Alfie Watts, the 21-year-old winner of BBC1’s Race Across The World, has seen his fair share of accommodations during his globetrotting adventures. But nothing could have prepared him for the shock he experienced when he checked into the infamously notorious Muranyi 50 City Rooms in Budapest. Officially named Muranyi 50 City Rooms, the hotel is locally dubbed "Alcatraz," a nickname that speaks volumes about its reputation. For just eight euros a night, Alfie thought he’d found a budget-friendly spot to rest his head. Instead, he stumbled upon what he boldly declared as "the worst hotel in the world." His Instagram video, which quickly went viral, takes viewers on a jaw-dropping tour of his room, revealing conditions that even the most seasoned travelers would find appalling.
From the moment Alfie stepped into his room, it was clear that Muranyi 50 City Rooms was far from a conventional hotel experience. The room was sparsely furnished, with a pile of flatpack furniture leaning against the wall, seemingly unused or half-assembled. The bed, if you could even call it that, came with a thin duvet that guests were expected to roll up to create a makeshift pillow. To add insult to injury, the duvet was splattered with mysterious orange stains, and the bedsheet had a large white stain that Alfie jokingly—but not entirely humorously—speculated might be semen. "Yummy!" he quipped, his tone dripping with sarcasm. The room also featured a table, but no chair to accompany it, leaving guests to wonder how they were supposed to use it. These glaring omissions and questionable hygiene standards set the tone for what would turn out to be a disastrous stay.
But the horror didn’t stop there. As Alfie continued to explore his room, he made a chilling discovery: a large knife tucked down the side of the bed. It wasn’t the kind of knife you’d expect to find in a kitchen; it was more like something a hunter or a butcher might use. The blade was stained, and Alfie was convinced the marks were blood. For most people, this would have been the final straw. Alfie, however, is a content creator, and the grim reality of his situation was too good—if not entirely horrifying—to pass up. He documented every detail, determined to share his ordeal with his followers. His cameraman, however, was less amused. The discovery of the knife, combined with the overall squalor of the hotel, was too much for him to handle. Alfie admitted that he wanted to stay for the sake of content creation, but the situation took another turn for the worse when the locals, who he assumed owned or managed the property, began blasting loud music and smoking in the corridors. It was the final nail in the coffin. Alfie and his team decided they couldn’t stay the night, fleeing the hotel in search of better accommodations.
The rest of the hotel was just as depressing as Alfie’s room. With only six rooms available, the property seemed to operate more like a rundown hostel than a legitimate hotel. The two shared bathrooms were in dismal condition, filled with cigarette packets and overwhelmed by a strong, unpleasant odor. Some guests had resorted to sleeping on the floor in the corridors, a grim testament to the hotel’s lack of adequate facilities. Wi-Fi, a basic amenity in most modern hotels, was nonexistent. Alfie’s scathing review of the hotel—“the worst hotel I’ve ever stayed in"—wasn’t just a dramatic overstatement. It was a reflection of the shocking conditions he endured during his brief time there. When asked if there was anything redeeming about the hotel, Alfie’s response was unequivocal: "Absolutely not. Maybe that it had an exit?" It was a darkly humorous way of summing up a place that seemed to fail on every possible level.
Alfie’s experience at Muranyi 50 City Rooms isn’t an isolated incident. The hotel’s reputation precedes it, and its subpar conditions have left a trail of unhappy guests in its wake. Reviewers on Booking.com, the platform through which Alfie had booked his stay, paint a similarly bleak picture. Palwasha, a traveler from Hungary, gave the hotel a scathing one-star review, describing it as "extremely untidy" and "completely different from the pictures." They noted the staff’s unprofessional demeanor, the pervasive atmosphere of discomfort, and the general air of filth that clung to every surface. The broken door locks, overpowering smells, and indoor smoking only added to the sense of unease. After witnessing the conditions firsthand, Palwasha immediately canceled their booking and left—a decision that likely saved them from an even more unpleasant experience.
Another traveler, Maurice from the United States, echoed Alfie’s sentiments. "This is the absolute worst place I have ever been to," Maurice wrote in his review. "We didn’t stay and found other accommodations." As someone who has traveled extensively across the globe, visiting over 60 countries, Maurice’s assessment carries weight. "This is by far the worst place ever," he added, leaving little room for doubt about the hotel’s abysmal state. Such reviews aren’t just bad for business—they’re a stark warning to potential guests about what they might expect if they choose to stay at Muranyi 50 City Rooms. The hotel’s overall rating on Booking.com—a dismal 2.1 out of five stars—suggests that Alfie’s experience is far from an aberration. In fact, it’s par for the course at a place that has become notorious for its neglect and mistreatment of guests.
In response to Alfie’s experience, Booking.com issued a statement acknowledging the subpar conditions at Muranyi 50 City Rooms. "This is not the experience we would want for anyone booking a stay on our platform," a spokesperson said. They emphasized the importance of reading reviews from previous guests, noting that these insights can help travelers set realistic expectations and avoid unpleasant surprises. While the platform can’t directly control the quality of the accommodations, they encourage users to leave honest feedback, which can serve as a warning system for others. For Alfie, however, the damage was already done. His stay at Muranyi 50 City Rooms was a stark reminder of the risks of bargain hunting for travel accommodations—a lesson he’ll likely carry with him on future adventures. If nothing else, his infamous video serves as a cautionary tale: sometimes, what seems like a cheap deal is anything but a bargain in disguise.
In the end, Muranyi 50 City Rooms stands as a grim example of how far a hotel can fall short of even the most basic standards. For Alfie, the experience was a shocking but valuable one—offering both content gold and a hard-won lesson about the perils of budget travel. As he continues to share his travels with his growing following, his tale of survival in Budapest’s "Alcatraz" will no doubt serve as a darkly entertaining reminder of the unpredictable nature of life on the road. After all, even in the most beautiful cities, there are places like Muranyi 50 City Rooms— のWhile it’s tempting to laugh at the absurdity of it all, the bigger picture raises questions about accountability in the hospitality industry and the importance of advocating for better standards, even in the cheapest of accommodations. For now, though, Alfie’s story is a wild and unforgettable addition to the annals of travel horror stories.
