I went with a group of colleagues to attend a festival in Glasgow and the hostel was chosen based on recommendations given on a previous trip. I would travel 6-8 times in the year and would use hostel accommodation 1-2 times each year. The hostel is one of the largest in Glasgow, a high-rise building with 9 bedroom floors, which is centrally located beside Glasgow Central train station and fronting the river Clyde. It is located on a corner site beside a busy and noisy road junction and road bridge. There are extensive commercial facilities: supermarkets, pound shops, good inexpensive pubs and restaurants in close proximity. The area gets quite lively at night. In the hostel the public areas cover three floors, which include a late night bar with a separate entrance for the public.
The entrance to the hostel is somewhat run-down, with entrance is gained via an dilapidated door which does not close properly. The large lobby is dark and the ground floor facilities are dog-eared, although there is a good reception service in operation for 24 hours a day. Indeed the overall security there is good, with door men in operation at night outside the late bar and restricted card access to the upper floors and the bedrooms. Due to Glasgow’s whisky culture at night which some people might find disconcerting, this proved to be an important asset. The bar was by far the best public facility.
The upstairs cafeteria was clean and spacious which provided very basic continental breakfasts, included with the accommodation. There were no boiled eggs, cheese, sliced meats or yoghurt, and the only bread supplied was sliced pan. The coffee/tea came from a vending machine and the fruit juices were overdiluted. To their favour the staff could make you a full english breakfast for a reasonable price.
The bedroom corridors were tired in appearance although they were kept clean. I had a twin room with bunk beds. Sheets and towels were provided; and although the duvet was fitted, I had to make my own bed. While the linen was clean, the inner duvet had not been washed for some time, as indicated by the grimy edges at the opening (photo1.). I opted to wear my socks in bed. While the room was kept neat, it needs a deep clean: a rubbing down of the walls and redecoration. One of the windows was badly cracked, and instead of repairing it the staff had patched it with yellow safety tape (photo 2.). The glass and the frames in the windows were filthy. In the en-suite corridor there was a rotten skirting (photo 3.), which was explained once I tried to use the shower. The controls were difficult to master and the water evacuated at high speed alternately hot and cold, flooding the bathroom floor (I mopped this up with a towel). Ablutions had to be carried out using borrowed light as the light in the en-suite flickered constantly.
Overall the euro hostel had many redeeming features, for example the staff were courteous and helpful and it was located in a good area. However some parts were grotty badly mainained and fell below an acceptable level of cleanliness. It has to be said that despite the conditions we enjoyed our stay there, and the others no doubt will elect to go there again.
