Stayed at a hostel in Lisbon that charged for everything but air

I booked a 4-night stay at this place called Home Hostel in Lisbon for $35 a night. They charged me $3 for a towel, $2 to store my bag after checkout, and even $1.50 for a fork to eat my takeout dinner. Has anyone else run into hostels nickel-and-diming like this?

3 comments

3 Comments

gray_morgan1mo agoTop Commenter

Has this become the new normal with hostels or is it just this one place? I've noticed the same nickel-and-dime approach creeping into hotels and even some Airbnbs lately. Seems like every business figures out these tiny add-on fees because people don't fight back over a dollar or two. It adds up fast though, especially when you're on a tight budget traveling. Makes me wonder if they're testing how much people will pay before complaining. What's next, charging for toilet paper or using the shower?

calebc401mo ago

Nah I actually think the hostels are just trying to keep their base prices low so they look cheap on booking sites. A lot of places started this because travelers only sort by price and then complain when the actual rate is higher. It's annoying but at least they're upfront about the extra fees instead of hiding them in the fine print.

jessica7071mo ago

Wait @gray_morgan, my buddy stayed at a place in Barcelona last month and they charged him 2 euros just to use their own kitchen to boil water for tea. He was so mad he ate his instant noodles cold for three days.

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