Budget accommodation provider Hostelworld unveils a brand new website this week aimed at improving user experience and taking a stripped down approach to navigation.
The site has abandoned the former busy homepage to a simpler search and include only core functionality for the service.
Most of the additional information about hostels, destinations, booking information pages, editorial content and social features is now either buried further down the homepage or in other channels within the site.
The relaunch of the site follows the company’s ten-year anniversary and parent company Web Reservations International‘s sale to private equity firm Hellman and Friedman in November 2009 for a rumoured Euro 200 million.
Other new functionality includes an overhauled map search tool to include detailed information about every property in a particular city such as ratings, pictures and reviews.
So do you think they’re trying to increase their search volume?
HW did an excellent job with this redesign. While the updated search box isn’t my personal fav, three cheers to them for trying something new and rather bold.
But the improved nav, better filters, updated photo modules…basically everything looks greatly improved. Well done.
Sure — the AdSense with delayed AJAX search results is brilliant
The site definitely has major improvements. I like the direction.
Simplicity ROCKS. I like the new design. It’s clean and looks easy to use. Great work.