Safestay London Elephant & Castle

May 3rd, 2023

May 3rd, 2023

I'm not a natural fit for hostels, but from time to time London's high accommodation prices force me to look at options I wouldn't consider otherwise. The Safestay in Elephant and Castle was one of them. It's cheaper to book from their website directly, and so that's what I usually did when I stayed there. There's always something happening in the Walworth, Camberwell and Elephant and Castle areas which surround the hostel. It was a privilege to explore them. I stayed at the hostel during a abnormally colder springtime. So it was satisfying to arrive at the heated hostel after a night out. There are privacy curtains on every bed at the hostel. This made a real difference in terms of how comfortable I felt there. It's the main reason I would stay there again. There are many shower rooms on site. While I was there some of the showers worked, and some of them didn't. Some provided hot water, others didn't. They all used a stop / start push button system, which was not always comfortable to use. The hostel provides free linens and storage lockers (guests have to buy their own padlocks for them). They don't provide free towels though, which is a shame. That said, I imagine this makes keeping the hostel clean much easier. The housekeeping staff at the hostel were notably upbrupt. If I was ever at the hostel at the same time that they were, they'd bring a brash, jarring energy with them. At some point, I think they decided to drop all pleasantries and start barging into rooms on the site in order to keep the place tidy. Having said that, the toilets were admittedly routinely decimated by the guests at the hostel - and yet the building was often made clean rather quickly afterwards. I have certainty stayed in dirtier accommodation than the Elephant and Castle Safestay. The hostel's interior is minimal, and so when it was cleaned it made a huge difference. It wasn't too hard to feel at ease there in regards to cleanliness post-COVID. The desk staff at the hostel were sometimes personable and attentive - and sometimes they were a completely embarrassing, amaturish mess. Members of staff would occasionally tell you different and contrasting things about the hostel's policies. The check-in line at the hostel was often long and unmoving. I was held up during check in at the front desk repeatedly - even when I had checked in online prior to arriving. Once I arrived at the hostel to find out that the establishment had no record of my latest booking. It took over 20 mins of protesting for me to set them straight. It was astonishing. One time I came back to the hostel to find another man in my assigned bed. Apparently, he was the victim of an administrative error. It's basically a lottery in regards to who you are allocated a shared dorm with. Some of the other guests I was automatically grouped with at the hostel made my stay hellish. One guest I got bunked with was offended everytime I turned in my bed. Another took my charger and hid it without telling me, in order to "protect" me from theft. Another would cough loudly anytime anyone in the room made a move across the dorm. Still, the disruptive behaviours of the other guests didn't seem to be a priority for the hostel. There was no one to go to if any guests started to act out. On the other hand, the bar on the ground floor of the building introduced a lighter, jovial vibe which helped balance out the hostel's rolling chaos.
May 1st, 2023

(Translated by Google) I booked 2 beds in a room of 4 and they put us in 2 separate rooms. The next day they moved us to another room and when they gave us the key the room was still occupied. We had to leave our luggage in the middle of that room. Disorganization in general. Lack of cleanliness in the toilets. The distribution of corridors looks like a maze (Original) Reserv 2 camas en una habitacin de 4 y nos pusieron en 2 habitaciones separadas. Al da siguiente nos cambiaron a otra habitacin y cuando nos dieron la llave la habitacin estaba todava ocupada. Tuvimos que dejar nuestro equipaje en mitad de esa habitacin. Desorganizacin en general. Falta de limpieza en los aseos. La distribucin de pasillos parece un laberinto
Apr 29th, 2023

Never book this room!! Booked for 3 nights and got billed. Upon landing in london , i called and they said the booking has been cancelled! Also got an email saying its cancelled. We had to hunt for another room late at night. The next day we walked in for a refund , and they claimed they never cancelled and that we didnt show up. Seriously???? What can we trust . Why did you tell us its been cancelled then? Got all proof through email messages. Lost 150 pounds Bad bad bad
Apr 27th, 2023