JOINN! City Lofts Houten Utrecht

The train noise from room 302 made it nearly impossible for me to sleep. The room is only about five meters from the platform, with no soundproofing. Trains passed every 10-15 minutes, including through the night, and the double-glazed window and door didn't block them. Some came with strong vibrations. I didn't feel rested at all, and it ruined my holiday and my good impression of the Netherlands. This should have been mentioned before booking or at arrival. The manager said nobody had complained before, and that since they couldn't move the location there was nothing else to do. But there were things they could have done before I arrived. I don't know what's worse, staff not knowing the property or not putting customers first. I hope they do better so nobody else has this experience. The problems started on the first evening. When I arrived, there was nobody at reception. I eventually met the manager and was treated like an intruder, the first thing they said was, "Who are you?" There was no welcome. They only mentioned the hob and said nothing about the room. We were staying in 302. The kitchen had no cooking oil, paper towels, washing-up liquid, salt and pepper, ketchup, tea bags, or other basic items. We had to buy them ourselves, adding over €15-20 to the bill. There was just one tea bag despite our booking being for two. It cost more than where we stayed nine minutes by train from Amsterdam, and that room was bigger. There was no shower curtain either. We had to be careful not to splash water everywhere, then scrape the water toward the drain after each shower. A curtain could have made showering much more pleasant. This is one of the worst places I've stayed in 20 years. I'm writing to complain because the manager hasn't resolved the issue and doesn't seem to take it seriously. The website only said the hotel was near the train station, which wasn't enough information for us to make a good decision.

We stayed for two months and really liked the place. It's right by Houten station and close to all the supermarkets. The staff were friendly and helpful.

The lofts are clean and nice, with a layout that makes good use of the small space. Check-in and check-out online were easy, and the place is centrally located. Customer service was great and they always replied quickly. I'd definitely stay here again!

Really nice service, and the place was clean and nice too ☺👌