A "smelly" and "claustrophobic hotel where people had previously been warned against drinking the tap water has been dubbed one of the worst in Kent.
A Kent Online reporter tested this theory and spent the night at the hotel to find out if it really is as bad as the reviews are making out.
Hostel Alma in Dover has been slammed by people posting on Trip Advisor, with guests complaining about "rude staff", "smelly" beds and "claustrophobic rooms."
One poster says they were "warned not to drink the tap water".
The hotel - which has around 130 reviews - has an overall rating of two out of five stars.
Kent Online reporter Sam Honey took on the the task of trying the place out for himself.
His conclusion? The reviewers were right.
Although not all bad, Sam said he'd rather check himself into the Bates Motel than return (a reference to the 1960 Hitchcock film Psycho.)
According to Sam, "quirks" included his bathroom door having a chunk cut out of it to accommodate a bed that's too large for the space, a table and stool "work station" crammed into an unbelievably small space and a window that wouldn't close so the traffic outside kept him up all night.
But the problems started before he had even arrived.
He explains: "Having needed to reschedule my visit due to the r ecent train strikes, I called the hostel on not one, but four occasions, and not once was the phone answered.
"Eventually I was able to reschedule through email, after which I was then hit with another lovely surprise in the form of an additional £50 deposit for a one night stay.
"This meant that my single night in Dover for one guest had an upfront cost of over £100 in a two star hostel until I got said deposit back, which at the time of writing, I still haven’t."
When he arrives at the hotel he found a notice on the door to call a number - because there was no reception - and a person arrived soon after to show him to his room.
Speaking about his first impressions he said: "Have you seen The Shining?
"I’m not saying I was about ready to start reaching for a fire axe or scribbling ‘all work and no play makes Sam a dull boy’ over the walls, but I do see now that staying in certain hotels could drive someone mad.
"There were so many, what I’ll call quirks, to my room that I don’t even know where to start."
Sam said the bathroom door made him "chuckle" every time he saw it.
He said: "Clearly, the bed in my room was simply too big and extended out to the door of the bathroom.
"The logical solution? Well, cut out part of the bathroom door of course.
Moving on to the "work space" he said: "Directly opposite this fine piece of engineering was the strangest desk/stool combo I’ve ever seen that looked like it had been plucked out of Bilbo Baggins' living room, which again, made me laugh every time I saw it.
"I just couldn’t possibly see anyone actually setting themselves up there to do some work, you’d have more space to manoeuvre if you worked from an aeroplane bathroom."
On the subject of bathrooms, this was one area where the hotel hadn't done too badly, according to Sam.
He added: "The shower came through hot enough eventually and the sink worked.
"That said, there was a rather large step leading into the bathroom that I forgot about literally every time I used it, resulting in several mini heart attacks during the stay."
The bed was also fine according to Sam - rating it as clean and "pretty comfy",
But he added his sleep was affected by the noise of traffic outside because the window wouldn't shut properly.
Although Tripadvisor reviewers have posted about a lacklustre "continental breakfast" consisting of cold boiled eggs and cheese, nothing was available on Sam's visit.
He said what appeared to be a café at the hotel was closed off and "appeared to be under some kind of repair work".
Sam concluded that after a "night of disrupted sleep in a room that boggled the mind at every corner" he was very eager to leave.
Before heading off, he made attempts to find the owner or manager to ask them how they felt about the negative reviews, but said he was unable to locate anyone.
Attempts to contact the hotel since have also proven to be unsuccessful.
