Kabannas London St Pancras — Hotel in London

. My brother (17) and I (16) booked our stay five months before we came, and when we got there, we were informed they had rooms for us, but we would both be in mixed rooms while we booked gender rooms and I would have to switch rooms halfway through my four day stay. First of all, it’s extremely annoying to have to switch rooms halfway through your stay because you book a bed to stay in the whole time and I have to pack your stuff up. Second of all we are only teenagers and we booked a room with our gender, so just put us in rooms with people of the opposite gender way older than us didn’t seem appropriate either. When I informed the staff that this is not at all what we had booked, they were very rude and told me that it has been happening a lot so they will not be offering any compensation. They were annoyed with us, but we managed to get rooms with people of our genders, but I still just switch rooms halfway through my stay. I was already a little annoyed with the place at this point, but the next morning, when we came down to breakfast, I became even more annoyed. The breakfast was basically just cereal, milk, fruit, and croissants- not at all what the pictures show. Firstly, they didn’t have plates ready so we had to wait half an hour for the dishwasher and so they had plates for us to eat which was very inconveniencing to a lot of people. Second of all, for a 6£ breakfast you would expect to have a little bit more food. To make matters worse, the woman serving breakfast, would smash things on the counter. She would randomly do this to the point where it was almost impossible to have a conversation, because it will be interrupted by a loud smash of plates on a cart. It is also worth mentioning you have to pay a few pounds to buy a towel – seems like a regular thing a hostel should provide. We also used the laundry machines in the hostel, in which we put in an assortment of clothes set it to 30 degrees Fahrenheit on mixed Colors and our clothes came out too hot to touch. Whites turned pink and everything had shrunk. I informed the staff and simply told me “I’ve used that machine before, I don’t know what you did.” Then, two days into our stay when I was supposed to switch rooms, was when the staff really became very incompetent. I was told by one of the employees I had to have my stuff down in the lobby by 1 PM. Already, this is incredibly inconveniencing and unnecessary if they had just booked it properly. So I come into the hostel at one to take my stuff from my room and put it in the lobby, when I find my stuff, shoved into a plastic bag sitting in the lobby. The staff claimed they told me that I needed to have it packed out by 10 AM, which they didn’t at all, and the staff had proceeded to go up and grab all my stuff and throw it into a bag. This made me really mad because I was informed the wrong time, and they just proceeded to pack up my stuff for me, which does not seem professional. So, I asked him if I could have my new room they in which they informed me it wasn’t ready so I had to wait in the lobby for half an hour, time which I would’ve love to be out exploring London. So on my way up to my new room, they showed me the cage in which I had locked items that was stored under my old bed. They had thrown that cage in the hallway, causing my camera to bump around. When I got up to my new room, I looked through my stuff and found this in my medication was missing. I told them that they had missed it when they put it in that bag, and they simply told me that I had not looked good enough. So I had lost that medication. All in all, I would say the staff having a knack for playing the victim and being really rude, the overpriced shitty breakfast, the fact that I had to switch rooms halfway through, the broken laundry machine the staff denied and the fact that I found my stuff in a plastic bag in the lobby would make me highly suggest not to stay...

I don't even want to give one star. There were a few minor issues, that were annoying but still bearable on their own, but there was one thing, that I absolutely couldn't ignore. In May I had booked one night in a FEMALE ONLY dormitory, when the hostel was still under YHA. After Kabannas took over I got at least two e-mails ensuring me, that all bookings would stay the same and were still confirmed. When I checked in my room was empty and no other guest was there, but when I came back to my room in the evening two to three men were lying in the beds. I went back to the reception and explained the situation. Then they told me that all female only dormitories were full. It took almost an hour for them to find a room, where no male guest was staying and then to change my booking in the system, because it was so slow. I then had to move with my partially already unpacked luggage. Because of all that I went to bed quite late, even though a had to get up at 5am to catch my train. Around 2:30am I woke up because a male guest got booked in the room I was staying at. I was very uncomfortable and did not feel safe, so I had trouble falling asleep again, getting only 4 hours of sleep. When I complained and mentioned that I felt very uncomfortable and also not safe during check-out I got told again that there was nothing they could do and my request for a refund or something similar was denied, instead they suggested to complain to YHA, where I had booked. I don't understand this, since they weren't the ones that messed up. I felt like my situation wasn't taken seriously and they didn't really care, although they kept apologising it didn't feel very sincere. This is not a 'small' issue like a broken bed light (which I also had). I didn't choose a female only room for fun but for safety reasons and the hostel failed to provide this security. Furthermore I had to pay 3 pounds for a towel, that was listed as inclusive when I made the booking and the answer was once again that the ownership changed. The first room had only 4 lockers even though there were six beds and all locker were in use, do I couldn't lock up my luggage, since I didn't want to pay for the luggage storage in the basement. Locks for the flat metal baskets under the beds weren't provided either. It is possible to buy one at the reception but I wish they would've mentioned it on the website. As already mentioned my bed light was broken (and also had very disgusting sticky texture on top) and the room was very hot with very little air. The only way of fighting this was to open the window, as there was no AC/fan or it was broken, but the street is so loud it is impossible to sleep with an open window. My already stressful journey was even worse due to the lack of sleep and this experience kind of ruined the end of my holiday. I really wish Kabannas would take safety concerns and complaints like this from guests more seriously. If you can't ensure that the alrwady made bookings are still correct you shouldn't say so in...

I’ve been here for five days so I’ve been able to see most of the staff and the full cycle of comings and goings. First, the staff are outstanding. They are very helpful, professional, and friendly. Keep in mind though that there are volunteers who are sometimes in training and may need more time to complete tasks. Patience is appropriate. I’m a middle-aged man and have felt comfortable here. It’s a healthy mix of young travelers, older ones such as myself, couples, and families. The location can’t be beat and neither can the price. It’s been perfect for visiting my daughter, who has a typically tiny London apartment. If you stay in a six-person room, you will want to be a sound sleeper. People come and go at all hours, but everyone was polite and kept the disturbance to a minimum. If you are a light sleeper (or bothered by the clouds of fragrance young men seem to spray on themselves these days) this arrangement is not for you. For me, it’s been fine. There are charging points next each bed so it was easy to keep my phone charged. The laundry is free and not busy. The continental breakfast is quite good. The wifi only works well in the lobby/dining area and in the first-floor TV room. Things are kept very clean, but keep in mind that there are a lot of people sharing space and it relies on people cleaning up after themselves. You absolutely should bring a padlock or buy one here and use it with the provided storage in the room. A roommate had his passport and wallet either stolen or he lost it (not sure) but he wasn’t locking up his things, so just a note of caution. I’ve felt VERY safe and secure here. This is an urban hostel so don’t expect the self-catering kitchen facilities you might get at other backpacker-oriented hostels. If you manage your expectations from a hotel to a hostel, you won’t be disappointed. Lastly (and again) the staff...