Frequently Asked Questions
LOCATION
We are fantastically located in the famous Grassmarket area in the city centre. A stone’s throw away from Edinburgh Castle and beside all the historic sites, bars, and clubs, 5-10 mins walk from the bus and train stations. We think this is the best located hostel in town. Both hostels are within a 2-minute walk from one another.
SECURITY
Your safety is important to us, so we have CCTV cameras throughout the hostel. Guests are issued with a wristband security pass that they must show reception when they enter the hostel at night. Rooms are accessible by key cards only issued to guests. Reception is manned 24h.
AGE LIMIT
A valid photo ID is required on arrival to verify your age (passport, national ID card or driver’s license). Due to strict Scottish license laws, we have a minimum age requirement of 18 years. Customers aged 16/17 will be permitted entry to the hostel premises only if accompanied by an adult of 18 years or over and only if they are staying within a private room. Customers aged 16/17 are not permitted to stay in a shared dorm or by themselves, even if in private room. Nobody under the age of 16 will be allowed entry to the hostel, including babies. If you made a booking that includes persons under 16yo, including babies, you will be denied check-in and we may still charge you, depending on the rate type you booked (for example if you booked a non-refundable option). Note student cards, bus passes or any other non-government issued forms of ID cannot be used to verify your identity or age.
CREDIT OR DEBIT CARD
IS REQUIRED ON ARRIVAL
We require a valid credit or debit card to be provided on arrival for guarantee against any extras, damages, or inappropriate behaviour. Card is required even if the booking has been pre-paid (for example, via Hostelworld or Booking.com), as we need it against extras and damages, which the cost of your reservation doesn’t cover. The card must be present on arrival, we cannot accept 3rd party cards (belonging to someone else) or take details over the phone. If you arrive without a valid card, you may be denied check-in. A valid photo ID is required to verify the card belongs to you. Accepted forms of photo ID are passport, national ID card or driver’s license only.
BED LINEN AND TOWELS
All bed linen is provided free of charge.
Towels are provided in private twin or double rooms, and private triple rooms. For stays in any other rooms, towels can be rented from reception at £3.50 per towel.
CAFÉ, BAR, BEER GARDEN
AND GUEST KITCHEN
Both our hostels have café and bar facilities providing food, beverages, and alcohol. There is a strict age limit of 18 years, anybody aged 16/17 can enter the premises but must be accompanied by an adult of 18 years or over but cannot purchase or consume alcohol on the hostel premises.
Our Kick Ass Greyfriars location boasts a beer garden with stunning views of Edinburgh Castle.
Shared guest kitchen facilities are available at Kick Ass Grassmarket. This kitchen is open from 6am until 10pm daily. Guests of both hostels can use those facilities. Please clean up after yourself, including washing the dishes, pots and pans after use.
LUGGAGE STORAGE
All dorms have storage lockers for customer use. These are provided free of charge and require a padlock. Padlocks can be purchased from reception at £4.00. In the interest of security, we recommend customers keep their valuables locked away at all times. The lockers in the dorms will not fit suitcases or large bags, they are for valuables only and suitcases and large bags can be stored under the bed.
Before check-in, free storage lockers are provided on first-come-first-served basis. Please enquire at reception. After check-out, storage lockers costs from £1 per locker. These storage lockers are located on the ground floor of both hostels. We have a mix of small and large lockers, small can fit carry-on luggage, large can fit a larger piece of luggage.
CHECK-IN, CHECK-OUT, LATE ARRIVAL, NEXT DAY ARRIVAL, EARLY CHECK-IN
CHECK-IN
Check in is from 2pm.
We are open 24h, so you are welcome to arrive late. There is no curfew.
If you plan to arrive after 10am the day after your scheduled check-in, please notify us in advance so we keep your bed. If we don’t hear from you, we will mark your reservation as no-show and charge you in accordance with the policies attached to your booking.
Early check-in is possible and costs £3 per person. Please email us or enquire at reception. We may not be able to guarantee early check-in until the day of your arrival, as it will depend on our availability the night before.
CHECK-OUT
Check-out is 10am.
Note your key card will be deactivated after 10am, please make sure you vacate your bed/room by 10am. If you haven’t collected your things and vacated the bed/room by 10am, our team will have to remove your things and place them in a locker for safe keeping.
Late check-out of 12 noon is available for private rooms only at £5 per person, please email us or enquire at reception before 9am the day of your check-out. We cannot guarantee late check-out will be available.
EXTENSIONS
The best way to extend your booking is to contact our reception directly for best rates and to help us keep you in the same room/bed.
If you extended your reservation online or via a 3rd party agent, please notify us of the extension. We cannot guarantee the same bed or room will be available, the sooner we know of the extension, the better chance of accommodating you in the same room/bed. Contact us directly via email or at reception for the best rates and most convenient solutions.
BOOKING POLICIES
We operate 2 main types of rates:
1. Flexible – card required for guarantee, payment on arrival, cancel for free up to 2pm Edinburgh time 1 day before arrival.
2. Non-Refundable – full pre-payment at the time of booking, non-refundable and non-transferable thereafter.
HOSTELWORLD
If you booked through Hostelworld, please be aware that Hostelworld charge a 15% deposit on all bookings, both flexible and non-refundable.
If you booked the non-refundable rate, after Hostelworld charged their 15%, Kick Ass Hostels will debit the remainder upon receipt of your reservation. These will be 2 transactions, one by Hostelworld, and the other by Kick Ass Hostels.
On occasion, your card may be accepted on Hostelworld for their 15% deposit, but then declined when Kick Ass Hostels attempt to debit the remainder balance. In this instance, we will notify you of the payment issues by email and you will have 24 hours to provide payment.
3D SECURE authentication may be required when charging your card. Our payment system will automatically request authentication from you by email. Once the payment has been accepted, it will be processed automatically.
BOOKING.COM
Booking.com operate 2 types of payment policies, one is payment directly to Booking.com, the other payment to Kick Ass Hostels. If you chose to pay to Booking.com, we do not receive your card details, therefore, please note we will require a valid credit or debit card upon check-in, as guarantee against any extras or damages. The card must be present at the time of check-in, we cannot accept 3rd party cards (belonging to someone else) or take details over the phone.
If you booked the non-refundable rate, Kick Ass Hostels will debit the total cost of your reservation upon receipt of your booking.
On occasion, your card may be declined when Kick Ass Hostels attempt to debit the balance due. In this instance, we will notify you of the payment issues by email and you will have 24 hours to provide payment.
3D SECURE authentication may be required when charging your card. Our payment system will automatically request authentication from you by email. Once the payment has been accepted, it will be processed automatically.
AMENDING OR CANCELLING YOUR BOOKING
CANCELLATION POLICIES
If you booked the non-refundable rate, note we won’t be able to offer free cancellation, but we may be able to offer amendments if your arrival is 48h or more in advance. If your arrival is less than 48h in advance, we regret we will not be able to offer free cancellation, except in extenuating circumstances. Please email us for assistance.
If you booked the flexible rate, you can cancel for free up to 2pm Edinburgh time 1 day prior to arrival. If you cancel late, the 1st night’s total cost will be charged. In case of a no-show, we will charge the 1st night total and release the bed or room after 10am the day after your scheduled arrival. Please notify us if you plan on arriving the day after your scheduled check-in day so that we keep the bed or room. You are welcome to check-in late, we are open 24h.
HOW TO AMEND OR CANCEL YOUR BOOKING
If you made your booking directly with Kick Ass Hostel or via our website (kickasshostels.co.uk), then please email us with your request for amendment or cancellation and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
If you booked via Hostelworld, Booking.com, Expedia, Hotels.com, or any other 3rd party agent or online agent, you will need to amend or cancel your booking via their tools. Typically, you can amend or cancel a flexible booking from the agent’s app or from your confirmation email. If you booked the non-refundable rate, or if your arrival is less than 24h away, you may need to request a change with us directly, please email us for assistance.
We cannot guarantee we will be able to accommodate last-minute changes or wave fees.
GROUPS
A group is a party of 10 or more. Please read our group policies here.
If you booked for 2 to 9 persons, please note, we cannot guarantee you will be in the same room, unless you book private accommodation. We have multiple rooms of the same size, for example, lots of 6-bed dorms, so even if you all booked a 6-bed dorm, it’s not guaranteed you will stay together.
LAUNDRY FACILITIES
We have guest laundry facilities at both locations. Laundry is operated via a downloadable app with the instructions on the machines and costs £4.00 per washing machine cycle and £2.50 per dryer cycle. Laundry tablets are available at £0.30 each from reception.
3D SECURE AUTHENTICATION FOR REMOTE CARD PAYMENTS
3D SECURE authentication is a new 2-factor authentication method to authorise remote card payments. When we charge your card in your absence (for example, for a future non-refundable booking), your verification may be required. Our payment system will automatically request authentication from you by email. Once the payment has been authorised, it will be processed automatically. You can read more about 3D Secure here: https://www.payments.service.gov.uk/3d-secure-2/
HOUSE RULES
We reserve the right to evict anyone, without the right to refund, who behaves inappropriately towards other guests or members of staff.
- NO NOISE in the rooms or hallways, especially between 10pm and 6am. Please feel free to use the chill-out room or the bar for socialising.
- NO SMOKING anywhere in the hostel (£50 fine per each instance or instant eviction in serious cases).
- NO OUTSIDERS anywhere in the hostel. Strictly residents only for everyone’s convenience and safety.
- NO EXCESSIVE MESS. Please clean after yourself, including the shared shower and toilet facilities and dorm rooms. We can supply garbage bags at reception.
- NO DAMAGING hostel property. Soiled mattress replacement cost is £95.00, soiled linen £35.00, any other damages assessed as required. Specialised cleaning fees may apply.
- NO ABUSE OR HARASSMENT. Do not abuse, harass, or intimidate any member of our crew or other guests. Drunkenness is no excuse.
- NO ILLEGAL DRUGS. Police will be called to the premises immediately. You risk instant eviction without the right to refund of the accommodation cost and/or security deposit and legal action.
- NO LATE CHECK-OUT. Check out is strictly by 10am, you may be charged additional fees for late check-out and/or your key card will be deactivated.
RECEPTION SHOP
We provide the following items in our reception shop. Note these are guide prices.
Adaptors – £4.00
Padlocks – £4.00
Towel rental – £3.50
Ear plugs – free
Laundry tablet – £0.30
Postcards – £1.00
Kick Ass Tees – £10.00 – £15.00
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