Art Factory San Telmo

The room itself was moldy and didn't have a window. We could easily change rooms. In the new room we found bedbugs🙈 So we decided not to stay longer. We talked to the employee who was there. He was super nice and understanding. We even got our money back:)

The mattress in our room was sunken. Our private bathroom smelled like drains. Someone tried to get into our room at 1:30am while we were sleeping. I was bitten by bed bugs. The kitchen was dirty and did not have much equipment. 50% of the chairs on the roof terrace were broken. Generally run down, seems like it used to be good but hasn't been looked after for a long time.

Room #9 has bed bugs and the wooden stairs are next to one side of the wall which brings a lot of noise. Asked 3 time to change room but the staff never helped me out. The hostel has a good location though.

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Warning - bed bugs. Before staying at this hostel, I had no idea that even such thing as bed bugs exists! Got bitten very bad. Other people did too, but I was bitten worse. Very bad higene. When I went to reception to complain, I was just told that it's normal in hostels!!! Cleaners don't change bed sheets. Otherwise, location is pretty good, the building is nice. Very loud at night. Nobody cares about anything there. There is no management etc. Whole place got flooded one night and staff didn't even bother, other travellers just helped with it.

The place has some advantages, with a metro nearby and an ample roofdeck, though lacking in shade in the brutal heat of summer it can be difficult to make use of. It is sadly lacking in basic thoughtful amenities that make stays in hostels tolerable; hooks in showers and by beds are scattered and there are no cubbies or chairs and only a small bedside shelf, making ordinary tasks complicated as there is no place to set belongings down. Though the mattresses are sealed in plastic covers one of my roommates got eaten alive by bedbugs; I saw no action on the part of management to address the issue which I found alarming. Management was particularly hidebound in an unwelcoming and inhospitable way. The hostel charges 2-3x the market price for drinks, and prohibits bringing in beverages from the outside, which is entirely understandable. This is a legitimate source of revenue; the prohibition is effectively voluntary as they are not going to frisk everyone who enters. However I had a very discouraging interaction with management in which I requested one of the larger beers (while still over-priced, a more reasonable value), and was told that none were available. This despite the fact that the larger bottles were plainly visible in the cooler on the level above reception. When I asked the manager how this could be so, since they clearly were available, the manager simply responded "because". When I observed that "because" is not a reason, she insisted that indeed it was. Like something out of a Monte Python skit. I am happy to abide by the rules of the place and to support it by purchasing their over-priced items; I could easily have evaded their rules but expressly chose not to. To be treated with that kind of contempt, and to not even be offered a genuine reason or considered explanation, evidenced a plain disdain for customers and a total lack of appreciation for what constitutes customer service. I hope that the hide-bound and thick-headed manager is quickly replaced by someone who appreciates the clients who spend their money at the Art Factory Hostel.