Hostel in Rome charged me a 'city tax' cash only, now I carry exact change everywhere

Last month I checked into a budget hostel near Termini station in Rome. The front desk said a 4 euro per night city tax had to be paid in cash at check-in, no receipt. I handed over 12 euros for my 3 night stay, and they gave me this weird stamped card instead of a paper receipt. Then the morning staff asked for the tax again, and when I showed the card they said it was invalid, so I paid a second time. Has anyone else gotten double charged on this? I now ask for a printed receipt and exact change before handing anything over.

2 comments

2 Comments

sandragonzalez1mo ago

and that stamped card thing, yeah, I saw that exact trick in Naples two years ago. The hostel printed their own little cardboard ticket with a stamp that looked official, but it meant nothing. The real city tax is registered with the local government, and hotels have to log it. Those guys were just pocketing the cash and hoping you never asked for a proper invoice. The worst part is they train tourists to expect this mess, so when a legit place asks for the tax at the end of your stay with a real receipt, you almost don't believe them. Next time, ask to see their city tax license number on the wall or just pay with a card so there is a paper trail. Did you check if your hostel even showed up on the Rome city tax registry?

owens.willow1mo ago

Wait, did they at least give your friend a proper receipt when they finally pushed back? My buddy got hit with the same scam in Florence, not Rome. He paid the tax in cash, got a flimsy stamp on a card, then the next shift tried to charge him again. He refused and stood there while they threatened to call the cops, but he held his ground and made them call. Turns out the manager came out and backed down real quick, said it was a "misunderstanding". The real kicker is he found out later the place wasn't even registered with the city, so the whole tax was fake. He just ate the 10 euros and left a terrible review, but that cash was gone. You dodged a bullet asking for that printed receipt, some of these places rely on people being too tired to argue.