REG - Hostelworld Grp PLC - AGM Statement

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RNS Number : 1096D  Hostelworld Group PLC  06 May 2026

LEI:213800OC94PF2D675H41

Hostelworld Group plc ("Hostelworld" or the "Group")

2026 AGM Statement

Year-to-date revenue momentum maintained; FY 2026 guidance reiterated subject
to macro conditions.

6 May 2026: Hostelworld, a ground-breaking social network-powered Online
Travel Agent ("OTA"), is holding its AGM today at 12 noon at the offices of
the Company, 8 Harcourt Street, Dublin 2.

At the AGM, Marieke Bax, Chair of Hostelworld, will make the following
statement:

"It is my privilege to address shareholders as Chair of Hostelworld for the
first time at today's Annual General Meeting. I would like to thank
shareholders for their continued support and confidence in the Group, and I
look forward to engaging with you over the coming months as I form my own
views on the business and the opportunities ahead.

Against the currently challenging backdrop, I am encouraged by the strength of
the platform the team has built and the underlying engagement we are seeing on
the network. An AI agent can book a bed almost anywhere, only Hostelworld can
introduce travellers to the people they will spend their evening with. This is
a structural advantage that compounds as AI reshapes how people discover and
book travel. Our near-term focus is on the disciplined execution of our
strategic initiatives: scaling third-party inventory plus activating Social
Passes through paid marketing and integrating OccasionGenius into our
platform, during the second quarter of this year.

The broader macroeconomic consequences of the Middle East conflict are
uncertain and difficult to predict. To date, the Group's overall revenues have
not been materially affected. Demand for intra-European travel remains in line
with our expectations and is currently offsetting softness in long-haul demand
from Asia, where bookings on routes through the affected region have been
impacted. Given the relatively short booking windows in our segment of the
market, the Board will continue to monitor trading patterns closely and update
shareholders should the position change.

On that basis, and assuming no further escalation of the Middle East conflict,
the Board reiterates its guidance for the financial year 2026 in line with
current market expectations."

AGM details:

The results of the resolutions relating to the AGM will be published later
today. Further information relating to the AGM is published on the Company's
website:

https://www.hostelworldgroup.com/investors/agm-information-and-general-meeting-information/agm-information/2026
(https://www.hostelworldgroup.com/investors/agm-information-and-general-meeting-information/agm-information/2026)

For further information please contact:

Hostelworld Group plc
 
                     Corporate@hostelworld.com

Gary Morrison, Chief Executive Officer

Caroline Sherry, Chief Financial Officer

David Brady, Head of Commercial Finance

 
 

Sodali &
Co
hostelworld@sodali.com (mailto:hostelworld@sodali.com)

Eavan
Gannon
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7250 1446

 

About Hostelworld Group

Hostelworld Group plc is a ground-breaking social network-powered Online
Travel Agent ("OTA") with a clear mission to help travellers find people to
hang out with. Our mission is founded on the insight that most travellers go
hostelling to meet other people. Our platform connects travellers through a
range of social features, including city and hostel chat rooms, AI-powered
recommendations, and event discovery, facilitating real-world interactions
before, during and after their trips.

Hostelworld's vision is to be the world's leading social travel platform.
Since launching its social network in 2022, the Group has welcomed over 3.4
million social members, with engagement growing faster than stays booked.
Messaging volumes grew 81% year-on-year in 2025, and social members book
approximately twice as frequently as non-members, demonstrating the platform's
utility and its contribution to customer lifetime value.

Our proprietary dataset, spanning over 3.4 million social members, 16 million
chat messages and 17 million bookings since launch, strengthens our ability to
understand traveller behaviour, personalise experiences, and build network
effects that differentiate Hostelworld from generalist OTAs. This data asset,
which is exclusively ours and compounds in value as our community grows,
underpins our AI-powered matching and recommendation capabilities.

Founded in 1999 and headquartered in Ireland, Hostelworld is a recognised
brand with around 270 employees, hostel and accommodation partners across more
than 180 countries, and a growing suite of products including budget
accommodation and Social Passes that extend the platform well beyond the
traditional hostelling category.

Hostelworld has a long-standing commitment to improving the sustainability of
the hostelling industry. The Group has introduced a hostel-specific Staircase
to Sustainability framework, accredited by the Global Sustainable Tourism
Council, which helps partners adopt more sustainable practices while giving
travellers clearer information for decision-making. Customers can choose to
offset trip emissions, and for the fifth consecutive year the Group has
retained the 'Taking Climate Action' label from South Pole.

Disclaimer

This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These statements relate
to the future prospects, developments and business strategies of Hostelworld.
Forward-looking statements are identified by the use of such terms as
"believe", "could", "envisage", "estimate", "potential", "intend", "may",
"plan", "will" or variations or similar expressions, or the negative thereof.
Any forward-looking statements contained in this announcement are based on
current expectations and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could
cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by
those statements. If one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize,
or if underlying assumptions prove incorrect, Hostelworld's actual results may
vary materially from those expected, estimated or projected. Any
forward-looking statements speak only as at the date of this announcement.
Except as required by law, Hostelworld undertakes no obligation to publicly
release any update or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained in
this announcement to reflect any change in events, conditions or circumstances
on which any such statements are based after the time they are made.

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