Imagine the worst hostel mate you’ve ever had. Now, imagine that person managing a hostel – that’s the situation here.
The owner himself was talking loudly with other guests from Turkey in the common area after 11 pm, making it impossible for me to sleep. I approached him calmly to raise my concern, but he became defensive and responded with the dumbest response ever.
He said that since some hostel mates and I were “loud” the previous night and he didn’t say anything, he had the right to be loud now. I was honestly amused by this response and thought to myself, **************************************************. He wanted me to, to quote his own words, “tolerate.”
I told him that if we had been loud the previous night, he could have simply communicated with us, and we would have quieted down. I booked and paid for this hostel to get a good night’s sleep—not to hear people talking nonstop.
Even though the hostel is in a decent location and the facilities aren’t terrible, it still has bad ratings because of the owner’s lack of kindness, respect, and hospitality. It’s such a shame.
They are after this entirely for money. Do not have any spirit for hostel culture. They try to charge money wherever possible. Charges 100 lira to keep backpack after check-out time for a few hours.
My advice to the owner: If you want your business to survive and your guests to be happy, at least ask ChatGPT how to be kind, respectful, and hospitable. If being nice isn’t in your genes, fake it until you become it. You work in hospitality—being hospitable is the bare minimum. Right now, the environment feels very hostile. It wouldn’t hurt to have a smile on your face, make eye contact when speaking, and treat people with respect and kindness. These people are your customers—don’t take them for granted just because you’re the only hostel in town. Otherwise, you’ll only have business until someone else opens a better hostel.
