The Venice Beach Hostel, owned and barely managed by Mark Furm is one of the most financially dangerous places to stay in Los Angeles. Unfortunately, we were victims of this business that employees illegal foreigners in exchange for a free place to stay, last month. We arrived at the hostel and our room that we were told we had to pre-pay (NEVER PRE-PAY FOR A HOTEL OR HOSTEL) in full was not ready, and was being painted with fresh paint when we walked in. The manager Mark Furm was speaking to the painter and was discussing problems with the room that needed to be repaired, but clammed up immediately when he saw us walk in. He said that the room would not be ready for a little while, and we left our things and said we would return later. That evening, we entered the room only to find that the room had a horribly foul odor, and was uninhabitable. The fumes from the paint were still lingering, as well as the obvious smell of mold, and mildew. The sheets were dirty and our skin quickly developed visual rashes which we immediately reported to the girl working at the front desk. She said there was nothing she could do and that there were no other rooms until the next day. Although we demanded to speak to the manager, we were told that he was not available and would speak to us the next day. We didn't sleep at all at night due to the smell along with one of the other hostel employees, yelling at one of the guests in an alleyway underneath our window.
The next day, the manager chose to ignore us, and despite repeated attempts to speak with him, he didn't answer his phone, nor did he come to the hostel at all, knowing that we were demanding a refund.
This hostel appears at first-glance, very dirty, and not well-maintained. The employees are all rude, and speak poor english, if any, and they have been able to take advantage of the City's laziness and negligence in terms of inspection.
They also prey on foreigners who want to stay in Venich Beach as it is a popular tourist destination.
Our advice to any visitors is to STAY AWAY from this hostel, there is a better, safer place (although older) on Lincoln Blvd, or another directly on the beach.
The Venice Beach Hostel will not give anyone customer service, and they provide a false impression of the truth on hostelbookers.com
The Manager Mark Furm is always unable to comment, but has recently been reported to the IRS for tax-evasion in reference to his illegitimate business.
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