Hostogether

OTA = Online Travel Agency, which means those sites that sell the booking and take the payment for you.
User avatar
annafern
Posts: 220
Joined: Thu Feb 07, 2008 8:34 am
Location: England & Wales
Contact:

Hostogether

Post by annafern »

Anyone have any ideas how the new website Hostogether is going to work.

Like most of you I get quite a lot of new website directories advertising portals approaching me by email, but this looked interesting!

Although as yet they are not really giving much away and once you have clicked the join button and watched the video its not quite clear how my property would benefit.

Here is the link to their site http://www.hostogether.com

Anna :?
User avatar
GRL
Posts: 821
Joined: Fri Sep 12, 2014 4:31 pm

Post by GRL »

I came across them a while ago as did many other owners who have been spammed by them, purporting to send emails from owners who say they love Hostogether - these owners in fact do not exist but the spam emails do ...and they just keep coming. More info here - http://www.laymyhat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=27697

When I questioned them on FB about the emails they hid my post and all my comments have also been deleted.

There have been some long threads of various owner FB roups about this company and I have to say that none of it is complimentary. It looks like their primary aim is not to help owners in an altruistic way but to sell them some software to help manage bookings and take more control over your bookings.

Oh and the founders and staff rather like giving themselves 5* reviews on FB :shock:
User avatar
annafern
Posts: 220
Joined: Thu Feb 07, 2008 8:34 am
Location: England & Wales
Contact:

Post by annafern »

Interesting and thanks Rosie.

Seems strange I am only just been put on their hit list but I am now forewarned and will brace myself for their Spam emails!

Anna


:oops:
User avatar
GRL
Posts: 821
Joined: Fri Sep 12, 2014 4:31 pm

Post by GRL »

We believe that the original tranche of emails addresses they spammed may have been somehow harvested from FB owner groups and owners who show their email address of their FB groups got the spam emails - they do now seem to be spreading their net further but we do not know how they are getting the emails.

Annafern - what name was on the email you received?
User avatar
Nemo
Posts: 7062
Joined: Thu Aug 14, 2008 10:15 am
Location: Norfolk

Post by Nemo »

Yes I'm one of those being spammed daily. I commented on loads of their facebook pasts up until July 4th asking them to stop spamming me. I thought there was a little poetic justice in spamming them by return until facebook stopped me. :lol: Do have a look to see if you can see them or if they've hidden them from their page. Just because I can see them doesn't mean anyone else can, but they didn't bother to reply, nor remove me from their list. I've now blocked the email on my computer at least, not sure whether I will have to set up a block on my domain too. Just waiting to see.

I reported the emails to the server provider too (or whatever the correct technical term is) at abuse@amazonaws.com Do report them too as every report must surely help!

Edited - new email address as previous one given turned out to be for the domain name only and not the host.
Last edited by Nemo on Thu Jul 13, 2017 8:37 am, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
annafern
Posts: 220
Joined: Thu Feb 07, 2008 8:34 am
Location: England & Wales
Contact:

Post by annafern »

Rosie

I have just done a sweep of my trash box and its seems they targeted a few different emails of mine. And this one doesn't appear anywhere on my Facebook page and actually I am not sure where they have got it from.

info@luxury-self-catering-cottages.co.uk

But interestingly they have also target the directory I run!
Robin Delivigne and the wording of the email was totally different.

The one yesterday was from Rui Escaleira & Joana Feijó and went to my personal business email which also doesn't appear on Facebook.

Your other feed made me chuckle "John Bishop"
:lol:
www.bluelagoon.co.uk www.uniqueholidaycottages.co.uk
I own two websites - Blue Lagoon which I use to market my own holiday cottages. I also own Unique Holiday Cottages - a directory of luxury holiday lets in England and Wales.
User avatar
GRL
Posts: 821
Joined: Fri Sep 12, 2014 4:31 pm

Post by GRL »

Nemo - I cannot see your comments but can see mine. However when I log on from another account I can nee neither - so they have away of hiding comments from people but allowing them to still see them their own comments :?
User avatar
GRL
Posts: 821
Joined: Fri Sep 12, 2014 4:31 pm

Post by GRL »

annafern wrote:The one yesterday was from Rui Escaleira & Joana Feijó and went to my personal business email which also doesn't appear on Facebook.
They are the founders of Hostogether and also VRPRO which is the company selling the channel manager software to owners - they told me that the are now rebranding VRPRO as Hostogether. The FB page of VRPRO also seems to have an unhealthy number of 5 star reviews from the same names as Hostogether http://www.vrmanagerpro.com/
User avatar
Nemo
Posts: 7062
Joined: Thu Aug 14, 2008 10:15 am
Location: Norfolk

Post by Nemo »

Rosie wrote:Nemo - I cannot see your comments but can see mine. However when I log on from another account I can nee neither - so they have away of hiding comments from people but allowing them to still see them their own comments :?
Yes that's a facebook feature available to all. Instead of deleting the comments, you hide them so that the user and their friends can see them but the rest of the world can't. They'd be stupid not to hide them quite frankly as they're hardly complimentary. :wink:
User avatar
GRL
Posts: 821
Joined: Fri Sep 12, 2014 4:31 pm

Post by GRL »

Nemo wrote:
Rosie wrote:Nemo - I cannot see your comments but can see mine. However when I log on from another account I can nee neither - so they have away of hiding comments from people but allowing them to still see them their own comments :?
Yes that's a facebook feature available to all. Instead of deleting the comments, you hide them so that the user and their friends can see them but the rest of the world can't. They'd be stupid not to hide them quite frankly as they're hardly complimentary. :wink:
Not a feature I was aware of but it does make sense - we have not been complimentary! It is a feature I can feel some need to use myself mind you!
Nigel Goodwin
Posts: 707
Joined: Thu Apr 04, 2013 3:50 pm
Location: Newquay Cornwall
Contact:

Post by Nigel Goodwin »

I've been getting emails from hostogether, the latest one announces their crowd funding using indiegogo.

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/host ... -community

As far as I can see, this crowd funding is rewards-based, you get discounts on advertisements.

It is not equity-based, so you don't get to enjoy the benefits of amazing equity growth.

It seems to offer rewards in the form of discounts on bookings, can't see owners would be very pleased with that.....
User avatar
Nemo
Posts: 7062
Joined: Thu Aug 14, 2008 10:15 am
Location: Norfolk

Post by Nemo »

€150000 they're looking to raise? I can't for the life of me see why anyone would invest apart from the founders. It's the most smoke and mirrors business I've ever seen. It doesn't explain that you'll need a hostogether website does it or use their software in order to benefit from the discounts they've secured in listing with the big sites. I've never read so much garbage that doesn't actually say anything!
User avatar
GRL
Posts: 821
Joined: Fri Sep 12, 2014 4:31 pm

Post by GRL »

From what I can work out from their crowdfunding pitch owners joining Hostogether will have to pay between €120 and €720 annually for membership plus pay 4% commission on any referral bookings. Oh and they are you going to GUARANTEE you bookings. Really? How??
Annew
Posts: 925
Joined: Wed Nov 04, 2009 10:02 am
Location: Devon

Post by Annew »

Hostogether are back and spamming - 2 today so far!
If you want to find me, Google The Barton Poughill!
User avatar
GRL
Posts: 821
Joined: Fri Sep 12, 2014 4:31 pm

Post by GRL »

Annew wrote:Hostogether are back and spamming - 2 today so far!
Probably because their crowd funding totally flopped and they only raised £2777 when they were aiming for 150,000. Although quite how they think more spamming of owners will help I do not know :roll:
Post Reply