Awards & Accolades

2009 People's Voice Webby Award Winner "Best Travel Video"

In June 2009 Hostelworld.com won its very first Webby Award when our city guide videos won the People's Voice Webby Award for "Best Travel Video". Produced and presented by Hostelworld.com Editor Colm Hanratty, the videos are in the same format of "10 Things You Need To Know About..." and are packed with useful information on everything from how to save money to what are the best ways to get around. In 2009 almost 10,000 entries were submitted from over 60 countries around the world and over 500,000 votes were cast in the People's Voice Awards. This is testament to the popularity of our city guides among our customers.
IT Inspired Awards Win

Hostelworld.com picked up an award in the hospitality travel and transport section at the 2008 Inspired IT Awards for the Hostelworld.com map application. The Inspired IT awards were created by iReach to recognize the heads of IT and their teams for their strategic role in helping to drive competitiveness and place Ireland at the forefront of knowledge creation and IT innovation globally.
2008 Webby Official Honoree

Hostelworld had been selected as a 2008 Webby Official Honoree, a distinction that recognizes work exhibiting remarkable achievement. Hailed as the “Oscars of the Internet” by the New York Times, The Webby Award is the leading international award honoring excellence on the internet. David Michael Davies, executive director of The Webby Awards said “Hostelworld.com Official Honoree selection is a testament to the skill, ingenuity, and vision of its creators.”
2008 Travelmole Web Awards UK

Hostelworld.com scooped the award for "Best Accommodation Site" at the Travelmole Web Awards UK 2008. With a record 1,200 entries received for the 2008 awards Hostelworld beat off stiff competition from a shortlist of 4 accommodation sites take the top honours.
2007 Net Visionary Award Winner for Best Podcaster

Hostelworld.com Editor Colm Hanratty received the ‘Best Podcaster’ award at 2007’s Net Visionary Awards held in Dublin’s Mansion House. Colm received the award for his travel podcasts he recorded all over the world on an 80-day trip he embarked on earlier that year. These ranged from ‘The Cable Car Cast’ which was recorded on a cable car in San Francisco, and ‘Live from the Khao San Road’, recorded on Bangkok’s famous backpacker strip of the same name.
2006 Golden Spider Award

Hostelworld.com received the best Travel, Tourism & Hospitality Website Award at the 2006 Golden Spiders Internet Awards ceremony held in Dublin, Ireland. The award recognised the excellent content and technology employed by the site which has become a global market leader in online reservations in the budget accommodation sector.
2006 Webby Award Nominees

Hostelworld.com has been nominated in the Travel Category of the 10th Annual Webby Awards. This is the second year running in which the Hostelworld.com site has been shortlisted in the travel category of the most prestigious internet awards.
2006 Net Visionary Award

Hostelworld.com CEO & Founder, Ray Nolan has been selected by the Board of Directors of the Irish Internet Association as the Overall Net Visionary for 2006. Commending Hostelworld.com on the achievement, IIA Chairman, Colm Lyon said the company has constantly raised the bar in terms of competing in the global internet market, remained highly innovative in their approach and moved quickly to capture the opportunities.
2005 Webby Worthy Award Winners

Hostelworld.com has been selected as Webby Worthy as part of The Ninth Annual Webby Awards. Hailed as the “Online Oscars” by Time Magazine, The Webby Awards is the leading international honours for web sites. Webby Worthy selections are chosen by the International Academy of the Digital Arts and Sciences, a 500+ member body of leading web experts, business figures, luminaries, visionaries and creative celebrities that includes musician David Bowie, Virgin Group founder Richard Branson, and “Simpsons” creator Matt Groening. “The Webby Awards honours the outstanding web sites that are setting the standards for the internet,” said Tiffany Shlain, creative director and founder of The Webby Awards. “Hostelworld.com’s Webby Worthy selection is a testament to the skill, ingenuity, and vision of its creators.”
Winners - 2003 Ernst & Young, Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year

Hostelworld.com founders Tom Kennedy and Ray Nolan have been awarded the Ernst & Young Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year award.

Now in its sixth year, the Awards Programme aims to identify, salute and support the businessmen and women whose vision, drive and dedication have singled Ireland out as having one of the highest levels of entrepreneurial activity in the world.
Winners - 2003 World Summit Awards

Hostelworld.com has been voted one of the best sites in the E-business category in the World Summit Awards held in Dubai in October 2003. The awards recognise the best content producers on the web and Hostelworld.com has been selected for this award from over 800 websites worldwide.
Second Place - Deloitte Technology Fast 50

Hostelworld’s parent company Web Reservations International (WRI) was placed second in the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Programme. This programme recognises and ranks the fastest growing technology companies in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland over the period 2000 to 2002. The winners show how to survive and thrive in today’s market.