Tramstop 14 Backpackers

I cannot recommend staying here if you value cleanliness or sleep. The hygiene standards are incredibly low. As you can see from the video, the kitchen is constantly filthy with dirty dishes piled up in the sink and food splattered all over the stoves. The dorm rooms are just as bad—cluttered, messy, and feeling very unkept. The atmosphere is very 'community' focused, however that means people party until 3 in the morning. The entire hostel stinks of stale cigarette smoke or weed. If you are looking for a party and don't care about living in filth, maybe you'll like it. I had booked 2 nights, but I left and paid for a different hostel because I just couldn't take it. Paying twice was worth it just to get out of there. Avoid this place.

We booked this hostel 1.5 months in advance for the Formula 1 weekend, thinking we were securing our accommodation early to avoid problems. Yesterday, they cancelled our reservation without any valid reason. At first, they claimed the hostel was fully booked. That is completely false. Today, 20/02/2026, rooms are still available on their website — but at more than double the price. We originally paid AUD 450, and now the same stay costs AUD 1,044. This is clearly price manipulation. They cancelled confirmed bookings just to resell the rooms at a much higher rate. It is dishonest, unprofessional, and shows total disrespect for customers. Because of their actions, we are now left without proper accommodation for the busiest weekend in Melbourne. This caused us stress, extra expenses, and serious inconvenience. This behaviour is abusive and unethical. Any business that operates like this should be ashamed. I strongly do NOT recommend this hostel. Do not trust them with important bookings.

I am writing this review because this was, without a doubt, one of the worst experiences I have had with accommodation. We booked this hostel more than a month and a half in advance for the Formula 1 weekend in Melbourne, one of the busiest times of the year. Only two weeks before the event, they cancelled our reservation without providing any valid explanation. We booked through Hostelworld and, so far, we have not received any real solution or guarantee. This left us in a very difficult situation, without accommodation and with almost all options fully booked or extremely expensive. When you book in advance, you do it for peace of mind and security. This hostel provides neither. They can cancel at any time, without proper notice, and leave you without a place to stay, as they did to us. I do not recommend this hostel at all. If you are looking for a reliable place, this is not it.

Very disappointing experience. We made our booking more than a month in advance for the Formula 1 weekend, expecting everything to be confirmed. Instead, our reservation was cancelled shortly before our arrival, with no proper explanation. Hostelworld did not provide a satisfactory solution, and we were left struggling to find accommodation at the last minute during a peak period. This is not a reliable place if you need certainty. I would not recommend this hostel.

I would not recommend staying at this hostel. I have stayed in many hostels over the years, and this has been my worst experience. The owner was extremely unfriendly and made me feel very unwelcome. He raised his voice and spoke to me in a disrespectful manner. I felt like an inconvenience rather than a guest, which is something I have never experienced before. The manager, Evan, may be better suited to a role that does not involve direct interaction with customers.

We booked this hostel well in advance for the Formula 1 weekend in Melbourne, one of the busiest periods of the year. Despite this, our reservation was cancelled just two weeks before our stay, without any clear reason. We booked through Hostelworld and were not offered any real alternative or guarantee. This caused serious inconvenience, as almost all accommodation was already fully booked. Booking early is supposed to give you security and peace of mind. Unfortunately, this hostel offers neither. I would not recommend staying here. The most relevant thing is that Evan, the manager, laugh about the situation and didn't care, he just cancelled the reservation.

Outrageously bad experience If I could give zero stars, I would. In my opinion, this hostel is an absolute disaster in terms of organization and customer service. Two weeks before our stay, right before the insanely busy F1 weekend, they cancelled our booking out of nowhere. First we were told it was a “system error.” Later, the story suddenly changed to “we don’t do late check‑ins.” Honestly, it felt like they were making excuses on the spot. I tried dealing with the managers, Joan and Evan, and in my experience the communication was just as chaotic. Nothing clear, no accountability, and no real help offered after their cancellation left us scrambling for accommodation during one of the busiest weekends of the year. This whole situation was, in my opinion, handled terribly from start to finish. Would absolutely not recommend.

Didn’t expect a backpacker hostel to feel like a real community. Here I saw Melbourne just… living — people cooking, laughing, going to work, figuring things out. It’s messy, warm, sometimes loud, but it feels alive. I came as a traveler, and somehow ended up part of it for a while.