Mark T.
Yelp
Giving a balanced and fair review of a hostel is tough. Part of the experience falls under the jurisdiction/control of the hostel. The rest of the experience comes down to human factors. Compounding the difficulty is that the lines between these are often blurry and in shades of grey.
I realize this is a hostel, not the Four Seasons or Ritz-Carlton, so I'm not overly picky. Basic expectations are for a clean, safe, quiet, and comfortable place to sleep.
On that note, more about these blurred lines:
The mattresses in the hostel are relatively thin. They are not uncomfortable per se; however, having better bedding may help with more restful sleep. The beds themselves aren't great either. Getting up to or down from the top bunk shakes the whole thing considerably, and they are notably squeaky. The squeaking becomes exponentially worse if someone decides to have a "Blitzkrieg Mit Dem Fleischgewehr," as happened my second night. It's a good thing I brought earplugs; they stayed in for the remaining three nights.
If I was younger, the thin bedding and noise would be less of an issue. Then again, better mattresses and frames would help and are under the hostel's control.
Bedding and noise aside, the room was a little bit stuffy. The one window in the room was painted shut and could not be opened, so fresh air was just not available.
The hostel is located a block away from many businesses, restaurants, and a streetcar stop. From there, trams can take you to the center of the city. They weren't running right or even sensically during my stay, but that's a beef I have with the city, not my accommodation.
Regarding safety, this was a little iffy. Around the building, the neighborhood is chiefly dark and empty. There are paved clearings and a tiny handful of residences, businesses, and seemingly defunct churches/temples.
As for the hostel itself, access is controlled with a code-based lock. You are given the combination to the front door and to the dorm you are sharing. But, because everything is based on a four-digit code, anyone who has it can access the hostel and room. This isn't that big a deal until someone shares the code or enters where they don't have an active reservation.
Next, there is a matter of cleanliness. The room and the bedding were fine, but the bathroom and the kitchen missed the mark. Regarding the kitchen, while you are asked to either load your dirty dishes into the dishwasher or wash and put them away, this is seldom followed. There was, at one point, a plethora of dirty dishes, silverware, and half-empty alcohol bottles around.
As for the bathrooms, there are regular cloth towels provided for hand drying. There are a few clean ones available, but these are not replenished regularly. Cloth towels are A-OK in a friend or family member's home, but sharing with who knows how many people is less-than-pleasant. This is especially true since I'm not aware of how they were used. Similarly, a small handful of specialized towels is provided for keeping the floor dry while exiting the shower. These become dirty very quickly, and if there are no fresh ones available, tough cookies.
A couple notes on amenities: You have the kitchen mentioned previously, a TV room, a keyboard, and more guitars than I know what to do with. The social events while I stayed consisted of pre-gaming in the kitchen, followed by going out to Bourbon St. with one movie night thrown in.
Community-wise, there was a seemingly balanced number of long-term and couple-night stay guests. In all my hosteling, I have met one or two long-term people, never this many. This is neither a good nor bad thing, just an observation.
A couple miscellaneous notes: there were lockers outside my dorm (rm 1) but, these were in disrepair and hard if not impossible to open or lock. There is also a computer available, but wrangling it is such a pain it might be better to just buy one if you really need one. And as a final note, the water pressure was abysmal at times.
If you like to party, can sleep through almost anything, don't mind "sharing" towels, and are okay with a borderline seedy area, this hostel might be right for you. For me, it is not, partly because I have gotten older and partly for everything else.