Host Bari centrale — Local services in Bari

As a seasoned traveler, I've seen it all, but this hostel plumbs new depths of awfulness. It's a perfect storm of incompetence, discrimination, and utter disregard for guest comfort that will make you question the very concept of hospitality.

The Tyrant's Playground

The owner of this establishment runs it like a personal fiefdom, with an ego inversely proportional to their competence. Prepare to be insulted, belittled, and treated like an unwelcome intruder. The owner's arrogance knows no bounds, engaging in petty ego battles with guests and hurling insults as if it were an Olympic sport.

Discrimination Central

If you thought racism was a relic of the past, think again. The staff here seem to have missed the memo on basic human decency. Certain guests are treated with blatant disrespect based on their ethnicity or nationality, creating an atmosphere so tense you could cut it with a knife.

Management Meltdown

The term "mismanagement" doesn't even begin to cover the chaos that reigns here. Expect:

Zero organization

Non-existent customer service

A complete disregard for guest privacy

Utter lack of professionalism

It's as if they're actively trying to run the business into the ground.

The Midnight Bathroom Odyssey

Brace yourself for nightly adventures! There are no washrooms near the dormitories. In the freezing cold of night, you'll embark on an epic journey, descending into a cave-like basement to reach the only available facilities. It's like a twisted game show where the prize is basic human dignity.

The Portal to Nowhere

The hostel's entrance portal code system is about as reliable as a chocolate teapot. Guests frequently find themselves locked out in the freezing cold, with no staff to help after 7 PM. Here's what you can expect:

Malfunctioning portal code system leaving you stranded outside

No night staff available after 7 PM to assist with entry issues

Hours spent shivering in the cold, unable to enter the hostel you paid for

Sardines in a Can

Even if the hostel is practically empty, don't expect the luxury of space. Management's brilliant strategy involves cramming guests into 10-person dorms, regardless of actual occupancy. Nothing says "welcome" like forced overcrowding in the midst of empty rooms!

False Accusations and Disrespect

As if the physical discomfort wasn't enough, prepare to have your character assassinated. The staff, led by the owner, have elevated false accusations to an art form. They'll accuse you of outlandish misdeeds with a level of disrespect that would make a drill sergeant blush. Expect to be blamed for everything from stolen toilet paper to global warming, all delivered with an attitude so bad it could curdle milk.

The Verdict

In conclusion, this hostel is a masterclass in how to provide the worst possible guest experience. It's a perfect storm of incompetence, intolerance, and inhospitality. The owner's arrogance, racist staff behavior, nonexistent management skills, inconvenient bathroom locations, unreliable entry system, forced overcrowding, and baseless accusations create a truly hellish experience.Save yourself the trauma and sleep on a park bench instead – you'll have a more comfortable, hygienic, and dignified experience. This establishment doesn't deserve even a fraction of a star. Consider this review a public service announcement: stay far, far away unless you want to star in your own hostel horror story. Your sanity and faith in humanity...

Terrible hostel and horrible service – stay away! Via Giulio Petroni 17, Bari – the most humiliating experience I've ever had as a traveler.

As a solo female traveler with extensive experience staying in hostels – and someone who has worked in both hostels and customer service – this was by far the worst hospitality experience I’ve ever gone through.

The hostel operates with no reception most of the time. If you arrive in the afternoon, at night, or (god forbid) on a Sunday – no one will be there. You just get a code to open the door, no welcome, no leaflet, no QR code with information. You’re basically walking into a stranger’s place, clueless.

I booked a female-only dorm, expecting basic security and peace of mind – but the room door doesn’t lock, and anyone (including men – which did happen!) can walk in at any time. When I raised this with the manager, he gave a bizarre excuse claiming “they’re not allowed by law to give out keys.” That is simply untrue. As a solo woman traveler, this made me feel completely unsafe – and it’s not mentioned anywhere when booking.

The room itself was extremely cramped, with no air conditioning, no windows that open, and no proper lighting other than small bed lamps. You can't even access all the storage drawers because they block each other – and the manager said you have to remove one completely to reach the other. That's not a solution – it’s bad design.

One night, I was in the shower and the water stopped for over an hour – I was standing there in a towel, with shampoo in my hair, unable to rinse. A friend had to buy bottled water and heat it up so I could clean myself. When the manager eventually came to fix it – he didn’t even apologize.

There is no water fountain, and the “luggage storage” they claim to offer is useless – when we asked at the front desk, the staff member said: “I'm just a poor soul working here” and had no idea how to help. She sent us to another office several blocks away – which we dragged our heavy suitcases to.

And then came the worst part: At their main office, we politely raised the issues we experienced. The manager responded with gaslighting, excuses, and condescension – literally making air quotes when saying we “had bad service.” I was holding back tears.

Then, a senior manager entered and started yelling at us aggressively – saying we were disturbing their meeting and should "go cry outside." He physically leaned over us, shouted in Italian (as if we wouldn’t understand), and told us to shut up. He shoved money into our hands, kicked us out, and locked the door behind us.

And as if that wasn’t enough – they sent me an email saying my reservation had been canceled. Clearly, this was done to block my ability to leave a public review – by pretending I was never a guest.

But let me be clear: I was there. I stayed. And I experienced this.

The refund was never the point – I would have much preferred a sincere apology over being handed cash and kicked out like a problem. It was a deeply humiliating experience that ruined my day – not because of a mistake, but because of how they chose to treat me.

If you value your time, your safety, or basic human decency – do not stay at...

I chose this hostel because it was cheap, but it turned out to be a regrettable decision. A hostel with such a good location yet such low ratings clearly has valid reasons.

The bathroom is in the basement, requiring a long walk down the stairs, which makes using the toilet very inconvenient.

The windows in the room cannot be opened, and the lack of ventilation leaves the entire room smelling like foot odor.

The shower has no partitions, providing no privacy at all. Some showers cannot adjust the temperature, making it feel like you’re being scalded.

The kitchen utensils are very limited—there are no cutting boards or knives for food preparation.

The blankets are of the worst quality. Even wearing clothes, I still felt cold at night.

I booked a 6-person dorm, but they insisted on putting me in a 10-person dorm. The manager’s logic was that if fewer than 6 people were staying in the 10-person dorm, it should be considered a 6-person dorm. However, the prices for these rooms are clearly different on the platform. Why even bother offering different room types? Moreover, there were indeed days when there were 10 people in the room! The manager was extremely rigid and completely disregarded guest satisfaction.

The room has no locks, and anyone can come and go freely, making it very easy to get robbed. The door doesn’t close automatically, so people often leave it open in the middle of the night. If you sleep near the door, you’ll feel cold and be disturbed by outside noise.

From the overall design and layout of the hostel, it’s clear that little consideration was given to the comfort of guests. Instead, it feels more like a prison.

If you continue running your business like this, you’ll only attract guests with low prices, leading to more low-quality customers and a worsening atmosphere—creating a vicious cycle. Good luck, but I wouldn’t recommend this place if you don’t want to ruin your...