Juneau Hostel

I have stayed in Juneau Hostel for few days. I liked stay there! There was place to talk with other people when having coffee. Rooms and bathrooms, kitchen & living room are shared. Also, everyone is asked to do a chore, but I was fine with that - tasks were not difficult - emptying bin in bathroom, clean countertop, put on shelves plates from the dryer. Place is old, but fully functional and I was very comfortable there. Also, price is amazing and reasonable for such place. In the hostel there is lovely dog - and it make my stay nicer :) (they have also bell - you can "call" for staff or for the doggy!) Staff is very friendly and helpful. They had some tips what to see around, they lend bear spray, i had feeling that they really take care of this place. Location is also good - very close to downtown and waterfront. Minus - you need to climb hills to get there. I understand that hostel is run by volunteers, thus it is closed between 9am - 5pm, but I wish to pay a bit more for the night and have a card/key (or more keys, to secure different parts of the hostel?) to enter the place anytime I want. I was lucky with good weather to go around, but if it would rain, I would need to stay some hours in pubs until hostel opens.

Hostel was affordable and just very close to downtown. Joey at the front desk was very friendly and accomodating. Easy check in and check out process. The rooms are not busy and clean. Will be coming back!

Please be aware!!!!! They will give sheets to you. But in any reason if you did not use sheets,they charge you 15 dollars per nite . Last nite I arrived after 10 pm with long journey. I was very tired. They asked to read and sign your passport. They said nobody is in the room. I went up ,did not turn on the light and crashed in the bed. This morning they charged 15 dollar for that in addition to 30 dollar per nite charge. Please use sheets. They will make you read long paper about rules.will not mention anything though. I told one other person ( only two people today). He said that same thing happened to him. They charged him 15 dollar penalty for that too.

You need to understand that this place is run only by volunteers, so there’s no option for late check-in. In my case, my flight was delayed, which meant I would miss the check-in time and either had to book another hotel at 5x the price or sleep at the airport. Unlucky and something to be aware of when booking. Otherwise, the place is nice, the volunteers are approachable, and it’s a good option if you’re looking for a cheap place to stay and can arrive within their check-in window.

If you're suspicious of the low prices, remember it's a hostel: you'll be sleeping in bunk beds and sharing communal bathrooms, a kitchen and den. The property is dated but still functional. The beds are loud, the mattresses are pretty uncomfortable, and the rooms are cramped, but again, remember how little you're paying to stay here. All in all it was very good value. If you enjoy chatting with other travelers, this might be a good place to socialize. Two things to bear in mind: 1. The hostel is closed from 9AM to 5PM, so you'll need to be out and about until 5. But you should only be here if you're a traveler anyway. 2. You will be asked to do a chore, such as cleaning the bathroom or vacuuming. I don't know how rigidly this is enforced. Bottom line: it's cheap, and you shouldn't expect more than you get. Don't go here if you don't like communal living.

The organization I work for recommends this hostel to all our visitors. It's an easy, economical choice, and the staff are so friendly.

Great and cosy place to stay! Close to Cope Park and Christopher Trail that leads to Mt. Juneau and Mt. Roberts Trails. Beds themselves were terrible and ununiform. Chore was very easy and understandable. I only wish that i could stay during the day from 09AM-05PM. The volunteer staff must leave for work, but why must the people leave as well? I personally am not so great at waking up before 09AM, so it was often a rushed departure for me. At least it gets me out of the house, even if i have to pack a lunch. I spent my daytime hiking or at the library, which has good wifi if needed.

Let's start with the only negative point: cleanliness. The bathrooms are not cleaned regularly enough, I advise you not to get too close to the carpet as you might be surprised by what you find, the curtains have stains, etc. But that's it. Because it remains the only accessible place in Juneau, run by a non-profit organization. You will have a bed, sheets, and a towel. They will gladly lend you bear spray for your walks, you can borrow a lock, buy a toothbrush and earplugs on site, and you will have hot coffee in the morning. You can read a good book in the common lounge in the evening, look at the mountains from the garden, and meet all kinds of travelers. Furthermore, the hosts are very friendly. Especially Brian, who was very welcoming, generous, and open-minded. You can see that he really enjoys interacting with people. Thank you for making Alaska accessible to all budgets and best of luck in the future.

Whatever doubts you have, don't worry about them. I had the exact same ones. I definitely recommend this place especially if you're traveling on a budget. The staff is very friendly and very understanding, also very helpful. Jeremy was able to answer any and all questions and doubts I had. Very cool person and was definitely the reason why I was more open to this place. I originally booked only one night because I wasn't sure.. immediately upon arriving and meeting the staff... I asked to extend my stay. If and when I return to Juneau, I'm definitely staying here again. The chores they're referring to aren't big things. They're just your daily things you already do. Definitely worth the price and definitely worth your stay. I won't lie... it was a bit difficult getting there due to the "steep hills" while dragging your 50lbs. luggage and a carry-on. Not a big deal. Very cozy, good area, no alcohol (which wasn't too much of a deal breaker) However, they're lenient with the hours of return, if you decide to go out and experience the night life. If there was 4.5 stars out of 5 I would give that. But they're not worth giving the 4 stars. It's honestly just the hours, which again, ISN'T a big deal... you're in Alaska! EXPLORE!!

This is by far the best deal you're going to get saying for two weeks or less in Juneau. The prices per night are a better deal than anywhere else in town by far. The staff were all very kind to me. The place is clean and well taken care of. I had a wonderful stay at the Juneau International Hostel, and will happily stay there again! Thank you all you staff at the Juneau Hostel for providing fantastic service!

You know that cool, eclectic, welcoming, community vibe that hostels always seem to have? This one does not have that. At all. My traveling partner and I called them a couple of times, leaving messages, noting that we were very interested in staying here. We didn't receive any response. We then went to see about getting some bunks about 30 minutes after they opened up for the morning (this hostel has bizarre hours and is closed for vast swaths of the day, also something I've never seen before) and they didn't have any. All the person at the counter said was "we only have one bunk available in co-ed at this time" That's it. No suggestions for other places to stay, no apologies, no nothing. It was one of the rudest, most-awkward exchanges I've ever had in a place of lodging. I would have rather talked to a robot. We ended up sleeping in the baggage claim.

This place is so friendly and so reasonable! $12/night + one chore. It's a great environment and Jo was really welcoming. They've got a lot of dishes and some leftover communal food in the kitchen (not enough to feed yourself), but no spices or oils to cook with. The mattresses were thin and a little hard to sleep on but, guys, this is $12/night hostel. They've got a room for families and the bathroom and floors are clean! The showers have cool little private stalls to change. Not many outlets in each room, so you might have to prepare to not charge your phone at night, or leave it in the hall. Will stay again!

Stayed here for a couple days when I visited Juneau. I had a car rented so parking is a pain in this area because of all the tiny one way streets. There are parking lots near the hostel but we weren't allowed to park in them. However, finding street parking wasn't impossible and didn't take more than 5 minutes! This is a cute and cozy hostel, felt like I was part of a family. Jo at the front is super friendly and it was great meeting her friends who came over for her daughters birthday. The common room area is really inviting and cozy like a house with the fireplace going. The kitchen has a bunch of utensils and a giant dining table to eat at. Not the most comfortable beds, but clean sheets and towels were provided. The bathrooms and sleeping areas are gender separated and they were pretty clean. I would still wear indoor slippers to walk around but they do not allow outside boots past the check in table. Location of this hostel is great! It's a few minutes walk from downtown (down a steep hill) but also near some really great hikes like Mount Roberts and the Flume Trail. This hostel is very cheap but there things to take into consideration before booking: 1) lockout hours between 9am-5pm! This means you have to take everything you need for the day with you. And if you need somewhere to rest, use the restroom, or refill on water...go to the nearby coffee shop (Heritage). That place was my savior. 2) curfew by 10:30pm!! This totally sucks if you wanted to go to the glaciers or something to (try to) see the northern lights. Also if you wanted to hang out or go bar hopping in downtown Juneau. By the time I left the bar, people actually started showing up. However for the most part, things do close in Juneau so it's not like it is a complete loss...mostly the inability to travel far outside to see the northern lights thing bothers me. 3) you get assigned a chore for the day, and every day until your stay. The chores aren't too bad...they take at most 10 minutes to complete. It's stuff like sweep the front porch, clear the kitchen counter, empty the ashtray, etc. The nastiest one was probably emptying the ashtray...I don't smoke, so it was pretty stinky. So before booking here, take those 3 things into consideration. Personally, 2 out of the 3 things bothered me but I realized this after I had the experience of staying here. Otherwise I would totally recommend this hostel because the people and location are great!

Plus: ~Great location. ~Fairly clean place. ~Super cheap in an expensive town. ~Clean sheets and towels. Minus: ~Limited, inflexible hours. The closed hours added stress to my trip. I was praying that my late flight would arrive on time, and I had to pay for a taxi instead of trying the bus route as I was afraid I would be "locked out. No exceptions." Not exactly accommodating. We had to vacate by 9am which was a rush to get ready plus make time for my one chore. I had two hours to kill before catching another taxi to the ferry, so thank goodness for Heritage Coffee. ~No lockers in our rooms. ~A bit of a musty smell on the main level. ~Mattress was very thin, so if I had been less tired, I would have added my ThermaRest for some comfort.

If you're: 1) Staying in Juneau for a day or 2, and 2) Need a bed to sleep in, but 3) Are on a tight budget.... Stay here! $10 a night will get you a spot in the hostel, plus doing an assigned chore in the morning. They provide coffee and tea, but no breakfast. You have to be out early in the morning, but can leave your things if you're staying another night. If you're traveling with your brood you'll be able to request the family room - otherwise, women and men are separated. There is a home-style living room downstairs for encouraging mingling, complete with brochures and magazines to help you plan your stay in Southeast (if you haven't already). The place is clean, homelike and provides exactly what you need.

I stayed at this Hostel for a total of 8 days through out my total of 26 days in Juneau. Great people and great Host. Jo and JJ are simply amazing and very sweet. I loved sharing my pizza with them lol An amazing price for such a great time. Very comfortable kitchen, dining room, living room and bedrooms are quite nice. If I were to ever come back to Juneau I would def stay again. It saddens me that Jo and JJ are leaving but happy journey to them and there soon to be marriage. Love and Light

I stayed here for 2 nights in June. Although there are some rules (curfew, chores, no food in the rooms etc), it was a very pleasant experience. The workers there are volunteers, which was cool because they really want to be there. They're travelers just like you! Also, it's $12 a night which is really great in Juneau. The curfew actually encouraged me to get out more and see the town. I had some great conversations with the people staying there and I felt very safe because they lock the doors past a certain hour. All in all I would stay here again when I visit in the future! Thanks Juneau!

Great location, amazing views from the kitchen and living room, and friendly staff. Very home-y feel. The hours and the rule about no alcohol were a little inconvenient, but other than that it was great

Great hostel. Clean and inviting. I came into town for a short trip to see my daughter. I was able to get the family room, which has it's own bathroom and toys for kids. Great value!