Maggie C.
Yelp
Do not waste your time with the Hostel Memphis.
They take advantage of the fact that they are the only hostel in the area and use it as an excuse to leech money from young, poor travelers that are in a foreign place. Instead of being helpful or understanding, which you would expect from a HOSTEL, the staff only care about getting your $28 per person.
My friends and I were passing through Memphis late one night on our way back from a month-long backpacking trip. Hostel Memphis was our only option financially. We planned to do what we had done this entire trip at other hostels: couples would share beds to cut down on costs and take much-needed showers. After driving straight through from Arizona, we arrived just before 11:00 PM. Three of the five of us entered to pay for our beds, while two of the group went to purchase supplies.
After paying, we learned several of their policies that they DO NOT list on their website:
--No one can share a bed
--You must present an ID.
For many, this may present no issue, but for college students nearing the end of a long trip, not being able to split the cost of a bed was a huge strain. The three of us were checked in and our bill had to be split between two cards as none of us had the funds to absorb the total $80. The rest of our party returned, this is when we learned our friend had lost her ID. The staff was completely unsympathetic to our situation. It was past 11:00 PM. We were exhausted and unshowered. We were in an unfamiliar and dangerous place. They refused to make an exception to allow our friend to stay the night without an ID.
This essentially meant they were turning our entire party away, as we could not send an 18-year-old girl out into the Memphis night alone. Apparently, the Hostel Memphis staff is fine with this idea. We were forced to find other accommodations.
We asked for a refund because we had not used any facilities and spent no more than 15 minutes total in their building. Despite the very unfortunate situation, they told us this request had to go through upper management and we were not guaranteed to be reimbursed. After multiple attempts to contact their bookkeeper, Nikki, and explain our situation, one card was ultimately refunded and the other (mine) was promised to be refunded. After waiting weeks for this refund, I contacted Nikki once more and was THEN told that the refund inexplicably would not be completed.
I'm exhausted dealing with this establishment. They make things intentionally hard and have no sympathy for someone in my situation. They're charging me for a service I did not receive. If $40 is make or break for a business, they really should not be in business.
If you're forced to stay here, be sure to check for urine stained sheets and fleas as other reviewers have reported on. But really, you should just keep driving.