Travel Hub Hightstreet

The reception is open 24 hours, cleaning is basic, and the regular night receptionist, a widowed father of four, is a decent gentleman. It’s a safe place, but the showers are mixed, there are stairs, and the elevator from the ground floor is available only on request. If you get a freezing bed in a dorm, you can ask to move to another one. This might suit people who feel low when it’s quiet. I don’t know where the “Trip.com Member” rating comes from. The photos are professionally touched up, but most show the outside of the hostel. The building across the road is a long-term construction site, and the ground work isn’t finished. It makes enough noise that many people prefer sleeping during the day and spending the night in the open space. There’s lots of traffic, loud two-wheelers at night, and buses passing too. Twice a week, machines clean the sidewalks from 00:30 for half an hour, so bring your best noise-cancelling headset. Guests are sometimes treated with respect. Behind the hostel are liquor bars, which seem to be the owners’ main business. It’s not a halal place. The wall pictures are mostly by international women attracted by the bar. Staff are from Malaysia, Syria and Indonesia, with the Indonesians being the most humble. They all seem to expect tips while still wanting to act superior to foreigners. The owner must be stingy.

The location was good, but that was about the only positive. I booked a deluxe single and understand it’s not an expensive place, but I still expected a clean room. Instead, I got a twin room with a bunk bed, definitely not a single or deluxe. The air conditioner and ceiling were covered in mold, and the mattress had lots of signs of bed bugs, including plenty of poo. The hotel stairs were falling apart and bounced underfoot. When I asked about the kitchen fridge, it didn’t work and was completely moldy inside. I asked how to keep things cold with it broken and was told to buy ice. I didn’t even check the toilets. I’d planned to stay three nights but checked out after an hour.

The double room was spacious, and RM56 for it is unheard of. The location is unbeatable, and everything else was fine. But the WiFi was horrendous for all five days. Even sending a text was almost impossible, and that alone is why I’m giving it one star.

I only used the storage room, which was locked and had shelves. There was a very bad smell just behind the door, and steep stairs led up to the hall. I was surprised by how luggage pickup was handled: a staff member opened the storage door and walked away. Nobody checked which bags belonged to me or which one I took.