I booked a standard 6-bed dormitory at Haka House Auckland City through Trip.com for 13 nights (2–15 October).
Upon check-in, I was assigned an upper bunk. The following morning, I requested a lower bunk, only to be told rather aggressively by the receptionist that I was staying in a female-only dormitory. I was shocked, as my Trip.com confirmation clearly showed a standard dormitory booking. After showing my confirmation, the receptionist acknowledged that there had been a booking error but offered no apology.
To resolve the issue, my original 13-night reservation was split into five separate bookings, meaning I had to repeatedly check in and change rooms throughout my stay. I requested to shorten my stay and receive a refund for the remaining nights due to this inconvenience, but this was rejected.
During one of my subsequent check-ins, I arrived around 12:30 am after work. The hostel’s emergency contact number was not working, and I had difficulty reaching anyone for assistance. Thankfully, a staff member eventually appeared and helped me check in.
Unfortunately, the problems continued. Upon checking into my final room, I discovered that the bed curtain was damaged and could not close properly, compromising my privacy. When I approached reception, I was instructed to email photos and videos to the hostel so that maintenance could be arranged, potentially a day or two later. I found this frustrating, as I felt that staff could have taken the initiative to report the issue themselves. The curtain was eventually repaired on my second-last night.
Overall, what should have been a straightforward 13-night stay turned into a series of unnecessary inconveniences. While some staff members were helpful, the booking management, communication, customer service and maintenance response left much to be desired.
I hope management takes these issues seriously, particularly the incorrect room allocation, non-functioning emergency contact number and lack of proactive assistance.
