HOSTELLING INTERNATIONAL USA

Greetings,I am in receipt of the complaint filed by one of our recent Guests, [redacted] ***, to our New York City hostelI am the General Manager of that hostel, which is the largest hostel in the Americas, and the 2nd busiest in the worldWe host upwardly of people from around the world on a daily basis, and strive to live our mission to create better world citizens through Hostelling.This gentleman's story has been inconsistent throughout his filing of complaints with the Manager on Duty, the Security Personnel sent to his room on the day in question, and with the New York City Police that responded to our call in to them, prompted by a request from [redacted] ***, and myself (George F*, General Manager).The police would not even entertain taking a complaint due to this Guests' inability to identify the brand of glasses, when or where he purchased them, or even confirm that the last place he saw them was in his roomHe has claimed that he set them on his bed (in a dorm room setting), and when he went to pick them up a minute later, they were gone (he had not left the room)He also reported that he placed them either on the bed or in his locker, and went down the corridor to the men's bathroomWhen he returned 10-minutes later, they were missingHe has valued these glasses at 600.00, 625.00, 655.00, and now with the Revdex.com at 550.00.We are a youth hostel, offering dormitory beds with lockers to each guestThe guest is forewarned both verbally at check-in, as well as in print in several areas around the hostel and in the rooms, to lock all valuables up in the locker provided, as we do not take responsibility for lost / stolen / misplaced / missing items anywhere within the hostel or on our grounds.This person became indignant with my Manager on Duty when reporting the missing glasses, the New York City police when they arrived to take a report, our Front Desk Personnel when they attempted to assist him and through an exchange I had with him on social mediaUnfortunately, we do not accept responsibility for this person misplacing of his glassesHe may or may not have lost them here at the Hostel, however, we have not had them tuin our lost and found to this datePlus, all we can go on is that they are "silver titanium-rimmed prescription glasses", as he had no further way of identifying themEven so, we have no prescription glasses that are silver, so that ruled-out the possibility that someone turned them in.As promised to this Guest, if something shows-up, I have all of his contact information and will reach-out to himIn the meantime, he is trashing us on social media, in hotel stay reviews, and now with the Revdex.comWe will still be on the lookout however, as hopefully these glasses will tuin a piece of his luggage and he will then be satisfied that nobody was out to sabotage him for his expensive eyewear that he cannot provide any information on other than they were silver.Best Regards,George F [redacted] General ManagerHostelling International USA - New York CityAmsterdam AvenueNew York, NY 10025###-###-#### [redacted] @HIUSA.org

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the responseIf no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]
Complaint: ***
I am rejecting this response because: The manager's claims are false First, I was not disrespectful as he claims I cooperated with the staff and police as best as I could considering that I had just been robbedI work as a independent contractor and business professional and know how to behave with other professionals I was the one who was disrespected by the staff and police I have been asked by the same questions by this company several times I was disgusted by their inability to remember my answers and did not want to have to go through answering the same questions over and over I have stayed at HI hostels all over the country for several years and have never had anyone say that I was disrespectful to staff Second, the hostel had unrealistic and ridiculous expectations I do not travel with receipts for my personal belongs, and I do not keep a detailed list of where I got them I was on a business/personal trip and for me to have a receipt for my glasses at the time is just outlandish Who carries receipts for such things when traveling? Who knows what brand of glasses they purchased six months ago? When I went home, I found my receipt from Eyemart, the place where I bought them I never lied to the police as the manager claims about when I bought my glassesI told them that I purchased them about six to seven months ago back in July and my receipt proves this I also told them that I bought them at an eye store near my house in Cincinnati Ohio and this can be proven by my receipt Also, I was not inconsistent as to when or how my glasses were stolen I told the police that I had never left the room and this is consistent with what I had told the staff I had gotten up that morning before check out and used my glasses to work on my laptop I took them off and put them on my bed to walk around the room When I went back to my bed they were gone I did mention to the manager that I later left the room to walk down the hall and go to the bathroom and he is trying to use this information to make it look like I provided inconsistent information The reason the police did not proceed further with my complaint was because I did not have a receipt for my glasses I gave them as much information as I could about my glasses but without the information from my receipt they made the mistake of not going any further than noting my complaint Third, the manager claims that guests are supposed to put belongings in the lockers for safe keeping yet I need my glasses to see Should I walk around while I am at the hostel without my glasses just because they feel that their business is that prone to theft? Is this a hostel or a jail? In other words, I should not feel that unsafe where I can't leave my glasses on a bed without fear of them being stolen!!! Fourth, the manager went behind my back without my permission and called the police to snoop into the complaint that I filed Isn't this an invasion of my privacy? Fifth, he makes allegations that I am trashing him and the company on social media I did not go to any social media web sites like facebook, twitter, or anywhere else I was sent an email by his company to review his hostel I wrote a review mentioning my stolen glasses and my complaint plus gave low ratings for my stay The manager is unhappy with this because it makes his hostel look unfavorable I had to mention the theft of my glasses because I do not want other guests to have the same experience that I had If he wants me to retract my review then he should work toward providing me with a positive outcome instead of enticing me with allegations They could have offered to pay for at least part of my glasses and refund me for the nights that I was there (upon emailing receipts once I returned home) since having my glasses stolen ruined my trip No such offers were ever made As a business professional it would have been part of customer service to provide such a solution Unfortunately no solutions were made
Regards,
*** ***

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the responseIf no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]
Complaint: ***
I am rejecting this response because: The manager's claims are false First, I was not disrespectful as he claims I cooperated with the staff and police as best as I could considering that I had just been robbedI work as a independent contractor and business professional and know how to behave with other professionals I was the one who was disrespected by the staff and police I have been asked by the same questions by this company several times I was disgusted by their inability to remember my answers and did not want to have to go through answering the same questions over and over I have stayed at HI hostels all over the country for several years and have never had anyone say that I was disrespectful to staff Second, the hostel had unrealistic and ridiculous expectations I do not travel with receipts for my personal belongs, and I do not keep a detailed list of where I got them I was on a business/personal trip and for me to have a receipt for my glasses at the time is just outlandish Who carries receipts for such things when traveling? Who knows what brand of glasses they purchased six months ago? When I went home, I found my receipt from Eyemart, the place where I bought them I never lied to the police as the manager claims about when I bought my glassesI told them that I purchased them about six to seven months ago back in July and my receipt proves this I also told them that I bought them at an eye store near my house in Cincinnati Ohio and this can be proven by my receipt Also, I was not inconsistent as to when or how my glasses were stolen I told the police that I had never left the room and this is consistent with what I had told the staff I had gotten up that morning before check out and used my glasses to work on my laptop I took them off and put them on my bed to walk around the room When I went back to my bed they were gone I did mention to the manager that I later left the room to walk down the hall and go to the bathroom and he is trying to use this information to make it look like I provided inconsistent information The reason the police did not proceed further with my complaint was because I did not have a receipt for my glasses I gave them as much information as I could about my glasses but without the information from my receipt they made the mistake of not going any further than noting my complaint Third, the manager claims that guests are supposed to put belongings in the lockers for safe keeping yet I need my glasses to see Should I walk around while I am at the hostel without my glasses just because they feel that their business is that prone to theft? Is this a hostel or a jail? In other words, I should not feel that unsafe where I can't leave my glasses on a bed without fear of them being stolen!!! Fourth, the manager went behind my back without my permission and called the police to snoop into the complaint that I filed Isn't this an invasion of my privacy? Fifth, he makes allegations that I am trashing him and the company on social media I did not go to any social media web sites like facebook, twitter, or anywhere else I was sent an email by his company to review his hostel I wrote a review mentioning my stolen glasses and my complaint plus gave low ratings for my stay The manager is unhappy with this because it makes his hostel look unfavorable I had to mention the theft of my glasses because I do not want other guests to have the same experience that I had If he wants me to retract my review then he should work toward providing me with a positive outcome instead of enticing me with allegations They could have offered to pay for at least part of my glasses and refund me for the nights that I was there (upon emailing receipts once I returned home) since having my glasses stolen ruined my trip No such offers were ever made As a business professional it would have been part of customer service to provide such a solution Unfortunately no solutions were made.Regards,
*** ***

Greetings,I am in receipt of the complaint filed by one of our recent Guests, [redacted], to our New York City hostel. I am the General Manager of that hostel, which is the largest hostel in the Americas, and the 2nd busiest in the world. We host upwardly of 700 people from around the world on...

a daily basis, and strive to live our mission to create better world citizens through Hostelling.This gentleman's story has been inconsistent throughout his filing of complaints with the Manager on Duty, the Security Personnel sent to his room on the day in question, and with the New York City Police that responded to our call in to them, prompted by a request from [redacted], and myself (George F[redacted], General Manager).The police would not even entertain taking a complaint due to this Guests' inability to identify the brand of glasses, when or where he purchased them, or even confirm that the last place he saw them was in his room. He has claimed that he set them on his bed (in a dorm room setting), and when he went to pick them up a minute later, they were gone (he had not left the room). He also reported that he placed them either on the bed or in his locker, and went down the corridor to the men's bathroom. When he returned 10-minutes later, they were missing. He has valued these glasses at 600.00, 625.00, 655.00, and now with the Revdex.com at 550.00.We are a youth hostel, offering dormitory beds with lockers to each guest. The guest is forewarned both verbally at check-in, as well as in print in several areas around the hostel and in the rooms, to lock all valuables up in the locker provided, as we do not take responsibility for lost / stolen / misplaced / missing items anywhere within the hostel or on our grounds.This person became indignant with my Manager on Duty when reporting the missing glasses, the New York City police when they arrived to take a report, our Front Desk Personnel when they attempted to assist him and through an exchange I had with him on social media. Unfortunately, we do not accept responsibility for this person misplacing of his glasses. He may or may not have lost them here at the Hostel, however, we have not had them turn-up in our lost and found to this date. Plus, all we can go on is that they are "silver titanium-rimmed prescription glasses", as he had no further way of identifying them. Even so, we have no prescription glasses that are silver, so that ruled-out the possibility that someone turned them in.As promised to this Guest, if something shows-up, I have all of his contact information and will reach-out to him. In the meantime, he is trashing us on social media, in hotel stay reviews, and now with the Revdex.com. We will still be on the lookout however, as hopefully these glasses will turn-up in a piece of his luggage and he will then be satisfied that nobody was out to sabotage him for his expensive eyewear that he cannot provide any information on other than they were silver.Best Regards,George F[redacted] General ManagerHostelling International USA - New York City891 Amsterdam AvenueNew York, NY 10025###-###-####[redacted]@HIUSA.org

On the evening of April 1, 2016, after a three night stay, I was evicted from the hostel. I had a valid reservation with them for the night when I was evicted. This eviction was immediate and without any notice when I returned from my work at around 7 PM on the same night. They did not return my phone charger in my dorm, and as a result, my phone soon lost its battery power after I was evicted. I was left helplessly wandering on a dangerous street to find alternative accommodation without access to my navigation system on my phone, which is an essential tool for me in an unknown place. Before evicting me, they broke into and searched my belongings that were secured in a locker with my personal lock in my absence and without my knowledge or permission. They also blocked my access to the rest of my items in my dorm. They compelled me to list those items and forced me to permit them to search and bring them by hand, if I wanted to get them back.
To justify their decision to evict me, the hostel staff, upon their superior's directions, accused me of taking foods belonging to other hostel guests and re-labeling those foods as my own. I challenge this accusation and argue that it is false because I had confirmed with the breakfast attendant, who was their legitimate kitchen staff, that those were free foods and could be relabeled. I relabeled the foods when she was around, so there no question of stealing foods. Second, they never produced evidence of any guest complaining of their missing food, including at the time of my eviction when I asked them to produce such people who, according to them, complained. I believe I was denied service (evicted) because of their prejudices toward me, mainly because of my color and national origin. I believe so because the staff was sensitive to my national origin/color. The breakfast attendant had asked me "where I was from" during our conversation. I was a member of Hosteling International-USA since 2012, and I believe the hostel staff had access to all my personal information, including my national origin. The CEO and Board Chair of HI-USA, in their letters dated May 6, 2016 and July 18, 2016 respectively, supported their staff's acts of discrimination and violence and refused to take any action against the erring staffs.

Greetings,
I am in receipt of the complaint filed by one of our recent Guests, [redacted], to our New York City hostel. 
I am the General Manager of that hostel, which is the largest hostel in the Americas, and the 2nd busiest in the world. We host...

upwardly of 700 people from around the world on a daily basis, and strive to live our mission to create better world citizens through Hostelling.
This gentleman's story has been inconsistent throughout his filing of complaints with the Manager on Duty, the Security Personnel sent to his room on the day in question, and with the New York City Police that responded to our call in to them, prompted by a request from [redacted], and myself (George F[redacted], General Manager).
The police would not even entertain taking a complaint due to this Guests' inability to identify the brand of glasses, when or where he purchased them, or even confirm that the last place he saw them was in his room. He has claimed that he set them on his bed (in a dorm room setting), and when he went to pick them up a minute later, they were gone (he had not left the room). He also reported that he placed them either on the bed or in his locker, and went down the corridor to the men's bathroom. When he returned 10-minutes later, they were missing. He has valued these glasses at 600.00, 625.00, 655.00, and now with the Revdex.com at 550.00.
We are a youth hostel, offering dormitory beds with lockers to each guest. The guest is forewarned both verbally at check-in, as well as in print in several areas around the hostel and in the rooms, to lock all valuables up in the locker provided, as we do not take responsibility for lost / stolen / misplaced / missing items anywhere within the hostel or on our grounds.
This person became indignant with my Manager on Duty when reporting the missing glasses, the New York City police when they arrived to take a report, our Front Desk Personnel when they attempted to assist him and through an exchange I had with him on social media. 
Unfortunately, we do not accept responsibility for this person misplacing of his glasses. He may or may not have lost them here at the Hostel, however, we have not had them turn-up in our lost and found to this date. Plus, all we can go on is that they are "silver titanium-rimmed prescription glasses", as he had no further way of identifying them. Even so, we have no prescription glasses that are silver, so that ruled-out the possibility that someone turned them in.
As promised to this Guest, if something shows-up, I have all of his contact information and will reach-out to him. In the meantime, he is trashing us on social media, in hotel stay reviews, and now with the Revdex.com. We will still be on the lookout however, as hopefully these glasses will turn-up in a piece of his luggage and he will then be satisfied that nobody was out to sabotage him for his expensive eyewear that he cannot provide any information on other than they were silver.
Best Regards,
George F[redacted] General Manager
Hostelling International USA - New York City
891 Amsterdam Avenue
New York, NY 10025
###-###-####
[redacted]@HIUSA.org