Amsterdam · Netherlands
Flying Pig Downtown
Suspicious-review evidence
≈136 possibly bought · 2421 top-rated reviews scanned
Explain how it works
We compare every 5★ review's word count against the global distribution. Hostels where unusually many top-rated reviews are suspiciously short — way under the typical length — start to look like the staff (or a boost-my-listing service) is padding the score with throwaway praise.
The detector flags reviews that are both top-rated and below a length threshold, then estimates how many of them statistically shouldn't exist. For this hostel we scanned 2421 top-rated reviews and 0% were suspiciously short.
Length z-score: 5.80. A z-score measures how far this hostel's distribution of 5★ review lengths sits from the global average, in standard deviations. 0 = perfectly typical. 1–2 = slightly unusual but within normal noise. 3–5 = strongly anomalous. Anything 10+ means the pattern is so far from the global norm that it's effectively impossible to get there organically.
This is a heuristic, not a verdict — it surfaces hostels worth a second look, not proof of fraud. Read the actual reviews below and judge for yourself.
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Confirmed paidSignal trace
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Reward tied to a review
review stating that, the establishment reached out to offer a refund
(Positive first) this is a nice hostel with a decent breakfast that overall is a good deal and I found that some of the staff is nice and helpful. (Negative) While the dayshift I found to be helpful and was sympathetic with an issue we ran into, the night shift initially came about as rude. After writing a review stating that, the establishment reached out to offer a refund for a guest that experienced an issue and to discuss the issue with their night shift. Appreciate it.
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Reward tied to a review
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Confirmed paidSignal trace
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Reward tied to a review
refunded my money. Still, it was extremely frustrating
EDIT 21. May: The hostel has now refunded my money. Still, it was extremely frustrating that I wasn't allowed to check in and had to book a very expensive room at another hotel at short notice. --- Unreliable, big disappointment, and HUGE extra costs! I booked a stay at Flying Pig Downtown via Booking.com for May 2–4, 2025. When I tried to cancel by phone beforehand, I was told cancellation wasn’t possible. So I went ahead with my trip. Then the shock on arrival: My booking had vanished! Reception couldn’t find it – and a staff member told me it had actually been canceled and I wouldn’t be charged. So I had to scramble to find other hotels for two nights. Nearly everything in Amsterdam was fully booked and ridiculously expensive. After the weekend, Flying Pig Downtown still charged me €177.95, even though I didn’t spend a single night there. I tried contacting the hostel multiple times – no response, no help, no refund. ❗ Bottom line: Completely unprofessional. No transparency. No responsibility. No customer service. I strongly advise against booking here. If anything goes wrong, you’ll be left alone with the full cost.
Germany -
Reward tied to a review
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Suspiciously shortSignal trace
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Pressure to leave a review
asked for anything better. 10/10
first hostel experience ever and I couldn't have asked for anything better. 10/10 for cleanliness, friendly staff, location, social vibes, and rooming situation. The social factor in the bar, the weed smoking room, and the outdoor cigarette area is perfect enough for easy conversations and making plans with new friends.
USA FEMALE 25-30 -
Pressure to leave a review
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Suspiciously shortSignal trace
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Pressure to leave a review
asked med to review
Google asked med to review this place after one night, so here we go. 😁 this place is very nice, I loved how helpful and open people was, I've never talked so much to so many people in one night before. 👍😊 i can recommend this place, I actually consider visiting Amsterdam again just for this place.
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Pressure to leave a review
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Suspiciously short
🔥
Latvia -
Suspiciously short
Fantastic
Belgium MALE 31-40 -
Suspiciously short
lokalizacja
Poland -
Suspiciously short
Все
Netherlands -
Suspiciously short
ok
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Suspiciously short
Everything
Brazil -
Suspiciously short
Tot
Romania -
Suspiciously short
Location
United States -
Suspiciously short
Everything
United Kingdom -
Suspiciously short
Location
Greece -
Suspiciously short
Nearby
Saudi Arabia -
Suspiciously short
Excelente
Mexico MALE -
Suspiciously short
👍🏻
Netherlands -
Suspiciously short
Localização
Brazil -
Suspiciously short
位置非常好
China -
Suspiciously short
Perfecto
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Suspiciously shortTranslated to English
Nice,,,,,,, and good
NICE,,,,,,,
England MALE -
Suspiciously short
Good
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Suspiciously short
Excellent
United Arab Emirates -
Suspiciously short
Ambiente
El Salvador -
Suspiciously short
Super
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