Rome City Hostel

I read the reviews mentioning bedbugs too late and tried to cancel on the check-in day. I understood that I’d lose my €25 deposit, but a few minutes after they said “no problem,” they tried to charge my card €160 for the cancelled stay. Bedbugs and shady business practices, that’s not how you should run a hospitality business. It’s now a month later, and they’re still trying to charge my card €160 every week even though I cancelled. Avoid this place at all costs. They’ll try to screw you.

The walk to Termini takes about 15 minutes, and for the price this hostel is a good deal. The staff are really lovely and the rooms were very clean. My only real gripe was how cold it got inside in January. The included breakfast was more like a small morning snack, too. I’d still recommend staying here.

I wouldn’t choose this place unless I had no other option. It’s a tiny hostel, a bus ride from Termini and the rest of Rome’s public transport, and there’s nowhere secure to leave luggage during the day, just a shelf in the lobby. The price felt far too high for what you get. I’d booked and received confirmation through hostelworld, but on arrival the desk worker said they only took cash. After accepting my cash, they said my bed had gone to someone who arrived earlier, so they offered me the lounge couch instead. The story changed a few minutes later: first the other guest was going to sleep on the couch, then they said that person had found something on couchsurfing and was leaving. I also had to pay an extra 20 Euro deposit to get a hostel door key. There was no key for the dorm. In the morning, I had to ask three or four times to get the deposit back and return the keys.

My mother and I ended up sleeping part of the night on the reception sofa because staying in our room was impossible. It smelled strongly of dirt, and there was still an alcohol smell in the room. Some guests were drinking constantly at the hostel and even shared drinks with the evening receptionist. When we complained, the receptionist’s only answer was that we could pay another 10 euroa to move rooms. Ridiculous. A horrible stay, and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone.