Clarification

Dear all,

I realised that there are a few misconceptions for many guests who decide to stay in a hostel. Guests will stay in a backpacker hostel for many reasons:

1. Hotels in Singapore is too expensive (Singapore is the 10th most expensive city in the world)
2. They are lonely and just want to stay in a place where they will not be alone (a dormitory is a good idea in this case)
3. They will like to make like-minded people who share the same idea, or 'frequency' as we say in Singapore

Well, either options are fine, as long as you stay in my hostel. However, especially for people who stay in hostels because of option 1, I will need to clarify certain things, mostly revolving around how our hostel is a HOSTEL and not a hotel:

1. We do not have ensuite bathroom
There are so many people who come to the hostel and after that complained about how we do not have ensuite bathroom in the room. Well, for a start, when the guests booked it from the different platforms that we are on, it is clearly stated 'shared bathroom'. So, please do not write a review and complain about it when it is your own mistake that you did not look at the description properly when you book!

2. We do not have Television in the room
Some people think that there will be television in the room. Thus, I think there is a need to clarify once again that we are a hostel and we do not have television in the room. We do not even have a television in the hostel with local channels. We do have 1 that you can connect to the computer or DVD player. This is because I have called the different operators in Singapore and apparently the cable line does not run to my hostel's location.

3. You will have to make your own breakfast
Well, some people think that like a hotel, one of us will stand behind the counter to serve the guests whatever they want to order. Well, there is kind of a reason why the prices are so cheap. Because, we are a basic accommodation. You make your own breakfast of toasts, coffee and tea. One of the guests I checked in was quite funny. Maybe he is a bit ignorant, I brought him to the dormitory and he actually asked me what if he wants water? Does he ask me and I serve it to him? Sigh...hearing this kind of questions makes me think that certain people are just a little ignorant.

4. Some of our toilets and showers are combined
I know in most Western culture, toilets and showers are always separate. Thus, the floor in the toilet is always dry. However, in many Asian countries, it is common to have combined toilet and shower. Even a squatting toilet! Thus, do not be amazed to see that in the hostel! We are going to change our squatting toilet to a sitting one, but we are still having a few combined cubicles. A guest actually wrote in a review that 'The shower was most interesting. Actually there were two toilets, with a shower in it". I think that by saying that only makes the guest sounds ignorant in public.

5. You need to turn on the heater for the shower
I understand that everyone has a different common sense. Maybe guests come from different culture, and thus certain way of life is different. Just imagine, if you go for shower and there is not hot water, what will you do? You see a heater box in the shower. For most people (I hope), will check that the heater in the shower is not turned off, and there is a red light. If there is no red light, usually people will check that there is a red button outside the shower for the main switch of the heater. After running the hostel for almost 2 years, I realised that this is something that requires a step-by-step instruction. I have received quite a few reviews that says that we should write instructions on how to turn on the heater. It makes me wonder, where should the line stop? What do I need to write an instructions and what do I not need to? If I have too many instructions for the guests, will they feel that the hostel requires them to read too many things? Sigh..dilemma! :(

These are currently the top 5 clarifications that I think I should let any potential guests know about. Because I believe that both parties should be happy staying in the hostel: the guests and us. We will want you to have an amazing stay in Singapore as well, and accommodation plays a big part. Thus, take a few minutes to look through and if certain things are what you cannot accept (eg. you definitely need someone to serve you breakfast and water) then maybe this is not the place for you.

Thanks for reading!