Royal Hostel

What was good

Nothing

What was bad

I stayed at the Royal Hostel for three days, with my last day being January 10, 2025. Yesterday, when I returned from the store at 9:30 AM to check out, I found the doors locked. I rang the doorbell for 10 minutes, but no one answered. I called the administrator, who informed me that no staff was present to open the door. This was incredibly irresponsible, as they left the hostel unattended without informing guests. The administrator claimed he would arrive in 2 minutes, then 30 minutes, then an hour—but no one showed up. He eventually stopped answering my calls altogether. The hostel advertises 24-hour service, yet I was left standing outside in -16°C weather from 9:30 to 10:30 AM, unable to access my belongings in my room. My train, scheduled for 10:36 AM, departed without me. I lost both my time and the 3500 rubles I paid for the train because of their negligence. The most astonishing part of my experience was that, when I returned later to retrieve my belongings, the receptionist didn’t apologize at all. Instead, she told me I had to pay for an extra night because I stayed past the check-out time. If you don’t experience this level of incompetence yourself, it’s hard to believe it could happen. There are places with bad administration, but this hostel’s staff goes beyond that—they’re horribly careless. If the owner wants to salvage their reputation and business, they should fire everyone working there immediately. Otherwise, this hostel has no future. I recommend booking this place only as a last resort. Do so at your own risk.