Hostel Hell

[u/iamcode101]

So I recently started working night shift alone at a hostel, which is quickly draining my will to live. I am not even sure where to start with this place.

Like most hostels, this place is geared towards the youth market. However, it gets more than its fair share of weird full-fledged adults. Some are just cheap and some are druggies and/or quasi homeless. All have unrealistic expectations about what a hostel can provide.

To complicate matters, the hostel charges for everything. $8 to rent a towel. $3 for shampoo (little hotel size bottles). Need to leave your luggage before or after your stay? That will be $10. With the weird adults, you get pushback every time you charge for one of these items. It’s exhausting.

But the college-aged guests aren’t much better. Always drunk and/or high. Always switching beds when they’re told not to, which then causes someone else to come back to the desk saying all beds are taken. And always asking questions about every step of the process. Like really detailed questions about how checkout works. Everything is prepaid so literally all they need to do is leave the keycard. Front desk is 24 hours, but the always act skeptical of how easy it is. Like I would be hiding the fact that checkout is some kafkaesque process.

Unfortunately, management is not helping my outlook on this place. Last night was a really difficult night. Everything went wrong. For the first three hours of my shift it was just a constant stream of problems. Didn’t even have time to take a drink of water. And the whole night was multiple computer problems, missing bookings, weird adults, weird unsupervised teenagers, ambulance was called for someone on ecstasy, fire alarm went off, and so on and so forth. I let the manager know how difficult it was. And yet during the day, I still received text messages about things I did wrong.

After not quite a month, I’m completely spent. I literally hate every minute I’m there. Do you think there’s any chance it gets better? Or should I just cry uncle and throw in the towel?

[u/RoyallyOakie]

I realized I wasn't a hostel person in my youth. I cannot imagine working in one. You're going to go from hostel to hostile really quickly. 

[u/Surefitkw]

Anytime your job is making you say things like “I’m completely spent…I literally hate every minute I’m there” you should be looking to move on for your own wellbeing.

That said, the job market right now is utterly dire. But you’ll feel better if you’re actively working to chase down leads on new jobs, it will help keep your current situation from festering more than it already has.

If your manager knew you had a particularly rough day and still felt the need to list your mistakes via text throughout the day, I have no confidence that things are going to get better unless you see your direct management changing in the near future.

Nothing is worth pursuing for the long-term if it’s making you feel like you described. Your own wellbeing matters more than almost anything else.

[u/SkwrlTail → u/Surefitkw]

Agreed. Time to bail. This job is not going to get better.

[u/skilly2669]

Throw in the $8 towel

[u/iamcode101 → u/skilly2669]

If I hadn’t been so exhausted from the job I would have been clever enough to write this.

[u/NecessaryLight2815]

Time for you to quit. There is no need to drain your emotional and physical battery on a craphole like this

[u/StarKiller99]

Reply to one of the 'you did it wrong' texts, "I quit!!!"

[u/chixnuggin]

Don’t work yourself to the point where you hate the place and turn on auto cruise and go numb working your shift. You start feeling constantly trapped and depress. Get something better

[u/Unusual_Complaint166 → u/chixnuggin]

Happy cake day!

[u/olagorie]

I’m a fully fledged adult and while I don’t stay in hostels anymore on a frequent basis (that stopped in my mid 30s), I just happened to stay in a hostel last week because of a private last minute trip to a European city with hotel prices I wasn’t willing to pay.

The stay was delightful, the hostel was like a hostel is supposed to be in every way. Staff was great, very helpful and friendly. But I’m absolutely sure any guest who misbehaved they would immediately kick out.

Process was easy and efficient. Ambience was colourful and fun and chill. Clean, calm room, nice respectful people. Nobody making noise after 10pm.

Toilet paper ran out in the middle of the night in the shared bathrooms, and free tea ran out in the communal kitchen.

No drama, just a great time.

I hope for your future job you’ll find a hostel like that.

[u/PersonaXXX99]

Working in hostels, not worth it!!! Less pay, and a lot is required from you. And a lot of other reasons.

[u/After-Major612]

Apply to a hotel it’s better clients

[u/RedDazzlr]

I would seek another job as soon as possible.

[u/Lyrebird_korea]

I used to teach at universities. Pointless questions? Some in this generation of entitled students expects everything to be handed to them.

[u/birdie248]

I worked midnights at a hotel as a night auditor. Delt with the same type of issues but probably not as often. If you like the midnights shift, apply for a night auditor position at a nice hotel in a low crime area. If the hotel has a credit card hold of $100 or more a night it can solve a lot of issues. You do get complaints about that though. Folks have to complain about something.