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Added by Jopie, at 09 July 2016
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9 Reviews
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17 November 2017
What a great hostel! It has character and great facilities. Geoff runs a tight ship with his crew and the hard work from the staff pays off and the great results show. Jenny who was in reception was a great asset to the hostel and was very friendly and approachable. Met some great people in a place you can definitely call a home from home! I miss it already. All the best at criterion keep up the awesome work!
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25 September 2017
Bad manager likes to boss people around I stayed 10 mins pass checkout time said i hadn't asked him told me to leave not good person thinks place is his
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20 June 2017
Okay backpacker place, nice location and decent facilities. Breakfast is okay Geoff can be a bit grumpy if you arrive late for checkin, as I arrived around 10pm.
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26 April 2017
The worst experience ever of staying in a hotel or hostel.The receptionist was shockingly rude and misbehaving. Ironically, I have stayed at this hostel many times before and had a nice experience(the last time before this being more than a year ago). Each time I had stayed there previously I was attended by a gentleman named Jeff and I found him to be very well mannered and courteous. Even this time he was the one who answered the phone when I phoned this hostel to enquire about vacancy. He replied in the affirmative. I told him I'll reach there at about 10 PM and he told me to phone them when I get there so they will open the entrance door on the ground floor. I phoned the hostel on reaching there and the lady who is probably working as a receptionist in this hostel came to open the door. She was very grumpy and drunk. She was mumbling when she opened the door, saying something like she doesn't like to be messed about. She just stood at the door staring at the road for sometime. I was already very tired and felt annoyed by her behaviour but didn't say anything and started walking upstairs thinking that Jeff would be at the reception(the reception and rooms of this hostel are upstairs).But I saw that there was no one at the reception. After sometime, the lady who had opened the door came upstairs walking unsteadily and shouted at me, "What do you want?" I was shocked at her behaviour and told her I had phoned them earlier about accommodation and I was told they had vacancy in a dorm room. She started shouting again, "I don't have vacancy, did you make a booking?"
This scene occurred in the lounge of the hostel in the presence of many other guests and I felt humiliated. I never expected something like this to happen.
I could see that lady wasn't in her senses so I maintained my composure and told her I had spoken to her manager(assuming that Jeff must be her manager) and took my cell phone out of my pocket to call this hostel's phone again to clear this confusion. To my astonishment, the receptionist tried to snatch my cell phone from me to stop me from calling the hostel's phone, then momentarily seemed to have come back to her senses and remembered that they had a vacancy. Under normal circumstances, considering the disgusting behaviour of the receptionist of this hostel I would have walked out but I was literally exhausted after a long and tiring day so I decided to stay. Thereafter, the receptionist completed the check in formalities and having noticed that I was disgusted by her behaviour, she tried to make it up to me by charging $5 less and said that she was pregnant and was annoyed when she was asked to go downstairs to open the door. I think she was making an excuse but I am not sure. Pregnant women who are concerned about the health of their unborn child generally do not indulge in excessive drinking. Even if she was telling the truth, it was no justification for her misbehaviour. A guest checking into a hostel/hotel should not have to bear the tantrums of a drunk receptionist. Besides, if that lady is really pregnant the management of the hostel should be managing her workload accordingly. The management of this hostel is also at fault for allowing their receptionist to get drunk on duty. The name of this hostel is Criterion, I wonder under what criteria the management of this hostel selected their receptionist. It was the 1st time I saw a drunk receptionist.The next morning before checking out, I put a $5 note on the reception counter of this hostel, not wanting any favour from the rude and discourteous receptionist of this hostel.
I have stayed in backpackers hostels many times, I know they are a budget accommodation and I am very clear about the fact that we should not expect a lot in these hostels. However, it doesn't matter how budget a hostel/hotel is, it should still follow the basic principles of hospitality. The least a paying guest can expect is to be treated respectfully. This is the 1st review I have written as I felt compelled to do so.
Needless to say, I will never stay in this hostel again.response / report this review -
21 March 2017
Booked for 2 nights and ended up staying for 4. The whole vibe of the hostel is so warming and welcoming I just couldn't seem to leave. Met some truly great people and had lots of fun playing pool, ping pong, and hanging out on the balcony. Free unlimited WiFi is dank.
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06 March 2017
My reservation was not there when I arrived even though I had a confirmation, and the hosts were not so welcoming. The hostel is in a great location in the CBD and the building has so much heritage but it is missing some love. Small things like light bulbs not replaced, or a nail used instead of a lock on the bathroom door, and cleanliness could be better. The wifi is only in common areas but is still weak. They do offer free breakfast for all guests including toast, cereal (weetabix) and tea and coffee.
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29 November 2016
This is the loveliest hostel I have stayed in in New Zealand. The entire hostel is cleaned multiple times every day, the kitchen is always very clean and there are plenty of pots and cutlery to go around.
Kay is truly a wonderful lady and looks out for all of her guests whether you're staying for one night or 4 months. I also love how sociable the hostel is - everybody talks to everybody which is particularly lovely after a long day of work.
In terms of work, the hostel is in a brilliant location for any type, but most particularly hospitality. I got a job the day I arrived in Napier and have heard similar stories from other guests.
The Criterion feels like a home from home and I recommend it to anyone travelling around NZ. Napier is a beautiful town and the Criterion adds a sense of family to that.response / report this review -
19 November 2016
The best hostel I have been so far. FREE UNLIMITED WORKING WiFi. Free breakfast. Two huge lounges with 2 TVs, ping pong table and pool table (all free). Very clean and tidy, friendly managers and cheap!!! Very pintoresque too. TOTALLY RECOMMENDED
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16 July 2016
Helpful and good staff but very uncomfortable beds, noisy and drippy pipes and odd annoying noises all though the night. Lots of the lights do not work which makes the place dark and depressing.
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