems We Fix
No hype, just everyday headaches our hostel PMS removes—so you can focus on good vibes, not admin.
Last-Bed Scramble
Auto-close OTAs when you’re down to a single bunk. No more 3 a.m. walk-ins fighting over it.
Split Bills Chaos
Guests pay their slice via one-tap links. Accounting stays clean; friendships stay intact.
Dorm Map Guesswork
Drag-and-drop bunks on a colour-coded plan. You’ll spot double bookings before they happen.
Slow Channel Manager
60-second inventory pushes keep Booking.com, Hostelworld and Airbnb synced in near-real-time.
Overbooking Roulette
Smart Buffer shields you with data-driven limits, not wishful thinking.
Seasonal Price Blindness
Hostel Mate raises rates for festival Fridays, lowers for rainy Tuesdays—automatically.
Frequently asked questions
Little Hotelier’s per-room tiers look fine for six cosy B&B rooms, but dorms multiply costs fast. Because Hostel Mate charges flat rate, not per room, you never pay hotel-style premiums for 8-bed bunks.
Yes. Hostel Mate and Little Hotelier both sync with Booking.com, Hostelworld, Airbnb, Expedia and dozens more.
Our migration crew has the night-owl process down to a science. You keep accepting bookings throughout—most hostels are 100% live in under four hours, no downtime.
Absolutely. Rates flex every hour based on demand, weather, local festivals and booking pace. It’s like airline revenue management—just tuned for bunkbeds.
They can. Reserve an entire 12-bed dorm, then send individual payment links so each traveller settles their slice. No more midnight calculator marathons at reception.
Ready to Manageyor dearm Hostel?
All competitor information was gathered from publicly available sources as of July 16 2025. Pricing, features and trademarks belong to their respective owners and may change without notice. Hostel Mate is not affiliated with or endorsed by Little Hotelier.