Hotel Alfa Amsterdam

The worst part kept going after we complained. Staff said they couldn't make any changes until morning, and when we spoke to the owner, an older man, he seemed perfectly happy with things as they were. He told us, “no body forced you to stay” and said he was making a lot of money, so everything was fine. He should be ashamed, but instead he seems proud of his little scheme. The room looked nothing like the booking photos. At check-in, they warned us to lock the door. The room is reached from the street, not reception, by a narrow, steep staircase with dirt and visible damage on the walls and floor. The door looked battered, as if people had kicked it. We had to pay a deposit for the key, and who knows how many copies may already be out there. Given the signs, we left the key in the lock as well. The door was damaged inside and out and difficult to close and lock. No elevator either, just more steep stairs to challenge your knees. Inside, there were torn curtains and dust everywhere. Some outlets had no electricity. The mattress was old, grimy and broken, and the two pillows smelled bad and had holes in their covers. After a long trip, black mould on the bathroom ceiling and shower curtain made me wonder how badly I needed a shower. If you're lucky, your window looks out at cigarette ends and pigeon sh*t on the glass and landing. There's no WiFi, so communication with the outside world is limited. Luggage storage was promised when we booked, but that wasn't true either. You can pay an extra fee to store bags at the station. They take good money for a non-refundable booking, using relatively acceptable photos so you don't realize you're booking into a s**t hole. Another feature: you can hear every room flushing its toilet. Because, well, why not 😡

The staff were friendly and easy to approach, but the hostel itself was horrendous. The room seemed like it hadn't been cleaned: stains on the carpet, dirty spare covers, and mould all over. It was overpriced for that condition, and I definitely paid too much. I wouldn't go back. If I did, I wouldn't want to pay more than £20 a night.

I was in Room 29 on the third floor, a loud, ratty old room with two floors' worth of genuinely dangerous spiral stairs. There are a coffee shop, smart shop, and a 10EUR full English breakfast within a 30-second walk. The proper way to do this is get blasted, freak out, then look up at the seven lifetimes of vertical staircase. Somehow, this is the worst hotel room I've ever truly loved. Five stars. The room was exactly as advertised.

The rooms were filthy, with mould and dust everywhere, and the narrow stairs and hallway felt dangerous. Our group paid an overpriced rate expecting at least something decent. On the first night, a friend spotted a bed bug by one of the beds and got rid of it down the toilet. We told reception. It was late, and the only option they offered was another room. We didn't want to stay after that, but it was late and nearby hotels were full. In the morning we tried to speak to the manager, who we were told was the woman with glasses. She was rude, and it was some of the worst customer service I've experienced. When we asked if she was the manager, she looked away, shrugged and mumbled something like “what, why”. She already knew about the problem. She said pest control would come check the rooms that morning, but it was very early and she couldn't show us any proof of a visit. She just made silly excuses, then told me I was lying about seeing a bed bug. I was shocked and disgusted. I can't believe places like this existed in 2018. I'm so glad I live in London. A hotel and staff like this wouldn't last a minute in the UK. Avoid it. I only gave one star because the site wouldn't let me post without one.