Hostelworld
reviews and complaints

To whom it may concern,

I recently stayed at a hostel in Venice that is offered on your website. I feel it must come to your attention how dangerous this place is for the visitors. I've just gotten back from hospital after staying at "Backpackers House Venice". Their bed bug infestation is so bad my whole body has been covered in bites. I had to go to the hospital because of the amount of bites covering my body. In the hundreds. The reception man was also very inappropriate toward me and my sister. He would come into our rooms to talk and when I complained about the bed bugs he would get all touchy, hug me and ask show me then run his hands along my body. I felt sexually assualted. Very uncomfortable being a female traveling. I later read the reviews of this creppy behaviour to female travelers and the insane infestation of bed bugs. I don't want a refund, I just want this terrible place to not be offered to the public, it's a health hazard. The bed bug infestation has been complained in reviews from years back. Please please take this listing down before you encourage the next person to be in danger of this place. I've attached photos for you to see the damage.
If you need the hospital medical report please just ask, or anything else for hat matter. Please respond so I can see something is being down by Your website.

Kind regards,
Ashleigh Jones

I want to file an official complaint and also request full refund for my stay due to false information on the Hostelworld site. The owner of HUB Backpackers Hangout Hostel told us that he has reported this problem to his Hostelworld Rep a guy named Jarod for the last 3 months and the Rep has done nothing. The complain is as follows..

I was looking for a place in the country away from the city life of Coron Palawan. I chose a placve that according to Hostelworld was 8.8 km from the city center but when I contacted the Hub Hostel the owner Joy informed me that they were right in the city center. Upon meeting Joy and reviewing the facts including various emails sent to Jarod the hostelworld rep, I am convinced that the problem is 100%hostel world. The website says all the hostels are 6 to 8 Km outside of the city center when in fact only one hostel is outside of the Coron town proper. The fact is Coron is only 3 km long and the city center according to hostelworld is somewhere far away from the actual city center. Barangay 1, the city hall, the police and fire department are all locaated in the city center (barangay or area 1)

I booked my stay using this wrong information and since its the Hostelworld website error I am asking for a full refund from you.

HI CHRISTINA, YOUR BOOKING IS CONFIRMED
Reference Number: 84071-[protected]

Hello,

We made a booking in Casa Elemento in Minca for tonight (now 9 pm in Minca). We wanted to go there and had to find out that Casa Elemento according to google maps is not the Casa Elemento we booked. The one we booked is 1 hour away from real Minca city and we cannot even find it on google maps (also not under Finca Bella Vista). We had to find another hostel now and ask for a refund for the original booking of the hostel that is one hour away from here.

Enclosed pls find the screenshot showing what you find when you look for Casa Elemento:

I, my name is Medhi Bouchtaoui and id like to be contacted asap regarding the booking ref: 97686-[protected]
The bed are full of bugbed, thas is unacceptable! There's no hygiene at all, the place is dirty, no doors on shower ( just some very very dirty plastic curtains)... I cant stay here any more, you need to help me find an other place to stay as this place is a real shame without a trace of hygiene...
Thanks you

Best regards

Medhi bouchtaoui

In their accommodation description, they say they provide lockers. This is not true and they know about it. I asked the receptionist and she looked at the "potentially available" locked lockers and she first lied saying they are from other guests. The hostel was empty, only 2 guests including me. Once I told this to her, she laughed and say maybe this will be fixed soon. I told her to inform you guys to update this info and she laughed again. I also confirmed with some other travellers Who stayed a week ago that they did not get this service as well.

Hello I booked this hostel through you guys and they charged me $169 euros when they were suppose to charge me $70 euros on entry. I organised a refund and they said they transfered the money but they didn't and are now not replying to me now. Would it be possible for you guys to sort this out because I'm now in another country and they are no longer speaking to me

Hostelworld have THE RUDEST customer service team I've ever encountered! After speaking with a woman named Melanie, I am absolutely appauled at the service I have just gotten. The woman basically laughed at me and called me a liar over the phone. Coincidentally, they don't have a manager today or tomorrow that I can speak with. I am very disappointed and I will not book through them again. Word of advice - anyone wanting to book a hostel, just look on their website, find the hostel and ring them directly - Hostelworld keep the deposit. You'll save a lot of money and not deal with childish individuals if something does go wrong.

I had seen great reviews and so booked to stay 3 nights from 13th-16th May. On the first night I found bed bugs in my bed late in the night. I informed the front desk straight away around midnight and She told me to move to the top bunk - which after about 20 mins I realised also had bugs. I complained again and was moved to another room around 2am. I told her I felt so umcomfortable and couldn't sleep and wanted to move hostels and she said I could check out the next day. That next day I spoke to the day staff and the supervisor, I even showed them the pictures and videos and wasn't given a refund nor any form of compensation which I think is so disappointing! I really wanted to stay here and was excited given the reputation. The decision to move wasn't because I didn't like it but I physically could not sleep out of worry, anxiety, and a concern for the cleanliness and my belongings - even though the new room was clean - bed bugs are easily spread - especially in communal and public domains like hostels. I even then re looked at the hostel world reviews and found another backpacker had the same issue with bedbugs so this isn't the first time. I've been travelling for a long time and completely understand the issues that can arise from so many backpackers in one place, and I'm very considerate but I feel my complaint wasn't taken seriously and I was made to feel like I was silly, I'm appalled with the customer service I received and lack of remorse. I'm hoping to get partial refund at the very least.

I booked a hostel as a guest, paying a deposit for the room. Turned up and the hostel was fully booked and the room shouldn't have been sold to us. Massive inconvenience as we travelled to the hostel and had to find another one. Emailed three times no response! Awful service and no refund on the deposit. How can a company take money from you and not provide the service, and when failing to provide the service still don't sort it out!

I have recently requested a refund of a deposit as a hostel cancelled my booking as they incorrectly advertised the wrong room price, I have wrote to you several times, I was responded to once by Eleanor asking me to describe the issue, which I have I have even forwarded the emails from the hostel, it is quite clear that they cancelled my booking through no fault of my own,
So far you have ignored all of my requests for a refund, I understand it is a small amount however this is irrelevant I would like to be refunded the deposit I paid you.
Ignoring your customers is incredibly rude and I can assure you ignoring me will not make me go away, but I shall not use hostel world services again, please resolve this issue

Extremely disappointed with this hostel in Phuket, Thailand. The front desk hours were 9am-11pm, yet no one was there for 6 hours but during the day. I planned a ferry to phi phi through them and told them I would need to check out at 9, but when I went down no one was there to return the keys and get my 400 baht refund back. I called, the guy said he was on his way but wouldn't make it and to give him my paypal info. However, I did not have a paypal account nor do I feel comfortable giving them my information after they have been really sketchy. I expect to be compensated for the deposit that I am owed.

I booked to stay at the Open Hostel in the Madrid from the 12th - 15th of March and had selected 10pm as my arrival time. Unfortunately due to some difficulty with our train schedule we arrived later than expected at 12.30am.
At this point we were turned away from the hostel and told that check in closes at 11pm. No where on the booking or on the listed 'policies/things to note' section of the hostelworld page does it state this. In fact it says "24 hr reception" and "no curfew".
Being that there was indeed someone there to tell us we could not check in, it seems odd that they could not simply allow us to go to the allocated rooms we had booked and paid for.
I find this treatment of customers shocking, and also dangerous to send two people out on the street in an unknown city when it would have been very easy to let us in.
We are now staying in last minute accommodation which is costing triple the cost of what we had paid for the hostel.
I think given the circumstances that a full refund, at least, is appropriate. I look forward to hearing from you regarding this matter, and what else you can do to help us with this situation.
Regards,
Emma Griffiths

Hi Hostelworld,

I booked 2 nights at Min Hostel from the 1st-3rd March.

I emailed and called ahead to let them know I was getting the night bus and wanted to know how to get to the hostel from the bus stop. The hostel answered and said I should get a metered taxi.

My nightbus arrived the morning of the 1st earlier than expected. I called at around 3.30am to get a taxi as there was only moto taxis around at this time (which I was advised not to take). The lady answered and I gave my location and she said she would call one for me.

30 minutes later and the taxi has still not arrived. I try to call again, no answer. I call again repeatedly and still no answer. Finally around 4.30am (after waiting around at the bus stop all this time) a metered taxi finally pulls up and I am able to get in.

However, the taxi driver gets lost as the hostel is quite hard to find. Myself and the taxi driver try calling the hostel again repeatedly, still no response. I have no data on my phone so with the use of my offline map app, I manage to direct us there. (Or near enough as the taxi can only gonso far due to the hostel's location, I had to walk the last 5/10 mins on foot.

When I get the the hostel finally, after waiting for the taxi that never arrived and many attempts at calling them, the gates are locked and no one is answering the door.

At this point I'm very upset, I'm a woman by myself, I have everything I own with me in my backpack and there are barking dogs around and many mosquitos. I don't feel safe waiting outside and I'm being bitten. No one anwered the door or the phone all the time I was waiting outside.

30 minutes later, some other backpackers arrive that were on another night bus and they started to ring the bell as well and one of them climbed the gate to see if itncoykd be opened from the inside (it couldn't so he climbed back over). At last a worker finally opened the gate and ushered us in to a room to sleep. (It's around 5.30am at this point).

Later that morning I informed the lady working there about my night's ordeal and she did apologise but wasn't very sympathetic. She had no answer as to why no body answered the phone or why I had to wait so long at the gate.

I was not impressed, so after breakfast I decided to find another hostel. I thought perhaos the hostel would have offered the breakfast free as compensation but no, I paid for it and of course my hostelworld deposit!

I would like if Hostelworld could refend me my deposit as I did not want to stay there after what happened. (And I had to pay extra to stay somewhere else).

Many thanks,
Nikki

- Date of the incident
We booked a hostel from 26/01/2018 until 29/01/2018.
- Client number
username = edimossilva7987
- Full description of the incident
We found the Hostel Sylvabelle using the website www.hostelworld.com, but when we arrived at the hostel we realized that it was completely different from the pictures that were showed on the website, and the bedroom and the bathroom were really dirty, we slept one day in the hostel than we tried to cancel our stay and they did not accept that.
-desirable resolution
refound of the 2 nights that we didn't use and a huge bonus for the next bookings using the website.

I booked multiple hostels both with Hostelworld and on my own for trips made to multiple countries in January, 2018. One hostel in Barcelona could not find my reservation made through Hostelworld and didn't answer any emails. When I finally was able to reach them on the phone, that is when I found out they had no listing for me. So they said no problem, Hostelworld will refund. Then they send an email (the hostel) after that conversation saying no refunds. Well they told me on the phone they couldn't find my reservation, I booked elsewhere.

Hostelworld has on their website that they will refund plus give you $50 toward your next hostel booking if the booking you made isn't found by by the hostel. Now both Hostelworld and the Hostel are acting like this is 100% my fault and expecting me to pay. How is it that it is a 'no refunds' reservation when the hostel says on the phone they don't even show a reservation? How is it I am paying for two nights and nobody seems capable of giving me a refund on this reservation they couldn't find but now insist is non-refundable?

Not only isn't Hostelworld honoring their own webpage promises, their booking turned out to be about 12 euros more than if I had booked through booking.com. I don't know if they have a price guarantee, but it pretty much sucks to come to find out you not only overpaid, you overpaid on a reservation the hostel couldn't find but now it's 'no refunds' and Hostelworld just keeps sending me the same cut and paste gooblygook, the last one with yellow highlighting everywhere as if that makes it more official or something. Now I will just have to contest these charges with my credit card company. This company is lousy and I won't use them again. I am sick of going round and round with them via email. They need to honor their own posted policies on their website, the sugar coated words that gets people to book through their website.

I had booked night at the Reykjavik Hostel Village. I have arrived at the middle at the night and I had picked my keys. My room wasn't located at the main building. When I finally got there I realised that I had been given wrong keys. I couldn't get into the building. I have tried to ring but there was no answer. When I finally got into the building via emergency door I had realised that keys to my room are wrong too. I had called emergency number but lady had ignored me completely.
I am very unhappy with this situation as I had not been offered any help and couldn't get into the room which I had paid for.
I am expecting recompensation as I don't feel I have received what I had paid for.

My booking reference: 66156-[protected]

On the website the hostel is advertised at AUD $19 per night. I booked 3 nights for 4 guests. I paid the deposit fee of US$36.33, which I was then advised I would be left with a balance of AUD $184.68, to pay on arrival -this didn't happen, the money was taken straight out.

I have had two transactions taken - one of AUD $264.70 from the hostel, and AUD $46.53 by Hostel World. In total I've paid AUD $311.23, when I should have only been charged $228.

Please get back to me ASAP and have this rectified.

Contact me on: +[protected]

My name is Ray

I made a flexible booking to stay in a hostel in London on 30/11/2017 using Hostelworld. I made a flexible booking which according to Hostelworld would guarantee me a full refund and/or another service if my booking was cancelled. My booking reference number was 14746-[protected].
However, when I got to the property I was denied entry because of allegedly I did not have a valid id with me (I had my bank card and my student card with my picture on, I also had my EU passport that was expired but according to the Law an EU passport is still useable for five years in EU countries). Hostelworld refused to refund me the flexible booking service, despite me paying the extra to make a flexible booking. They also made me wait two days until they replied to me. I had to make another flexible booking using their service because I thought that they would return the money from the first flexible booking. They never did. Instead they sent me a patronising email in which they apologise for the "inconvenience" of keeping my money from the service. Dreadful customer service, there are no words to describe when a company offers cancellation policy with an extra cost, and then makes a U-turn and does not return the money you have given them/ without offering the service they are meant to. My resolution to this is to return my 14.14 Stirling that I paid for this booking back asap. I have recorded the exchange on my bank account with BARCLAYS as such:
21/11/2017
HOSTEL WORLD
Card Purchase
IRELAND ON 20 NOV BCC
-£14.14

Your booking is confirmed. Your reference number is 91108-[protected]

booking information
No.8 Seven Sisters,
618 Seven Sisters Rd,
Seven Sisters,
London,
England

p. [protected]
email: [protected]@no8hostel.com

Booking Type: Standard Flexible Booking
Date Room Details Per Bed Pax Total
Thu 30th Nov 2017 Superior 4 Bed Mixed Dorm £8.95 1 Bed £8.95
Fri 1st Dec 2017 Superior 4 Bed Mixed Dorm £13.95 1 Bed £13.95
Sat 2nd Dec 2017 Superior 4 Bed Mixed Dorm £13.95 1 Bed £13.95
Sun 3rd Dec 2017 Superior 4 Bed Mixed Dorm £8.95 1 Bed £8.95
Mon 4th Dec 2017 Superior 4 Bed Mixed Dorm £8.95 1 Bed £8.95
Tue 5th Dec 2017 Superior 4 Bed Mixed Dorm £8.95 1 Bed £8.95
Wed 6th Dec 2017 Superior 4 Bed Mixed Dorm £8.95 1 Bed £8.95
Thu 7th Dec 2017 Superior 4 Bed Mixed Dorm £8.95 1 Bed £8.95
Fri 8th Dec 2017 Superior 4 Bed Mixed Dorm £13.95 1 Bed £13.95
Sat 9th Dec 2017 Superior 4 Bed Mixed Dorm £13.95 1 Bed £13.95
Total Cost: £109.50
Flexible Deposit Protection: £1.00
Total Paid: £14.14
Your Payment
The balance of £96.36 is payable on arrival at the property, in the property's currency, unless otherwise specified below.
Your price includes all taxes.
Important Information
Your booking is a Standard Flexible Booking, which means your deposit is protected so you can use it to make another booking within the next 6 months if you change your plans. Standard T&Cs apply

You are due to arrive here at 12:00. Get directions to this hostel."

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Click here to make your next booking

I booked 7 nights of accommodation from the 5th-12th November. I arrived on the 5th and went out at around 10pm. I left my cash, some of it in pounds and some in Thai baht, along with my debit card and valuables in the safety deposit box at the hostel. This was an electronic one which could only be opened in two ways; with the code that I set and by the hostel staff as they had a key which could unlock the safes. The door of the room were I was staying did not lock nor shut properly but I was assured by the staff that it would not be a problem as there is someone at reception 24hours a day. So I left and stayed out until about 4am. I had used up all of the cash I had me and told the taxi driver that I would use the money at the hostel to pay him in cash, he then took me back to the hostel and when I opened my safety deposit box I found that all of my cash had been stollen. I assume it must have been the night staff as there was no one else who could have gotten into the safe. This then resulted in me being arrested and the british embassy getting involved. I'd like a full refund as well as some compensation for the absolute distress this has caused me and my family. I will be leaving bad reviews for the hostel online.

Stayed at Hans Brinker hostel for one night. Arrived at 7am, told beds would ready at 2pm, arrived at 3pm and they were not ready until 6pm. Booked an eight person room, instead placed in a double room used to house staff members, got absolutely ravished by bed bugs, refused a refund/room swap and were abused by male receptionist who made us (two female travellers) feel extremely scared for our safety.