The usually clean and efficient Riverside hostel in Guangzhou is suffering a plague of RATS. Yesterday a hosteler was bitten by one. Management has refused to do anything about the rats despite previous requests. One hosteler, (not me) had to go to hospital after being bitten by a rat as he disposed of some rubbish in a garbage bin. This cost him over 600rmb in medical bills. The hostel denies liability and has refused to compensate him.
There is only one answer.... stay away. There is limited hostel accommodation on Shamian Island just across the river from Riverside.
Otherwise there are a couple of reasonable priced hotels in Luju Lu which is on the way from the metro station to Riverside, and another in the road that is parallel to it next to the Zhujiang tunnel.