Green Tortoise Hostel Seattle
🏨 Hotels & Travel · Seattle
Absolutely not. I’d never go back, buy again, or use them again.total experiences
replied on google
Most reported issues
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Experiences
The hostel location attracts loitering individuals at night.
Business reply on Google
Hi One Bee, I'm guessing you booked through Expedia or one of those OTA's ... sorry for the confusion. It says hostel on all our listings, and the sign out front and the on the door. We have dormitory rooms (4 bed, 6 bed, and 8 bed) I am surprised you think the location is only a 4?? We are 40 feet from the Pike Place Market (the vibrant commercial heart of Seattle). I'm glad my staff were nice to you.
staff failed to manage bunk assignments and cleanliness was poor
Business reply on Google
Greetings, Michael, We are sorry to hear you had a bad experience. It looks like you stayed with us in 2022, and that far back, we don't have detailed guest records, so we can only offer our apologies. Nonetheless, we are fully dedicated to improving guest experience. Can you share with us why you decided to give us a review four years after your stay?
Staff allegedly discriminated against guest based on disability status.
Business reply on Google
Hi Storm, I am sorry you had a rotten free stay at our hostel. We do have the video of you yelling at both the front desk person and the manager. Hopefully, you can find some help with your disability and get on with life. - Owner
Hostel staff exhibited unprofessional behavior and made false accusations.
Receptionist was rude and unhelpful regarding hostel linen policy
Overcharged for reservation and forced into unsafe mixed-gender sleeping arrangements.
Business reply on Google
Hi Emily, My name is Haru, and I am the general manager at Green Tortoise Seattle. It can be confusing, but you reserved a single bed for one guest through the Booking.com website, during Comic Con weekend. We were fully booked, and the only available option to get you in separate beds was our mixed gender staff room. We placed both of you in one twin bed in a female dorm room, since your priority was staying in a female-only dorm over having two separate beds. Regarding the charge of over $300 on your account, this reflects the "Booking.com" rate for two beds for 3 nights. If you had booked through our web site, you would have saved over $50. We understand mistakes can happen; we decided to issue a full refund for your reservation. We wish you happy travels in the future. Best regards, Haru
Hostel failed to provide booked accommodation and lacked basic maintenance.
Business reply on Google
Hi Wisirin, We were not aware that you needed a bottom bunk, as the only communication we received was that you would be arriving late. We take requests for bottom bunks and do our best to accommodate them when they are communicated in advance. Unfortunately, it can be challenging to fulfill last-minute requests, especially in August when we are fully booked every day. I apologize if you were under the impression that booking in advance automatically guaranteed you a bottom bunk. We do not assume that a bottom bunk is preferred, as some guests enjoy the advantages of top bunks and don’t mind climbing up the ladders. However, I see that we adjusted your rate to reflect the 8-bed dorm price to ensure you received a bottom bunk after the 2nd night, and we also provided you with a partial refund for the 1st night. The city has been making improvements to keep our streets cleaner and safer. We hope to welcome you back in the future. Please be sure to specify any needs or requests in advance during your next visit! Happy travels!
Hostel has poor hygiene, safety hazards, and outdated, uncomfortable facilities.
Business reply on Google
Hi P.M. Invariably, the 1 star reviews are from folks we had to ask to leave because they did something, or weren't up for sharing the space. They were a snorer or our cameras caught them stealing someone's beer, Your review is so articulate I keep wondering what really happened. We are always working on improving our service to travelers. I would appreciate it if you contacted me [email protected] so I can further work on fixing our problems. If not, happy trails!
Hostel staff were rude and exhibited poor personal hygiene.
Business reply on Google
Hi Kadin, this is Haru, the general manager of the Green Tortoise Seattle. Thank you so much for getting back to us to provide more information. Making our guests feel welcomed and cared for is one of our top priorities, and I am sorry this was not the case for you... Unlike you mentioned, our expectations for our staff are high as you can see so many previous guests mentioned how friendly our staff was. Both of the staff members you mentioned have been great with our guests although they might have misread your way of interacting with others at this time... they thought you wanted to joke around and that was what they did, but it was taken as rudeness... We appreciate your feedback and will discuss how to improve our customer service skills at the all-staff meeting as we believe there is always more to learn when it comes to making everyone happy in our culturally diverse hostel!
Excessive noise from late night karaoke prevents guests from sleeping.
Business reply on Google
HI E L, So sorry you had a hard time with our Saturday night party. We do stop it at midnight. Sadly, we will probably not see you again, but if you are ever in that situation again, please come down to the front desk and ask to change rooms ... there is a whole quiet side of the hostel on the other side of the stairs.
Staff denied restroom access to a guest in medical distress.
Business reply on Google
Hi Kylie, The person you think was the owner is not. I am, and I have never heard of you or your husband's issue, and unfortunately no one called me about this. The other unfortunate truth is we get a great number of people wanting access to shoot up in our nice warm clean bathrooms, and I can only assume that one of my front desk staff thought your husband was either one of those or maybe they thought he was simply joking. I'm so sorry we didn't let your husband use a bathroom. Can you please tell me what time and day it was so I can review the cameras and encourage the too quick to judgement desk person to ask more questions to better serve our guests. - Rex 206-255-4490
Hostel location is unsafe and the kitchen is not clean.
Unsanitary bedding, noise issues, and limited guest facilities.
Business reply on Google
Hi Bcs, I am sorry to hear your experience with us didn't meet your expectation... I see we could have done better for some part, and if you don't mind emailing me at [email protected] and share more details such as your name for me to check on the room condition, I would appreciate it. There are some things that is out of our hand such as the problems with homelessness or rooms beds being sold out. However, we have 24/7 reception to better accommodate our guests' needs and requests. We are happy to answer any questions you might have prior to your stay and address issues during your stay!
The hostel rooms and bathrooms are unsanitary with black mold.
Lack of expected private amenities and inconvenient parking location.
excessive noise levels and lack of quiet hours policy
Business reply on Google
Hi Karl, I'm sorry to hear some of the guests were disturbing and that the open mic night was not your thing... As you mentioned, our staff is good at noticing disturbing guests and addressing the issues promptly to ensure everyone is comfortable. We would have been happy to find another room away from the common area if we weren't completely full... Again, I'm sorry you had to shorten your reservation, and I hope you were able to find a quieter accommodation. I think some things got miscommunicated, so please let me correct them. We do have social events that take place outside the hostel as well as inside the hostel. The open mic event was not a special "family event" but something we do once a week on every Saturday for our guests. Our intention is to provide some fun Saturday nights that you can join even if you are traveling on a budget. However, I do understand it could be hard for the guests who like to rest early in the night... As you mentioned, if you are hypersensitive to noises, we might not be the best fit for your stay as there are other factors that are out of our control as well, such as being located in the middle of downtown. It's very convenient but could be not
Receptionist incorrectly demanded extra payment due to a booking system error
Business reply on Google
Hi Matt, I'm sorry that the wrong bed incident made your experience with us so bad even though it sounds like you were happy with us otherwise... However, "a queen size bed in a dorm room for 2 people" is pretty self explanatory for a lot of people, and it is one of the most popular accommodation type for our budget travelers. That is why we didn't think it would be a mix-up. I'm sorry we couldn't catch that it was not what you meant to book in the first place. If you have requested to switch it to 2 single beds instead of just taking one extra bed that you didn't pay for without telling us, we would have been able to avoid all the confusions and bad feelings after all. Like I mentioned to your friend's review, somebody taking a wrong bed is a big security problem for us, and our staff is trained to address the issue as soon as we find it, and to be always serious about it. It seems to be more than fair to ask for $50 out of $150 for taking an extra bed for 3 nights, but if it's really all about the receptionist's attitude, it would be the best if you can reach out to me directly at [email protected]. I am interested in knowing how the whole interaction was from your point
Poor facility maintenance, hygiene issues, and security concerns regarding room…
Unsanitary room conditions and security concerns regarding unsecured guest room doors.
Business reply on Google
Hi A F, So sorry you had a stinky roommate ... as you probably noticed all the rooms get cleaned every day. If this ever happens to you again ... just come to the front desk and ask to be moved rooms. We would love to show you that it isn't the way we keep the Hostel. Keep this e-mail for a free night on us in the future. Sorry again, Rex (the owner)
The hostel has poor ventilation, dirty linens, and bed bugs.
Business reply on Google
Hey, The maximum people in a room is 8 people so might be a little tight but I have stayed in a hostel with 32 people. We would have liked to have heard about all your complaints in person instead of blasting us on the internet and letting it fester to a 1 star experience for you. Did you have a bed bug experience while you were here? If so we would have liked to have known. We have not had a bed bug experience for months and unfortunately how they make it here is by other guests traveling to our location. As far as the neighborhood, we can not control the vagrants outside. The City of Seattle has decided this is perfectly ok I guess. I am just as mad as you about the "druggies". Wish we would have talked in person instead of you leave a horrendously poor review online