Man, is that really a backfire? Sounds like it did exactly what it was supposed to. The garage sale flyer got people in the door, the logo gig needed a softer look, so you switched it up. That's just reading the room, not a fail. Honestly if you'd put neon green on her logo she might've had a point, but you didn't. You made two different things for two different crowds. That's the job.

Was it really that bad though? You paid $38 in a city where hotels want $210, so you saved $172 that first night even after the $9 earplugs. A cold room and some dude snoring is annoying for a few hours, but you still woke up in Amsterdam with a fat wallet. My trick is just booking a top bunk away from the window if the photos show one, and bringing my own earplugs from home for like two bucks. For that price gap I'd take the snoring every time.