Aoife T.
Google
I’m a seasoned hostel stayer & I have never stayed in worse digs than Backpackers Imperial. I’m normally very glass-half-full & bigger picture but it was too difficult to ignore the many drawbacks of this place. It’s the cheapest hostel in Hobart & it is glaringly obvious why:
- hallway & common rooms are dingy, unloved & rundown (see photos) - nothing a lick of paint or elbow grease couldn’t fix
- WiFi in the room was on the blink constantly
- Reception hours are 9:00-15:00 - this is also where you get towels & hairdryers from, so good luck if you need to have a shower outside of these hours
- Kitchen locked from 7:00-22:00 - I had 2 early starts pre-7:00 so could not access the refrigerated breakfast items I had purchased. I never saw kitchen timings like this in any other hostel I’ve been in in Aus
- Laundry is only from 9:00-14:00!!!! This I couldn’t believe because what tourist or casual worker is hanging around the hostel between those hours just to do laundry? Hot take but I generally like to see local attractions when on vacation. Had to find a local launderette in the city to do washing
- Bathrooms weren’t well-ventilated - post-shower the loo rolls in the cubicles were limp & damp with water vapour from the showers
- My labelled cereal box got removed from the pantry simply because I didn’t have it in a separate plastic box, despite it being the only item of food I had out. The staff member I dealt with seemed to find the matter quite amusing and didn’t offer any explanation of why it was removed in the first place
- No atmosphere whatsoever - you’d honestly see more life in a graveyard, respectfully