Hostelworld Group announced 'The Solo System', a set of social features enabling travellers to interact and connect with like-minded people. Users searching on Hostelworld can now find trending places with the 'See Who's Going' feature, and once a booking is made, they'll be able to 'Chat' to people visiting the same locations and view their 'Traveller Profiles'. 76% of Hostelworld's customers crave a social hostelling experience, but 30% say they are nervous about chatting to other people in hostels.

Hostelworld has released a new native app with a 'Chat' functionality inspiring conversations and real life meet ups between travellers visiting the same cities and hostels, around the same time. Opt-in users will be given access to hostel chats, city chats and interest-based chats up to 14 days before their check-in date - they will also be able to send a direct message to other travellers, provided this has been enabled by users. The app is available in iOS now, with Android launching mid-April.