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gintonic_SG
Canton of St. Gallen, Switzerland

A wonderful building and good rooms, but service could definately be better...

3.0 of 5 bubblesReviewed 9 Feb 2019
Building:
A super-nice old villa with a big patio and a clean pool. The building itself is very charming and you notice it as soon as you enter.

Service:
This on the other hand was really a weak point, which is a pity cause it lowers the whole experience. I can mention some examples:
We had to leave early one morning and therefore I asked for an early breakfast (which was refused) or at least some butter an jam since we had already bought bread before - but obviously not even that was possible...
The Wi-Fi was pretty weak, so weak that I had to use my cellphone to upload my travel-pics on OneDrive. When I mentioned it at the reception, nothing happened altough I could explain the problem pretty exactly (which router didn't work at all, which one just temporarely, etc.)

In the end it's the little things: A tiny little bit more attention to your guest's wishes and needs and everything would have been just perfect (and five stars)
Date of stay: February 2019
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
4.0 of 5 bubblesRooms
2.0 of 5 bubblesService
4.0 of 5 bubblesSleep Quality
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ricardo E, Gerente at Happy House Hostel, responded to this review
Responded 12 Feb 2019
Dear Guest,

Unfortunately we are not able to prepare early bkf to all our guests, especially when they are leaving too early like in your case. We have set up a buffet bkf which must be attended by some staff members. It´s crazy to think we can make some staff members to come to prepare the bkf at 4-5 or 6 am for 2 people. We sometimes arrange it but when it´s about a large group of people and when we are also told in advance about this situation, not the day before. This regulation has been informed in all the booking engines we work with for you to check it before even making the reservation and during the check in process as well. It´s unfair to push a situation that has been informed in advance and use it to leave a regular evaluation about our property.

Regarding to the internet connection, after 3-4 years making pressure on the only company that brings the service to our area, we have achieved to have a new tecnology (optical fiber) which is going to improve the whole service. To be fair, we´ve been having problems with the wi fi for ages, but it´s not a matter of money because we were always willing to pay for the faster service, but we didn´t have any option to get it.

Regards,
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
The listings of booking offers for each property take into account the compensation paid to us by our partners. Prices shown may be for varying room types. Prices displayed are the lowest available, corresponding to the least expensive room type available, as provided from our partners as of the time of the user’s search.
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22 - 27 of 902 reviews
Reviewed 7 February 2019 via mobile

We recently stayed here for two nights and found the hostel to be very run down and noisy. The building itself is beautiful but needs some upkeep to raise the standard. The staff were quite helpful but the advertised happy hour did not occur perhaps due to staff shortages - it wasn’t explained when we asked. The bathrooms really need repair - it was rare that the toilet could be held closed with the lock and there was a definitely lack of privacy. The pool area is great and welcome after a hot day of walking. The location was good with access to public transport and restaurants but I could not recommend staying here.

Date of stay: February 2019
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Thank JPDork
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ricardo E, Gerente at Happy House Hostel, responded to this reviewResponded 7 February 2019

Dear Guest,

We know that your comment has been motivated by not opening the bar for you and your partner. We told you that there was a problem specifically that day to open the bar (something unusual) and that you were very welcome to buy what you needed outside of the hostel and bring it in without problems. Unfortunately the other points described do not reflect the reality of what we offer and we reiterate that they are motivated by a reason that is not really important to disqualify everything else.

Regards,

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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Reviewed 23 January 2019

I have come to Happy House for the past 7-8 years while traveling in and out of Chile. I was thoroughly disappointed this time with the establishment. There is a happy hour where they overserve guests, one of which passed out and vomitted in the hallway, which was left overnight and into the day. When I mentioned this to them, they barely acknowledged what had happened. Someone slept in thr TV room, surely without paying, so when I went to use it in the morning, I had to leave. The breakfast isn’t as fresh as before, the wait staff don’t offer eggs anymore, you have to ask and they grudgingly accept your requests. The decor feels old and drab now, it’s in major need of updating. Everything creaks when walking and there is absolutely no noise control at night. I have never been so disappointed when staying here. I hope they improve as it used to be my Home whenever in the city.

Room tip: It’s overpriced for a private room, so at least get one with the shared bathroom and find more private shared bathrooms around the house.
Date of stay: January 2019
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Review collected in partnership with this hotel
Thank melewi
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ricardo E, Gerente at Happy House Hostel, responded to this reviewResponded 23 January 2019

Dear Guest,

We feel sorry about the experience you are describing on your comment and also for the evaluation given to our property, however, we desagree with most of the things mentioned. For example, we do not overserve to guests like you said. The bar only works when we have more than 20 people at the hostel and mainly fridays and saturdays from 19 pm to 23 pm only to create a nice atmosphere to share between guests. One of our big concern is exactly not to have drunk people around in order not to disturb other guests or create a mess in the property or with the neighbors. If guests go out and drink before of after the bar service is available and get wasted is not our fault. We are not a party hostel and if you have stayed here for ages as you said, you should know that. When guests are out of control for any reaosn, we call the police immediately. You can´t pretend that a receptionist acts like a body guard to expulse someone by force for the risk that it means if that person is agressive. And also you can´t pretend we hire a body guard to be here 24/7 to make people behave. That´s part of the education of each person and responsability of each country. A guest "sleeping" at the tv room doesn´t mean we approved him to be there without paying. We have procedures and rules and 24/7 reception service to avoid it happens. Nobody have ever stayed at the tv room over night. The guest you are talking about had a reservation and arrived too early so we allowed him to wait there while his room was ready. Decor and floors are actually in an update period at the moment.

It´s very sad that you came to Tripadvisor when only saw something you did´t like to leave this unfortunate comment.

Regards,

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Reviewed 20 January 2019 via mobile

Nice cocktails available at the bar: all being prepared with passion. More than worth the wait ☺️. The breakfast is serviced with three different of fruit juices and even hot milk for preparing chocolatemilk!

Date of stay: January 2019
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Thank Eric14314
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ricardo E, Gerente at Happy House Hostel, responded to this reviewResponded 22 January 2019

Dear Eric,

Thank you very much for your great evaluation and comments. We are glad to know you´ve enjoyed our bar and services in general. We hope to get your new visit again soon.

Greetings from the entire Happy House Hostel team

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Reviewed 20 January 2019 via mobile

Cosy hostal in a beautiful building with swimming pool and cocktail bar. The terrace outside is very nice and filled with youngsters. Happy Hour from 19.00 till 22.00 at the bar. Good beds and good breakfast buffet. Nicolas was very kind to help us with our questions and gave us good advice about which room was best suited for our wishes. We can even store our luggage in this hotel during our trip to Valparaiso later this month!

Date of stay: January 2019
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Thank Angelique M
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ricardo E, Gerente at Happy House Hostel, responded to this reviewResponded 22 January 2019

Dear Angelique,

We are very glad to have received your very nice evaluation and comments. We are also pretty happy if we make you feel happy :)

We hope to see you when you are back from your trip.

Greetings from the entire Happy House Hostel team

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Reviewed 13 January 2019

Set in a safe, bohemian neighbourhood with many beautiful houses on the surrounding street, the hostel is just a short walk from the city centre, from a supermarket and from many local eateries. The building is beautiful and the pool is a real bonus at the end of a long hot day. The staff were particularly helpful.

Date of stay: January 2019
  • Trip type: Travelled with family
    • Sleep Quality
    • Cleanliness
    • Service
Thank Glendowie
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ricardo E, Gerente at Happy House Hostel, responded to this reviewResponded 15 January 2019

Dear Glendowie,

Thanks you so much for your great evaluation and comments. We are happy to know you´ve enjoyed the stay, facilities and staff help. We hope we can get your new visit again soon.

Greetings from the entire Happy House Hostel team

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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC
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