Hostelling International

I stayed in Boston, NY, DC Hostelling International locations in my trip, and the Boston location is indeed the best. The room is clean and nice. And there’s several private bathroom in each floor. You can take your take to take a shower without worrying about being interrupted by anyone. The facility is great. It’s really close to Chinatown, and there’s ton of food near it. The price is decent too. I’ll definitely recommend this hostel to anyone.

This was my first hostel experience and I now feel spoiled by it! The location in Boston is great, walking everywhere was very manageable. Check in is later in the day, but they’ll store your things for you. There’s plenty of restaurants and bars around. Staff is also super helpful and knowledgable if you need recommendations on things to do or directions. There’s always planned events that the staff guides you on, such as tours of Harvard square, comedy nights, and bar crawls. The hostel rooms have the layout of a modern college dorm. Each floor has multiple private bathrooms with shower, toilet, and hair dryer. They even leave you a stack of clean bath mats. I love that each of the bunks has a little cubby with an outlet for you to charge phones. The kitchen and lounging areas are very spacious and wifi is included. The price is fantastic for the location and quality; I felt very safe staying here. Don’t forget to bring a lock and maybe shower shoes!

I booked online within a few days before I checked in. The price was $ 50+ something dollars. When i checked in I was charged an xtra $ 20. Not sure why. I wanted the lowest price bed I could get. So I picked the 6– male bunk bed room. The room reeked like smelly feet. The building in general reminding me of either a boarding school hotel or a college dorm system. If I had the money I would get a single room, if it was available.

This place is outstanding. Clean and tidy the facility’s are amazing and the guys working here are fantastic. Some great tours and activity done within so it’s a great way to meet new friends.
Beds are comfortable and rooms are a good size.
Price is fantastic too I’d stay here over a hotel any day

Solid hostel experience. Clean room and bathroom. Location location! Everything was on point except the carb loaded breakfast.
Where is the protein?!! No ham, no eggs, no cheese. I couldn’t locate cream cheese for the bagels. Enough said.

For all my fellow germaphobians this place was very accommodating for my eccentricities.
Upper levels where the rooms are, are quiet, even when they have music playing downstairs. Rooms have a clock, recycle and trash bin.
Separate bathroom outside for each room. All the bathrooms have locks that say occupied or empty. Accommodates handicap.
Each bunk has a small light if you can’t turn on the lights for the room when someone is sleeping.
Rooms are spacious enough, unless you have roomies (ladies) bringing in gigantic suitcases the size of a washer machine that they place along the walkway because it doesn’t fit anywhere, and then proceed to scatter all their stuff on the floor.
Kitchen is awesome! Super organized, utensils, plates, cups, dishes, pans available, clean and stacked in their proper places.
Free water and ice dispenser available. Free breakfast includes orange juice, bread, fruit, waffles and other things.
Area feels secure and safe. Key card to get in.
Every close to convenience stores, market, and eateries.
Free silver line transport from airport to hostel.
As long as future and current hostelers contribute to the upkeep of the hostel as well as the great staff this place will continue to be a clean and comfortable place to stay.
My only complaint was that I couldn’t lock my lock on the locker because my bunk was too close and was blocking my ability to do so. I had the bunk next to the window, and it was pulled more forward than the other bunks because there was a pillar at the end. (Rm 617)

You guys, this place is amazing. I couldn’t go to Boston unless I could do it on the cheap, and this hostel made it possible. Here’s the thing, though: not only is it cheap, but it’s REALLY NICE! It’s new, it’s clean, it’s quiet, and it’s in a great location with easy access to transit. I’m so glad I stayed here.
I especially loved the comfy and beautiful lobby, the free wifi and free breakfast, and the plentiful private bathrooms.
I stayed in a 6-​person room with 5 strangers, and the only downside is the fact that the beds are really creaky. Make sure you use the restroom before you settle in for the night, because whenever anyone came or went out of the room, beds would creak as people woke up and shifted in bed. Bringing earplugs and an eye mask definitely helps. It’s so awesome that each bed has its own plug (for charging your tech) and desk lamp (for when everyone else has gone to sleep but you need to read).
Worried about being the only person over 30 there? Most of the hostellers were twentysomethings, but I managed to find some fellow 30+ folks to chat with, including a 58-​year-​old marathon runner from Amsterdam. Very awesome.
I appreciated that there was an HI staffer in the lunch room each morning to answer people’s questions about things to do and how to get around. I believe his name was Aaron, and he helped me figure out how to get to Allston on the T, and showed me on a map where the Freedom Trail went. I went on the Beacon Hill and Back Bay walking tour that he led on Sunday morning, and really enjoyed it! That tour was definitely worth going on; he shared a lot of great information. He also gave us a pro tip that the winter rates at the hostel are much less than what we paid in summer, so I really hope to be back soon.

I have stayed at many hostels around the world and hands down this is the fanciest /​most modern hostel I’ve ever stayed in.
I stayed in a 4 bed room. All the rooms are narrow so beds are lined up in a row, and it gives you a lot more privacy since you don’t have anybody across from you. The in room lockers are MASSIVE! Just make sure you bring your own lock.
Each bed also had a charging cubby which was very thoughtful and modern. My biggest struggle in most hostel is the lack of outlets in rooms, or outlets that are really far away from my bed, so this was awesome! The hostel was full of these nice little considerations.
Bathrooms are also really nice. Each bathroom has 1 shower, toilet and sink, so there is no awkward dorm style showering. The kitchen is really incredible, and the lounging areas and meeting rooms are great.
Location can’t be beat, either! Definitely try out My Thai restaurant it was amazing.

This is a really awesome place! I have never «hostelled» before, but I’ve heard nightmares from friends about European hostels.
This place is clean, the service is awesome, there is a free and pretty decent breakfast offered and they provide in-​room lockers (bring your own lock) and towels.

I was really satisfied with my stay at HI. It was cheap (60 $ a night), and the place is centered in a very vibrant location. It’s a couple steps away from China town (which was what my cousins and I wanted) and the whole place is clean. I didn’t stay in a room with strangers, I stayed in a 4 persons room (3 of my cousins and I) so I was super comfortable.
Inside of HI there are plenty of activities to do, there’s several study rooms and a kitchen with utilities that you could use. There’s a TV lounge and a computer room and a pool table. There’s a café in the lobby and more TVs for movie nights. They offer a lot of activities for you to do and they’re all free. They offer things like tours and movie showings, and etc. The staff were all friendly and there were a lot of people around my age group making it easy to meet tons of new people. There’s about 2 – 3 bathrooms in each hall I believe and each floor has its own unique decals. I was on floor 5 and it was a lime green themed floor with decals of cows. I thought that was really nice.
Stepping out of HI, you are only minutes away from restaurants, markets, food trucks, and boutiques. You’ll never get bored. There’s about 2 parking garages a couple of minutes away that you could use (which is what we did).
I would recommend HI if you’re on a budget and want a nice and clean friendly hostel and if you’re willing to share rooms with strangers. This place is great :-) Thanks for a wonderful weekend HI.

Okay. If you are staying in a hostel you should know what you are getting into. We didn’t *quite* and were slightly disappointed.
Our only real complaint is that it was hot. 78* hot. In the room. Almost all the time. With no way to circulate air. The windows opened some, but we weren’t at that side of the room so not our call to control. We told them at the front desk and nothing was done. Didn’t want it to be 68*, but just a touch of air on would’ve been nice. The entire building was muggy and stagnant air, minus the dining area.
Wi-​fi was a joke. Just ran off our cell service.
Everyone was friendly. This hostel is so green and that’s great– but again, we were melting. Thank god it wasn’t horrible warm in Boston while we were here.
Water pressure wasn’t great– which isn’t — huge surprise, but with soft water and no washcloths provided (towels are) it was a bit of a struggle to feel all clean if you come from a hard water area (like myself). Should’ve brought a washcloth is all.
Breakfast is free and expansive, really. Activities are frequent. Beds were comfortable enough and changed daily even if you were staying more than one night.
Would I stay here — or ANY hostel — ever again? Slim to no chance. Not for any reason other than it’s not for me and I recognize that. Safe, reasonably priced, clean– this was all of that. Young and old alike staying here, too. Just gonna shell out a bit more for a hotel next time, which again– is just closer to my personal comfort level. Seems a bit high ($ 40/​night) for what you don’t get, but that really isn’t much to pay for a safe, clean place with a free breakfast.

Third hostel I’ve stayed at and easily the best one. The place is rather new and has amazing features. Free wifi, big open kitchen, free breakfast, free cookies, free tours and movie nights, right next to Chinatown and Theater district and a T stop. Short walk to the Boston Commons. The people at the front desk were really nice.
Bathrooms were full sized. I know they had rooms that were handicap accessible because my room was right next to one. Had breakfast with one of my roommates and had a wonderful time. If I’m ever staying solo in Boston again I’m staying here without a doubt.
The light and cubby hole with access to power outlets for each bunk bed was so convenient. Honestly, everything was great!

I stayed here for 2 nights (June 16 – 18, 2014) for about $ 100 total (I had an HI membership). I was in the Economy Female Dorm. It was very clean and felt like a very new hostel. The location was within walking distance of the train station. Very convenient. I liked it being in Chinatown as well because it was good to have some familiar food when I was feeling under the weather in the middle of a month long trip. No complaints.

Such a beautiful hostel! Location is unbeatable. Very close to all public transport and walking distance to everywhere else.
Beds were incredibly comfortable and the layout of the rooms made it feel very spacious and felt like you were in your own little pod.
Not the best hostel for socialising, and felt more like a hotel. But the breakfast was delicious. Such a huge variety. Best breakfast I’ve had in a hostel by far.
Oh, and the bathrooms were amazing!!! So clean and huge.

Visited Boston in early December with some friends and decided to try the hostel life. The US is a bit late to the hostel game as Europe and other parts of South America have adopted this lifestyle and I can definitely see why!
You’re literally paying to rent a bed and locker for a few nights. The bathrooms are all shared with other females /​males on the floor. I never had major issues with the cleanliness of the bathrooms. I’m definitely a germophobe though. I honestly would’ve rather paid a few extra dollars a night and split a hotel room with my friends but that’s just me.
I love the location though. I think this hostel is relatively new as it was built less than 5 years ago. It’s right across from Tulane and proximal to Chinatown. Boston’s Chinatown is pretty mediocre compared to some of the bigger Chinatowns in the US. I do love how there’s a train station just a few blocks away from the hostel. It made getting around Boston really easy!
Loved the common space on the first floor, it’s super warm, and people are really interesting to talk to. The staff were also quite friendly to my group but I think that’s bc we interacted with them a lot. And security was never an issue for us. Just keep your personal belongings with you because although there are keys, there are ways for outsiders to get into the hostel and probe around. The staff called a homeless guy out for sitting near the fireplace when we were there. I didn’t mind bc well, the guy is homeless and it was near below-​freezing temperature outside but that’s my personal opinion
I took off 2 stars bc I guess I’m a little high maintenance and would rather be in a hotel room and have my own space and own bathroom than share it. I did the dorm life in college, don’t want to do it again.

I’m from California and it was my first time staying at a Hostel of any kind and I had a very pleasant experience.
I was traveling on a budget to Boston for the very first time and Hostel International seemed to be the best bang for my buck. All The facilities worked and were clean.
The room I stood in was a 6 bed male dorm. I had no issues with my bed or the other guys in the room.
If your planing to take advantage of the free breakfast my advice is to either get there just before 7 am or after 8. The chaos that’s involved with a free breakfast is nothing you want to get in the middle of.
I would stay in another HI property when traveling alone no problem. I would avoid it if you are traveling with a significant other that requires the privacy and luxuries that would come with a standard hotel room.
–Cheers.

Many firsts! First time staying at a hostel, visiting Boston and traveling alone. I would do it again in a heartbeat! I stayed in a 6-​bed all girls room for 2 nights on the 4^th floor.
I participated in the group events, the first one with Aaron. Aaron is obviously well traveled and loves his job, I received so much useful info from him on our Fenway tour. I met so many people from all over the world also traveling alone, and it was a breeze connecting with people and instantly making new friends.
The location is perfect, you are walking distance to pretty much anything, including public transportation. Staff has been great, bathrooms are clean, kitchen has all you need to cook your own meals and store refrigerated and dry good items. No curfew either, just make sure you have your key.
I would say the only downside is hearing people in the hallways. Bring ear plugs if you’re a light sleeper. They give you one towel upon check in, but you can request more at the desk. I did not use Wi-​Fi but didn’t hear great things from fellow bunkmates, but you’re a block away from Panera and McD’s should you need more options. Kids room with adults here too but it hasn’t impacted my stay.
All in all amazing time and would love to visit other H.I. Hostel locations!

I arrived at this hostel on Monday and stayed for two nights. I had come to Boston to meet up with friends that were here in the States for the summer. The hostel is located just a 5 minute walk west of the Boston South Station, very convenient to get to. To my surprise, they allowed me to check in early since my room was already prepared! I thought that I would need to wait until 4 P. M before I could get in.
When I got into my room, it was very clean. There are lockers between beds, so it gives you a little privacy if you need it. The room itself is cozy and has tight quarters, but it’s comfortable to be in. What’s better than that is, even though you have a shared dorm, you have a (somewhat) private shower! It’s not the shared shower room that many hostels have! The only thing I didn’t like about my room was the stairs leading to the top bunk. They were extremely narrow and dug into my feet. This is very painful if you’re trying to climb into your bed after a long day of walking around and enjoying what the city has to offer. I recommend keeping your sneakers, sandals, flip-​flops, etc on until you get to the top, and then kick them off!
At 12:30 PM there was a walking tour being given. The guide was very good and caused me to remember specific areas about Boston. Even better than that, I met two people that I truly enjoyed (one from New Zealand and one from Germany)! I hope that I can have a lasting friendship with them.
All in all, I would stay here the next time I’m in Boston.

Dining partner and I shipped off to Boston for the weekend to explore the historical sites and eat our faces off. After looking at the hotel rates we decided to «rough it» in a private room at Hostelling International in Chinatown. This was my first experience in a hostel, though with a private room, it was not the traditional hostel experience.
We were both impressed by the facilities, they appeared new and clean. The only thing different from a hotel was an additional «s» and little shampoos. The floors are hard concrete which felt a lot cleaner than hotel carpeting. Our room was spacious and clean (for the most part… details later). Check-​in Thursday night and Check-​out Sunday morning was a breeze. The room had a cable TV, iHome docking station, ironing board, iron, and a bunk bed with a double bed on bottom twin bed on top. Free WiFi was available throughout the building. Our favorite part about our bathroom was the Boston T map shower curtain.
We only took advantage of the free breakfast 7−10am one morning. It was a limited breakfast of hard-​boiled eggs, cereal, waffles (Sunday special), fruit, and bagels.
We slept in the bottom double bed, but the top bunk twin bed had several hairs on the sheets. I also found quite a few long black hairs in the fresh towels, which can happen anywhere, but was disturbing and gross just the same. Yicky!
Dining partner and I didn’t spend much time in the hostel socializing, as we were busy exploring, but it looked like many people congregated in the common areas. The hostel had events planned every day for those looking to take advantage. This was a great location and for under $ 200 a night, it really can’t be beat. We’ve already began looking up other locations of HI to plan our next adventure.

il faut comprendre que c’est une auberge de jeunesse mais celle-​ci offre quelques chambres privées avec salle de bain (j’ai passé l’age des dortoirs).
Très bien situé, l’immeuble est moderne ayant été rénové récemment. Le petit déjeuner est compris.
Idéal pour un week-​end avec les enfants.

First time staying in a hostel, so I have nothing to compare it to but there wasn’t anything that would deter Hostelling International Boston from getting the 5-​star fantabulous rating, it so totally deserves! Arrived in the evening and there was plenty of staff on hand and was able to be checked-​in within a couple of minutes. The room was clean, spacious and had quite comfortable beds and blankets. There are little cubby hole areas next to your bed that you can plug in technology accessories… each person gets 4 outlets to themselves, so need to worry about not having enough outlets.
Every morning from 7am-​10am, there is FREE Breakfast including: toast, peanut butter, jelly, bagels, cereal, yogurt, fruit, orange juice, milk and coffee. Also, every Wednesday is FREE dinner night: Spaghetti! The hostel itself is located close to everything: the parks, the freedom trail, the subway, the Royale (nightclub, concert venue), Chinatown restaurants, the theater district, 7 – 11, Bank of America, California Pizza Kitchen, Starbucks and more.
Important to note that the pictures currently on here for HI Boston are outdated. Wish I would have taken pictures of the room, just expect a more modern-​updated room than what you see in the pictures. Hopefully someone reads this review and takes some pictures during their next stay!
Will most definitely be back in the future, when I decide to take another road trip to good ol’ Boston. PS. If you really want to try out something awesome — go to the Park and bring a bag of peanuts with you. The squirrels are super «tamed» and friendly, they will literally take the peanuts out of your hand. One of locals was feeding the squirrels and we got to join in on the fun. Simply weird… only in Boston right? :)