Last weekend I headed to Amsterdam for a special reason – to visit the Vermeer exhibition. I had booked a hostel ages ago when I bought the ticket, so I was all set with my accommodation. I checked in, but unfortunately I was kicked out. Apparently, there was an age restriction in place, and I was over the limit. I was told that this was mentioned on their website and on several places on booking, but when I checked, I only saw it in the booking terms and conditions right at the bottom of their Booking listing. I had to scramble to find an emergency room, and ended up paying twice the original amount.
I was really annoyed at this because usually the booking terms only include things like check in/out times, smoking, noise, etc. I now always make sure to check for such restrictions.
It turns out that the hostel had mentioned that guests over 35 who wanted to stay in mixed dorms may be asked to move to a private room at additional cost. Since I had booked a female dorm, I should not have been dumped.
This isn’t the first time I’ve had something like this happen. Most places put age limits in pretty prominent places, if they have them. It’s important to make sure to read the fine print, even if it’s not readily visible, to avoid such surprises.