HI - Boston Hostel

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Elizabeth Davis

3/5Google· 2 months ago

Pro: - Clean rooms and bathrooms. - Safe-feeling. - The hostel has many activities you can take advantage of, if you're so inclined. - Fantastic location, very easy to walk to neat things downtown, and it's cool to be right next to Chinatown and all of those restaurants. Con: - The shared rooms don't have any noise mitigation. The floors are concrete and there aren't fans for white noise, so you're going to hear it if someone rolls over on their bed or decides to have a 3 a.m. snack. - Unlike the normal hostel protocol where you're expected to do your own dishes, it seemed that the staff were doing the dishes at this hostel. That sounds great, but the dishes were often not clean to make and eat breakfast in the morning. It'd be much easier to just set the expectation that each guest washes the dishes they dirty. - The elevators were out for the six days I was there, and the bathrooms on the first floor were out of order. People had to haul their big suitcases up multiple flights of stairs. Edited to add: if you look at the other reviews, the elevators have been out for weeks. If elevators are important to you, it might be risky to stay here.

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Natalie Villeneuve

5/5Google· 2 weeks ago

Very impressed by this hostel - great location and full amenities. There was a huge price discrepancy between this hostel and other hotels in Boston, and I was worried I would be staying somewhere sketchy based on how affordable it felt. Was pleased when I arrived and saw the hostel was centrally located, with access to nearby parking ($24/hr). The hostel was clean with fresh sheets and towels, and all amenities you might need. Kitchen was fully stocked (pots/pans, fridge, coffee...) and hostel was quiet. Perfect for my overnight stay in Boston.

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Marsha Katrina Matheson

5/5Google· a month ago

I was very comfortable with my stay. I actually used the extra sheet provided as additional curtain to have more privacy and keep my area darker, but that's personal preference. Everything is accessible and walkable. The restroom can definitely be improved.

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Mary Delach

4/5Google· 2 weeks ago

Overall I would definitely stay again! Pros: Curtains surrounding bed gave privacy Plenty of bathrooms Lots of seating Helpful staff A variety of events AMAZING location Everyone was really nice Great kitchen! Luggage storage if your flight is before/after check in/out Cons: Not necessarily a con, but be aware that you can hear EVERYTHING. From someone sneezing in the hallway to a loud fart 3 beds down. The bathrooms were plentiful, but not always well cleaned.

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Trip.com Member

5/5Trip.com· 7 months ago

A great location and well maintained. I stayed in the 6 bed dorm and it was nice and private with the curtains in the bed, the bathrooms were clean and the facilities good to use. Suited all my needs as a solo traveller. Would recommend.

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Visala Ramanathan

3/5Google· 2 months ago

Perfect location! But bathrooms didn’t have floor mats, no vent fans, too quite you can hear people in the next room. Check in and checkout was easy. Room and bed was comfortable. The storage doesn’t come with locks, you need to purchase one for $8. Trains are just a few mins away. Didn’t feel unsafe. Overall It was good, but not as good as black elephant hostel in Portland.

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Muhammad Ammar

5/5Google· 2 months ago

Extremely cheap rates for an ideal location, a very clean and well-resourced hostel with a great kitchen and many common facilities. My roommates were all very quiet and respectful and the private bathrooms with hostel-provided one-use bath mats were amazing! Bring your own padlocks and slippers/flipflops!

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sinem civelek

2/5Google· 3 months ago

We stayed at HI Boston Hostel for 5 nights in a private room, but overall we were disappointed. It met only the bare minimum. Despite quiet hours from 11 PM to 7 AM, a group of guests stood near the elevators talking and laughing loudly around 12:30 AM. While I understand the hostel can’t control every guest, it would have been nice if someone had reminded them of the quiet hours. Another major issue was the air conditioning. There is a control panel in the room, but it doesn’t actually work. You can’t turn the AC off or adjust the temperature. We were freezing for all five nights, and I had to sleep in a sweatshirt every night. We had to tell somebody to turn it off from reception but that did not affect still. The location in Chinatown was noisy, and the large number of homeless people nearby made me feel uncomfortable at night. In hindsight, I would rather pay an extra $20–30 per night to stay in the North End. The front desk staff were friendly enough, but the owner/manager could have been much warmer and more welcoming. Since this is a hostel with a volunteer program that attracts travelers from all over the world, I expected a friendlier atmosphere. If you’re choosing this hostel just because it’s a little cheaper, I’d recommend keeping your expectations low. Personally, I wouldn’t stay here again.