Hostel News: NZ hostels can't use the word "best" in advertising

[Hostels]

New Zealand hostels were in the news today over a disagreement over the use of the word "best" in marketing materials:

The Advertising Standards Authority has upheld a complaint against a backpackers group that said its establishments were "New Zealand's best hostels".

The Youth Hostels Association complained that Base Backpackers' claim suggested its hostels were indeed New Zealand's best and might lead readers to believe this had been determined by an independent industry review.

Base said the term "best" was only ever intended to be "merely advertising puffery or hyperbole".

[...]

The authority found Base to be in breach of Rule 2 of the Advertising Code of Ethics which relates to truthful presentation.

[Tim]

I generally find that any hostel that describes itself as the best is usually somewhere below average. The same goes for hostels that claim to be the cleanest.

Base is an exception though as they generally as pretty nice hostels. However even in this instance, calling them the best is going a bit far as there are some really nice small hostels in NZ.

Still I expect YHA have better things to do than complain about Base hostels.