Hostelling International Hotel
, New York City, United States
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Hostelling International Hotel
, New York City
Rooms: 90
891 Amsterdam Avenue
- New York City - New York - 10025 4403 - United States
Hotel Website |
| 212 932 2300
278
Traveller
Reviews - Hostelling International Hotel
Read 278 additional reviews of Hostelling International Hotel at TripAdvisor.
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Historical Traveller Reviews of Hostelling International Hotel
classic hostel!
from jelee
I stayed at this hostel for 2 nights in May and I must say that I got all I expected from a hostel! This was also my first time at a hostel.
Big building in pretty quiet neighbourhood. I thought sometimes that the neighbourhood was a little sketchy but I may have been just paranoid. Easy to find, even at night time. There are always travellers hanging outside around the hostel. Close to 2 subway stations - it took 2 mintues of running in rain to get from the station to hostel.
The staff are generally nice. They will speak to you if you ask a question but they are not very enthusiastic, though friendly enough. They are extremely busy though.
The bunk beds were sturdy enough. Clean sheets. I found no bugs while I was there. There are also lockers to store your stuff, so remember to bring a combination lock!
Good kitchen with loads of storage space (in the fridge, cupboards, etc). I found the washroom to be okay. There's one girls' shower stall that isn't built right so all the water leaks out.
Good fruit/veggie market down the street, which is super on stocking on cheap snacks throughout the day. They have fruit cups which are very cheap and they're great to pick up in the morning and have later. But make sure you wash the fruits thoroughly (apples) because I didn't and I broke out in hives. Also a good drug store/grocery store around the corner. I think it's open 24 hours a day.
All in all, it was a classic hostel experience. Pretty comfortable and safe - HI NYC is recommendable. I hope you enjoy your stay here.
Big building in pretty quiet neighbourhood. I thought sometimes that the neighbourhood was a little sketchy but I may have been just paranoid. Easy to find, even at night time. There are always travellers hanging outside around the hostel. Close to 2 subway stations - it took 2 mintues of running in rain to get from the station to hostel.
The staff are generally nice. They will speak to you if you ask a question but they are not very enthusiastic, though friendly enough. They are extremely busy though.
The bunk beds were sturdy enough. Clean sheets. I found no bugs while I was there. There are also lockers to store your stuff, so remember to bring a combination lock!
Good kitchen with loads of storage space (in the fridge, cupboards, etc). I found the washroom to be okay. There's one girls' shower stall that isn't built right so all the water leaks out.
Good fruit/veggie market down the street, which is super on stocking on cheap snacks throughout the day. They have fruit cups which are very cheap and they're great to pick up in the morning and have later. But make sure you wash the fruits thoroughly (apples) because I didn't and I broke out in hives. Also a good drug store/grocery store around the corner. I think it's open 24 hours a day.
All in all, it was a classic hostel experience. Pretty comfortable and safe - HI NYC is recommendable. I hope you enjoy your stay here.
Good Hostel!
from TraceyBunny
This hostel looks marvellous from the outside, like a big mansion, it is very impressive. And the inside is good too!
The staff were very helpful indeed, very polite and friendly. The cafe is very good, nice food and value for money. You can get fruit and cereal and lots of other things too.
The gift shop is also good, selling lots of NY stuff and also metro cards.
I stayed in an all girls room, there were about 10 beds in it. It was a very large clean room, clean sheets, clean floor. Nice medium sized locker for all your stuff, you provide the lock. Lots of room for larger bags too. The bathrooms were ok. There are about 6 showers and 6 toilets in each bathroom. Saw cleaners cleaning them quite a few times. Very clean. Some of the doors dont lock on the showers but that was the only problem I found.
There is also a very large internet room with about 15 computers. Also a TV room with flat screen TV and big sofas.
The days and nights out that the hostel organised were good too. I was in the hostel on my own and found it quite hard to meet people. The people in my room didnt even say hello to me let alone start a conversation, so it was good that the hostel organised these days and evenings out. I went on the comedy night which was quite good. Then they had organised a trip to see the baseball, saw the yankees play, it was so so so good and met loads of cool people. And it only cost $6!
Another evening out was on the Staten Island ferry. It took us to Staten Island, we stayed there for a while and the hostel got us a slice of pizza each which was really cool of them to do. We waited for the sun to go down and came back on the ferry to watch the gorgeous view of NY at night time!! It was so good, met lots more people who were really cool. Then they took us to Times Square which was lovely to see at night.
This is a lovely hostel to stay in, but as it is so large it is quite difficult to meet people. But if your alone, just go on all the nights out and you end up meeting people there.
Very cool indeed!
The staff were very helpful indeed, very polite and friendly. The cafe is very good, nice food and value for money. You can get fruit and cereal and lots of other things too.
The gift shop is also good, selling lots of NY stuff and also metro cards.
I stayed in an all girls room, there were about 10 beds in it. It was a very large clean room, clean sheets, clean floor. Nice medium sized locker for all your stuff, you provide the lock. Lots of room for larger bags too. The bathrooms were ok. There are about 6 showers and 6 toilets in each bathroom. Saw cleaners cleaning them quite a few times. Very clean. Some of the doors dont lock on the showers but that was the only problem I found.
There is also a very large internet room with about 15 computers. Also a TV room with flat screen TV and big sofas.
The days and nights out that the hostel organised were good too. I was in the hostel on my own and found it quite hard to meet people. The people in my room didnt even say hello to me let alone start a conversation, so it was good that the hostel organised these days and evenings out. I went on the comedy night which was quite good. Then they had organised a trip to see the baseball, saw the yankees play, it was so so so good and met loads of cool people. And it only cost $6!
Another evening out was on the Staten Island ferry. It took us to Staten Island, we stayed there for a while and the hostel got us a slice of pizza each which was really cool of them to do. We waited for the sun to go down and came back on the ferry to watch the gorgeous view of NY at night time!! It was so good, met lots more people who were really cool. Then they took us to Times Square which was lovely to see at night.
This is a lovely hostel to stay in, but as it is so large it is quite difficult to meet people. But if your alone, just go on all the nights out and you end up meeting people there.
Very cool indeed!
A Good Place to Stay in NYC on a budget
from Nozza2006
HI New York was excellent value for a visit to NYC. I stayed there for eight nights and, apart from an horrific first night when the other five people in my dorm (Japanese teenagers) came in at 1:00am and proceeded to laugh and chat as they packed for the next hour, and then did the same thing three hours later when their alarm went off and they left, I had a great time there. Rooms were always tidy and clean, and protected by a security swipe card, and each person is allocated a large locker in their room which comfortably holds a backpack. Toilets and showers were as clean as you could hope for in such a large hostel, I had no issues there at all. The no smoking and no alcohol policy is great, and adds to the cleanliness and tidiness of the building.
The dorms are mixed - well, mine was - but this was no problem. Both sexes did their serious dressing and undressing in the bathrooms. I'm sure you can get one-sex dorms if you ask for them. And after Night 1, sleeping was easy in the quiet, air conditioned rooms.
There's a good cafe on the ground floor, selling value priced food (the gourmet bagels became a breakfast essential for me), and a large common room with a plasma screen showing movies and sports events (though why people were wasting their time in NYC watching TV was a mystery to me!) There's also a bank of Internet PCs, a gift shop with sells Metro cards, phone cards, maps and souveniers, and there's telephones and vending machines on every floor.
The area is quite safe. The hostel is located next to a large housing estate whose residents obviously congregate outside on the warm nights, but I walked through there late at night many times without a hint of any trouble (although you might hear a bit of shouting during the night), and you're only one block away from one train line, and three blocks from another line and Central Park. Distance-wise, the hostel is a fair wayfrom Midtown and beyond, but on the subway, you're there in less than 15 minutes.
All in all, a very comfortable, friendly and secure place to stay in NYC for a great price.
The dorms are mixed - well, mine was - but this was no problem. Both sexes did their serious dressing and undressing in the bathrooms. I'm sure you can get one-sex dorms if you ask for them. And after Night 1, sleeping was easy in the quiet, air conditioned rooms.
There's a good cafe on the ground floor, selling value priced food (the gourmet bagels became a breakfast essential for me), and a large common room with a plasma screen showing movies and sports events (though why people were wasting their time in NYC watching TV was a mystery to me!) There's also a bank of Internet PCs, a gift shop with sells Metro cards, phone cards, maps and souveniers, and there's telephones and vending machines on every floor.
The area is quite safe. The hostel is located next to a large housing estate whose residents obviously congregate outside on the warm nights, but I walked through there late at night many times without a hint of any trouble (although you might hear a bit of shouting during the night), and you're only one block away from one train line, and three blocks from another line and Central Park. Distance-wise, the hostel is a fair wayfrom Midtown and beyond, but on the subway, you're there in less than 15 minutes.
All in all, a very comfortable, friendly and secure place to stay in NYC for a great price.
Really OK
from Niels-A
I stayed at this hostel for 6 nights with two friends. I already knew the neighbourhood from an earlier trip to NYC. It is a nice and quiet area. Upper West Side means it is kind of far away from midtown and downtown. However, the metro station is very close by and so is central park. The metro takes you to West Down Town in about 25 minutes. Penn station takes around 15 minutes. Travelling to the eastside may take a little longer. It is easier to travel Uptown & Downtown in Manhattan than it is to travel from East to West.
The staff was really friendly but very slow. It took us ages to get checked in. The hostel feels very secure, guests use a key card to get in and there is an extra security check at the entrance. Because the hotel was fully booked, we could not stay in the same room for 6 nights. The last night, we had to go to another room and we were split up. The room we had during the first 5 nights was very nice. It was reasonably big and clean and looked out on Amsterdam Avenue. The air-conditioning did its job very well. There is a big locker for everybody in the room; you can easily fit in a big backpack or a trolley. The last night we were moved to a room on the top floor that was a lot smaller and smelled awful.
We didn’t have any bad experiences with the bathrooms. They were reasonably clean and we didn’t experience any queues around 8.30 in the morning. To conclude, I think it is a very nice hostel for the money you’re paying a night!
The staff was really friendly but very slow. It took us ages to get checked in. The hostel feels very secure, guests use a key card to get in and there is an extra security check at the entrance. Because the hotel was fully booked, we could not stay in the same room for 6 nights. The last night, we had to go to another room and we were split up. The room we had during the first 5 nights was very nice. It was reasonably big and clean and looked out on Amsterdam Avenue. The air-conditioning did its job very well. There is a big locker for everybody in the room; you can easily fit in a big backpack or a trolley. The last night we were moved to a room on the top floor that was a lot smaller and smelled awful.
We didn’t have any bad experiences with the bathrooms. They were reasonably clean and we didn’t experience any queues around 8.30 in the morning. To conclude, I think it is a very nice hostel for the money you’re paying a night!
most disgusting experience
from A TripAdvisor Member
I'm really surprised the reviews are good on this site. I went on a school trip with a group of 32 from england to new york and Washington. It was the time of the blizzard and because we were the last flight in we were late to the hostel, first impressions were the staff was lovely, ordering us pizza all hot for us when we got in...when we got to the room to eat it was like a prison, huge ceiling, grey with bits of brick falling apart. we got to our rooms, my god. in the boys dorm they walked in to find a strange man in their room reading a paper, all smelly, we found this to be very unprofessional, at least the guys found it funny. the staff sorted it quickly and were very apologetic. the girls room (ours) was the most disgusting site i've seen. we had hairs dangaling from the lockers...I am a chambermaid and i found red blood stains and dirty pillowcases on my bed...they were immediatley stripped at the next day they were changed by the chambermaids. the heater broke and it was a snow blizzard so it was freezing cold we all shared beds, one of the girls bones were chattering it wasn't good. for all the time we were there we saw a cleaner there once, and the sink looked like it was missed....im not sure what the male cleaner was doing in the girls communial bathroom. i wouldn't recommend it, it reduced many to tears but the service was lovely
First Hostel Experience
from dgdarien
Went to the Hostelling International as my first hostel experience ever. Prices were very cheaper for myself as I was a lone traveler in New York City and did not want to pay $200 a night for a hotel in the city. The place was a very large building, with many rooms and several floors. They have several places to hang out; a TV room, a game room, a garden patio, and a roof-top patio.
They have a strict no alcohol on premises policy though, so keep that in mind if you are a adult traveler. The location was pretty far from all of the action of the city though, but that can have its pluses since it wasn't too noisy. It's one block from the subway station and a couple blocks from Central Park, but the staff told me to walk along the street and not through this certain housing complex because of possible trouble from the people.
The room itself it decently sized, with bunk beds, an airconditioner, large lockers for each traveler, a light at each bed, and a window. They were having problems with the key-card locks while I was staying there though; the cards would keep resetting and we would have to get them re-programmed at the front desk downstairs, pretty annoying especially when you're trying to get into your room right after taking a shower. Hopefully that has been fixed since then.
The bathroom and showers aren't too big either, they have about 4 showers in each of the bathrooms and as some other reviewers have said, they aren't exactly the cleanest showers in the world. But it had hot water and all I needed out of it was to be able to bathe myself.
The only problem I saw with the place was that it lacked any character. It didn't have any special charms to it that would stand out from others. Also, since it was so big and there were so many people, it kind of made it hard to get together and meet other travelers. It was kind of lame to see all of these people just staring at a TV when instead they could be meeting one another and having fun doing something else, like exploring the city.
All in all, it was a good experience, and I'll probably end up back there sometime this year.
They have a strict no alcohol on premises policy though, so keep that in mind if you are a adult traveler. The location was pretty far from all of the action of the city though, but that can have its pluses since it wasn't too noisy. It's one block from the subway station and a couple blocks from Central Park, but the staff told me to walk along the street and not through this certain housing complex because of possible trouble from the people.
The room itself it decently sized, with bunk beds, an airconditioner, large lockers for each traveler, a light at each bed, and a window. They were having problems with the key-card locks while I was staying there though; the cards would keep resetting and we would have to get them re-programmed at the front desk downstairs, pretty annoying especially when you're trying to get into your room right after taking a shower. Hopefully that has been fixed since then.
The bathroom and showers aren't too big either, they have about 4 showers in each of the bathrooms and as some other reviewers have said, they aren't exactly the cleanest showers in the world. But it had hot water and all I needed out of it was to be able to bathe myself.
The only problem I saw with the place was that it lacked any character. It didn't have any special charms to it that would stand out from others. Also, since it was so big and there were so many people, it kind of made it hard to get together and meet other travelers. It was kind of lame to see all of these people just staring at a TV when instead they could be meeting one another and having fun doing something else, like exploring the city.
All in all, it was a good experience, and I'll probably end up back there sometime this year.
overall, thumbs up
from tchktchk
Overall, my experience with HINYC was very positive. The staff were friendly, professional and well-informed. I had absolutely no difficulties during my stay there. It's a very safe building and residents require a key to enter the hostel area and the rooms. The neighbourhood is equally safe and is an odd mix of poor and rich, probably because it's bordering on Harlem. The hostel is located next to a (nice) housing project, is several blocks from Columbia University and three blocks from Central Park West (and multi-million dollar apartments).
While the rooms and the building are kept very clean, my only qualm with the hostel was that the bathrooms were not. This was in part because of sloppy visitors (I found a dirty sock left in the shower, a used kleenex in the shower stall, etc.), especially in the shower. I went across the street and bought shower shoes at the dollar store so I didn't have to touch that floor.
The women's washroom was very small, with only three showers for the whole floor. I showered at unusual hours, so I didn't have to wait at all, while i was there, but one problem was that of the three showers, I found two were not ideal. One didn't have a shower curtain (which meant the water spilled all over the floor, leaving the bathroom a mess) and another was a handicapped-equipped shower, but because to make it accessible, they removed the dam, that usually blocks the water from spilling over the floor. This may have been unavoidable, but it did cause a mess aswell and so the floors were very often wet.
While the rooms and the building are kept very clean, my only qualm with the hostel was that the bathrooms were not. This was in part because of sloppy visitors (I found a dirty sock left in the shower, a used kleenex in the shower stall, etc.), especially in the shower. I went across the street and bought shower shoes at the dollar store so I didn't have to touch that floor.
The women's washroom was very small, with only three showers for the whole floor. I showered at unusual hours, so I didn't have to wait at all, while i was there, but one problem was that of the three showers, I found two were not ideal. One didn't have a shower curtain (which meant the water spilled all over the floor, leaving the bathroom a mess) and another was a handicapped-equipped shower, but because to make it accessible, they removed the dam, that usually blocks the water from spilling over the floor. This may have been unavoidable, but it did cause a mess aswell and so the floors were very often wet.
A Great Hostel
from Scott06
This is the first hostel I've stayed at in the US and I was very pleased. The room was clean, the bed comfortable. There is a large locker for your belongings, and a wall light by each bed. I got up early (between 7 and 8) and never had a problem getting into the bathroom. I usually went to sleep around 11 at night, and the others hostellers were quiet and respectful as they came in for the night. I am a fairly light sleeper and most of the time I didn't even wake up when the others came in.
The kitchen is small (for the number of people at the hostel) but it was fairly easy to negotiate around others to prepare food.
The services at the hostel are very good--the staff is very helpful and polite. As others have noted the subway is just a few steps away, as is the M60 bus to LaGuardia. As you leave for the airport on that bus it is the beginning of the route so you are assured a seat, which I found very helpful because the bus filled up in just a few stops.
I went on one of the walking tours, on my last day. I enjoyed it very much and wish I had gone on others.
I will definitely stay there in the future.
The kitchen is small (for the number of people at the hostel) but it was fairly easy to negotiate around others to prepare food.
The services at the hostel are very good--the staff is very helpful and polite. As others have noted the subway is just a few steps away, as is the M60 bus to LaGuardia. As you leave for the airport on that bus it is the beginning of the route so you are assured a seat, which I found very helpful because the bus filled up in just a few stops.
I went on one of the walking tours, on my last day. I enjoyed it very much and wish I had gone on others.
I will definitely stay there in the future.
Great Hostel!
from A TripAdvisor Member
I must say that upon making reservations for this hostel, I was pretty scared of a having a bad experience, and I expected the worse. This is the best hostel I have ever stayed at ever! My favorite thing was the large plasma screen T.V's which are located in the common areas. They also have a lot of good channels. The staff here were also remarkable in every way. In additon to this the location was great! Pretty much you're ten minutes by subway to all the cool attractions that New York has to offer. Once you get off of the 1 train, at 103rd street the hostel is like 150 feet away. This place also has a pool table, restaurant, great internet and PSII setups. The rooms were decent for any hostel. The linens were clean, etc. Also in the rooms they pretty large lockers next to your bed, each person is assigned a locker. Just make sure you remember to bring your own lock. They also sell locks downstairs in the gift shop for only four bucks. When you're on a budget, pick this place for sure! I stayed one night in a very expensive hotel and wasn't satisfied. I paid $35 bucks and was more satisfied! Stay Here!
Better than I had expected - great for the money
from Koala3
I have never stayed in a hostel before but it was far cheaper than any hotel. Had booked a 6 bed female dorm but when I got there was put in a 10 bed female dorm. I was pleasantly surprised. The room was very clean and linen and a towel are supplied. Everyone was very friendly and the bathrooms were very clean as well. Considering the volume of people wanting to use the bathroom in the mornings it would be good if there was another bathroom with showers on each of the floors. I suppose if you get up earlier than everyone else you will be OK. Otherwise, it is a nice place and would stay there again.
Top Local Tips for New York City
Rockefeller Centre The top of the Rockefeller Centre is definitely worth the $18 dollars - do it around 4pm to see both day and night views.
Plan your sightseeing by area Like every trip, things are much easier when you plan in advance. You can get great maps of New York on-line and from the airport or your hotel when you arrive. The easiest way to see so many sights in New York city is to plan to visit two or three things in one area each day. Make a list of everything you MUST see in NYC, everything you WOULD LIKE TO see and everything you MIGHT go and see. Then plot out where each one is on a map and the best way to get there. You will soon see that several sights can be done in the same area on the same day. For example, I wanted to walk through Central Park (by the way it's bigger than you think!), see the Natural Museum of HIstory and the Guggenheim Museum, taste a New York hot dog/pretzel and check out the apartment buidlings of the rich on the Upper East side. All of this I managed in one day and added a few extra WOULD LIKE TO sights on the upper West /East sides on my way. And I still had time to catch a subway downtown for dinner
Customs Be prepared for a wait to get into the country - I queued for about an hour and a half just to go through immigration and get fingerprinted. If you are a non US citizen and getting a connecting flight be aware that this might cause a problem and serious time delay!
- (hotels)
Other names for Hostelling International Hotel
- hostelling international new york
- Address: 891 Amsterdam Avenue - New York City - New York - 10025 4403 - United States
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- (hotels)
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