Bowery's Whitehouse Hotel of New York

Don't even think about staying here!
I was there for a week, and I was grossed out more and more as each day passed. You're in the Bowery, the area is full of eclectic people (mostly artists that haven't succeeded in their craft in this particular building). The hostel not only houses visitors, but residents that have been there for years (most are old and surly men, and I've seen several get into nasty fights). When I got there, the price was not what it was when I made the reservation (it was about $5 more). When I got to my room, I noticed I could hear everyone in their own rooms, and it was like they were sharing a room with me! The bathroom wasn't absolutely terrible, but I would not sit on the toilet seat without sanitizer, and you definitely need shower shoes for the shower. The door is constantly being slammed all hours of the day/night when people are going from their room to the stairwell, which is very bothersome. There were two disgusting-looking cats that looked to be infected with Mange that roamed the first floor, and belonged to one of the residents of the hostel -- and one was a diabetic (I was told). He looked like his tail was about to come off in addition to his missing patches of hair! Gross! While I was trying to eat in the entertainment room (that smelled), one of the employees (I believed lived there), watched me eat as if he hadn't eaten in days, and when I asked him if he wanted some of what I had, he didn't hesitate to grab it! I expressed to another one of the employees (a very creepy guy that I had only known for five minutes) that I was looking to move to the city, he proceeded to tell me that he thought it would be a good idea if I moved in with him! I know this sounds to horrible to be true, and I would say you are exactly right, but anything you think could go wrong, will go wrong in this place. It's not worth the money, at all.

No idea what the rooms are like as they messed up my booking. I altered my booking, emailing them twice, a week in advance and they somehow ended up cancelling me completely. I then had to find somewhere at very short notice on Memorial Day weekend. The lady on the desk was very unhelpful (although clearly overworked) and unapolgetic. If you want to guaratee a stay in NYC I wouldn't come here.

I got this horrifying place by reading Lonely Planet. I also checked their Web page. I got deceived by both. The place is worse (size, cleanliness) than your local dog shelter. Yes, and anyone who actually stayed there can testify to the truth. There is no window, mirror, locker, hangers, or drawers; you just get a nasty real old hard bed filled with bedbugs and fleas. I ended up having to go a local hospital for serious bite reaction. Don't get deceived by their ad; there isn't a private room. Two doorknobs came off so easily. My friend's wallet was stolen while I was checking in at the front. There isn't air-conditioning in the room, nor even outlets for your cell phone or laptop. You would rather sleep in Central Park or an Amtrak train station. If you pay by credit card, be sure to dispute the charge.

Bedbugs and the lack of hot water for showering are my biggest complaints. The place could be a bit cleaner, but it wasn't too bad in that regard, except that with the lack of hot water (and the ensuing inconvenience), how do they do any proper laundering of the sheets and blankets? And yes, you might need your blanket if the air cooler is on all night. Other than that my concerns were that my sheets and pillowcase were not as clean as I'd like, and I was unable to get a peaceful night's sleep due to the loud guests next door to my "cubicle." I'd say the bedbug bites were the other main reason why I'd have to rate this hostel poorly. If you're travelling with a friend, you'll be better off sharing a REAL room somewhere, even if the location isn't near all the "Bowery hot spots."

The "rooms" are actually wooden cubicles, and you can hear absolutely every sound everyone on the floor makes. Staff are ok. It's a cheap place to stay in NY. I would stay here again because the location is good.

We were slightly surprised when the broom-cupboard we thought we were wrongly given the key for was, in fact, a double room —f our whole square meters of it. Ok, so it's New York, but we visited friends in other hostels that charge the same price (or less) and they were miles better than this. The staff will give out keys to anyone, and you can't take your key out with you because it's enormous. The beds are tiny — I'm not huge at 5 foot 10 but my feet were touching the wall — I don't know how six-footers cope. Several people, including myself, were eaten by bedbugs, which is never fun. Oh and there is no real ceiling so you can hear EVERYTHING on your floor — we could hear the showers some 20 meters away! The bathrooms are ok, and it's in a great location, but for the sake of a few minutes on the subway I'd stay somewhere further up Manhattan and enjoy a lot more comfort.

Yes, when you arrive you think, "what have I done?" You see the cubicle barely big enough for a toilet — but hey, you soon realize what else do you need in New York but a cheap bed to crash in at night, and that's what it has to offer. It's no good for luxuries but at $30 a night it's well worth it for the location, and it's New York, baby.

The people were polite who worked there, and it was a good location and I thought it was clean. The place appeared to be a cross between a cabin at a rustic summer camp and a subway station. The largest problem was that you could not get a decent sleep. The "rooms" are actually wooden cubicles, and you can hear absolutely every sound everyone on the floor makes. When people come in late you hear them and by 8 a.m. everyone seems to be up and loud. I'd much rather be in a dorm with ten people than on a floor with 30. Not really recommended unless you prefer having private cubicle to sleeping well.

When you're in New York, all you need is a bed in a private area and this is what they offer. It was clean and mostly quiet my whole stay of a week and a half. The staff is exceedingly friendly and accommodating. Two different subways are blocks away, and there is great cheap food in the neighborhood. It was wonderful. There is plenty of storage space under the bed but it would be helpful if they had more hooks in the rooms and showers. I would not hesitate to stay here again!!!

This place is unique! It has a great location. The beds were fine for me and it was nice to have a private room for close to a dorm room price. The only "you get what you pay for" feature is the lack of ceilings! The walls are all a bit short, and the ceilings are lattice work. This lets any noise into your room, but it was quiet 95 percent of the time. My friend kept getting awoken at 6 a.m. by the people who shower early, but I slept right through it. Overall, this place is highly recommended: great location, great neighborhood, and a great price. And don't forget to check out McSorleys on 7th Street for a good time!

It is cheap and nasty... If you don't like your room make sure you ask for another one and complain. Yes it is better than sharing in a dorm but the security is lax, they give out keys to anyone. But hey it is New York, you get what you pay for!

For the budget traveller, this place is very good. Don't expect great comfort, but for $30 a night in such a great location, what DO you expect! But it's clean, really friendly staff, close to the subway, and near the East Village and lower East Side. I'm back in NYC again in January and I plan to stay there again.