HOSTEL FORCED TO CLOSE DOWN BY FIRE SERVICE

CARDIFF hostel has been forced to close after guests complained of frequent power cuts, a lack of running water and reports of bedbugs.

- GWILYM HUBBARD

Mrs Potts Hostel in St Mary Street described itself as a “hostel in the heart of Cardiff which is designed for backpackers who want that warm and fuzzy feeling they get at home”.

But numerous guests complained and left negative reviews with reviews on Booking.com describing the hostel as the “most uncomfortable night I have ever spent” and saying it was “rundown, dirty and felt unsafe”.

Last week South Wales Fire and Rescue Service issued a prohibition notice forcing a shutdown of the building due to electricity supply issues. According to its Google listing, the business is “permanently closed.”

Booking.com has removed the hostel from its site pending further investigation and it is currently unavailable for guests to book. Mrs Potts Hostel is a separate business to Mrs Potts Chocolate House, also in St Mary Street.

I visited the hostel just days before it closed and after spending a few hours inside found that running water and electricity were not working in most of the building and a box of food was being stored under one of the beds.

Others I spoke to also reported similar issues during recent stays at the hostel, which has not responded to requests for comment. Jordan Malthouse stayed a night at the hostel and said having visited a number of hostels before, he had never had a worse experience than at Mrs Potts Hostel.

“I knew it wasn’t going to be luxury - I'm paying for a hostel - but I've been to all these hostels around the world and it was the worst I've ever been to,” he said.

The 25-year-old, from Newcastle, booked to stay on April 18 while on the way to a camping trip and after arriving claims he realised there was no power in most of the building.

“I checked in about 9pm. I went up, tried to plug my phone in, and there was emergency lighting only. At 10pm I went back down to say: ‘I can’t charge my phone.”