Fair
2022-05-08
Traveller Type: solo traveller
: SURROUNDINGS:The hostel is facing a cemetery where lovely colorful flowers are blossoming, it is a quiet place for morning exercise. The Queen's park is great too, within 10 mins walk.FACILITIES:Kitchen: Cooking once every two days is my routine, stored in my reusable container. It was great though to discuss with other long-stayers mostly, how to cook food in the kitchen. And offering a whole meal to over 10 stayers and cleaners during my 7-week stay was my biggest contribution to the hostel. The kitchen was cleaned every day.Piano: The piano is old, and the sound isn't that complete, but at least there is a piano.Restaurant: The restaurant on the first floor is Brazilian, the staffs are nice, even sometimes cutting the price for me. The beans are nice. However, a plastic container of beans and rice/vegetables for 6 pounds for a vegan meal is a bit expensive.Room and bed: Generally clean.DISATISFYINGSince roommates went to bed at 10 pm, the lights were turned off. I had unfinished work and had to stay somewhere with lights. Since a previous unpleasant experience in the lounge, I prefer staying in the bathroom. I was quiet and trying to focus on my work. However, 1.5 hours later, people came and asked what I am doing. I don't have to tell them. However, they threatened that they are going to call the police. Finally, a receptionist came and explained to me that some children complained, worrying something wrong inside the bathroom. I tried to explain straight away, but again my sentences are BEING CUT by the receptionist AGAIN. I felt wronged and had to give up my work that night. I don't know if they are racists or not, but this had happened 6 times. Every time I went to the reception and tried to communicate, they don't want to listen, being the rudest receptionists I had ever seen. They had destructed my life for days and it wasn't fun.
: I have four complaints about the Kensal Green Backpackers.First, the rules in the hostel aren’t clear. More specifically, there isn’t any clear sign or notification saying that “the lounge closed at 2 am” or “customers should NOT stay in the bathroom for more than 1 hour”.As we all know, the rules are made to customize the customers, in pursuing an optimized comfortability for both staff and customers. In comparison, it is similar to the relationship between citizens and government. To make the rules or laws work well, the spaces and channels for discussions between the rule makers or legislative and the customers or citizens should always be open, unblock and smooth. Ideally, the rule-makers/legislative are just the customers/citizens.If there is no explanation or clear instructions about the rules when we arrived, it is reasonable enough that the receptions explain to them patiently and fairly when we asked to see so.Second, when any arguments happened, the reception/staff should have the ability to explain things clearly. No matter how complex the situation is, the staff should have the basic patience to explain the rules without using obvious body gestures to make customers think they are violent and offensive.Third, when the receptions talk to their customers, it is necessary to introduce themselves in the first place, otherwise, confusions and misunderstandings are easy to rise. For example, when a man is opening the door of the female bathroom and trying to get in, without a clear explanation that ensure the people inside listened, it is easy to be seen as rude and lewd.Fourth, the reception don't have a basic polite attitude. Despite that there are so many bad faces from the reception I saw in this hostel, I am surprised that sometimes, how rude the receptionists are by refusing to listen to the customers. When I tried to explain the misunderstanding, the reply is either “Go back to your room!” “Shut up!” or "Calm down."