The Hostelz.com Review
Located in the Museum District of Houston, Houston International Hostel is within walking distance to all the major museums in town. A few blocks away are the Houston Holocaust Museum, Museum of Natural Science, Museum of Fine Arts, Children's Museum, and many many more. It's only a fifteen-minute ride by public transportation to Downtown Houston and its many attractions. Getting from the Hostel to the Galleria shopping center is not too far by car, but can be extremely difficult if using public transportation.
The Hostel itself is located in a side street, which can be a bit hard to find for the first time. It's quite a walk from the nearest train station (nine blocks), which isn't convenient for travelers with heavy bags. It's very easy to get to the hostel from Houston's Greyhound station (the metro station is right across the road), however getting there from the Amtrak station is much harder and requires a walk, and a few bus transfers.
The hostel itself is located in a somewhat run-down house, it has three bathrooms (one on the ground floor and two more on the second floor) which are kept fairly clean, a very big and well equipped kitchen, a nice big common area, a small TV lounge, outside patio, luggage storage, pay phone, and three Internet access computers. The Internet access is expensive, but an unlimited access card is available, which makes it worthwhile for travelers planning to spend more than a few days in the hostel. The dorms are clean and neat, and the beds are outstandingly comfortable.
On the downside, this hostel has some weird regulations and rules. First, each traveler has chores to do. They aren't harshly enforced, but you have to do at least two chores every day (chores range from taking out the trash to cleaning your room). Secondly, the hostel has a lockout between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. and between midnight to 8 a.m. -- which means travelers cannot stay in their room past 10 a.m. or return to the hostel after midnight without getting the staff's approval and a key. Travelers arriving late, and not during the reception hours, will be forced to wait outside for the staff to come back, so plan your arrival accordingly.
The atmosphere is another major problem of this hostel. This hostel has a lot of permanent residents, which are somewhat dodgy, and you wouldn't want to get on their bad side. The permanent residents are pretty old, and not very fun, which makes the entire atmosphere shift between drowsy, dreary, and boring.
All in all, this hostel has great potential, and decent conditions, so if you're looking for a place to stay but not more than that, it should be your choice in Houston. If you're looking for a more social place, where you could meet travelers like yourself, you'll have to look elsewhere.
The Hostel itself is located in a side street, which can be a bit hard to find for the first time. It's quite a walk from the nearest train station (nine blocks), which isn't convenient for travelers with heavy bags. It's very easy to get to the hostel from Houston's Greyhound station (the metro station is right across the road), however getting there from the Amtrak station is much harder and requires a walk, and a few bus transfers.
The hostel itself is located in a somewhat run-down house, it has three bathrooms (one on the ground floor and two more on the second floor) which are kept fairly clean, a very big and well equipped kitchen, a nice big common area, a small TV lounge, outside patio, luggage storage, pay phone, and three Internet access computers. The Internet access is expensive, but an unlimited access card is available, which makes it worthwhile for travelers planning to spend more than a few days in the hostel. The dorms are clean and neat, and the beds are outstandingly comfortable.
On the downside, this hostel has some weird regulations and rules. First, each traveler has chores to do. They aren't harshly enforced, but you have to do at least two chores every day (chores range from taking out the trash to cleaning your room). Secondly, the hostel has a lockout between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. and between midnight to 8 a.m. -- which means travelers cannot stay in their room past 10 a.m. or return to the hostel after midnight without getting the staff's approval and a key. Travelers arriving late, and not during the reception hours, will be forced to wait outside for the staff to come back, so plan your arrival accordingly.
The atmosphere is another major problem of this hostel. This hostel has a lot of permanent residents, which are somewhat dodgy, and you wouldn't want to get on their bad side. The permanent residents are pretty old, and not very fun, which makes the entire atmosphere shift between drowsy, dreary, and boring.
All in all, this hostel has great potential, and decent conditions, so if you're looking for a place to stay but not more than that, it should be your choice in Houston. If you're looking for a more social place, where you could meet travelers like yourself, you'll have to look elsewhere.
— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
November 2006
Their Description
Houston International Hostel Details
|
|
(To add or correct information for this listing, please use the Listing Update Form.)
Map Location/ContactHow is Houston International Hostel rated on other websites?
No reviews yet.
No reviews yet.
Not listed.
Hostelz.com Guest Reviews
Cozy, comfortable, great location I found staff very helpful, friendly and good knowledge of the surroundings, great facilities for cooking, great location to trains, museums, and a really safe area to stay. Found it a warm environment to stay in. I enjoyed the company from the friendly cats at the hostel made it feel like home. Lots of maps and use of internet so can book and see where things are. I found the price was good for what you get. I had an enjoyable stay. — Simon Brace , New Zealand (2011-08-21) Good place for a nice price I was passing through Houston and didn't want to spend a lot of money for one night. This hostel was affordable, and the private room I stayed in was decently clean and comfortable. The bathroom was ok, but all I needed was to brush my teeth and take one quick shower. Its location is in a safe, quiet neighborhood, and the staff was really friendly and hospitable, which are the primary reasons why I wanted to write a positive review. — Benjamin , USA (2011-07-09) Friendly, Informative, Comfortable Stayed there in June, 2010. I felt right at home. — Anonymous , USA (2010-10-16) BEDBUGS I slept at this hostel for 2 or 3 nights in 2009. If this hostel ever got any positive reviews, they surely aren't getting them any longer. This place is infested with bedbugs. They mean well, but the owner of this very rundown house has one thing in mind -- Getting the most money she can for it and selling it! Nothing whatsoever is being done about the horrific bedbug situation (not that I know of). I, like others, didn't realize how horrible my situation was until I left Houston. I had some itching, but thought I could just ignore it ... that whatever it was would clean up. Well, that was in January of 2009. It is now April of 2010, and I still signs of bedbug bits all over my body. Thank God I was not bitten in my face. I am still having to cover some of these bits as best I can (bandaids). I have already seen one doctor about this and need to see him again. This situation will NOT stop until someone (and it will be me, now that I think of it) contacts the Houston Public Health Department. If they are doing their jobs, they will visit this hostel unexpectedly and will continue to visit until they are SURE those bedbugs are out of that place. Otherwise, they'll just shut the place down. And I believe this is what they should do. But the fact that a city the size of Houston, TX does not have a really nice hostel is not to be believed. I think, though, that this says A LOT about how provincial Houston, TX is ... possibly the most provincial city (for its size) in America! And yet they are SO proud. Heaven forbid: Proud about what? — Anonymous , USA (2010-04-16) Bedbugs! My first impression of this particular hostel was positive. The staff were friendly and the price low. I encountered the first bug that evening (saw a few more of them the morning I left). It was sitting on a blanket hanging from the wall in my room. It was just a little thing so I killed it and thought nothing more of it at the time (come on, it's a hostel, you learn to expect things like that at some of them). it was only days later, after the huge, itchy bites appeared all over my body, that I began to question what the bugs were. Wondering what it could have been that caused the incredibly itchy bites, I turned to google. I started reading up on bedbugs and found pictures of the little suckers. they were exactly what I had killed that first night in the hostel. The place is infested and I was their feast for a couple of nights. My advice, stay away. The price is cheap for a reason! I know it's tempting to try and save a few extra dollars, but the price you pay in uncomfortable itchiness is too high. I did not encounter the permanent residents, nor was I required to do any chores around the hostel. Perhaps those things have changed. the bedbugs are still a constant though! Stay away, you'll be much better off. — GP , USA (2009-08-14) Terrible hostel -- avoid. My impressions of Houston notwithstanding, this hostel is the worst hostel I've ever visited, domestically or internationally. It's filthy, it's poorly located, and the atmosphere is far from convivial. While the management was very generous with our request for a private room (for a group of six) and offered to help us find taxis and food (no small feat in the Concrete Jungle), the chores expected of us were unacceptable. The long-term residents mentioned elsewhere are a problem. They're scary at best and spend all of their time talking loudly in the middle of the night, taking up space in the common areas, and exhorting visitors to "not mess up my kitchen!" Frightening. It felt more like a half-way house than a hostel. The bedbugs were the worst -- I and the others who traveled with me itched uncontrollably for days, the bug bites becoming apparent only after we'd left the place. Waking up with unexplained blood spots on the sheets should have cued us to the presence of insects, and dead cockroaches in the bathrooms really should have sent us to a hotel. Warning also for those with allergies -- there are cats in and around the hostel. Lots of them. — Christopher , USA (2008-12-09) Itchy Bug city! I read off another site about bedbugs. If you could see my head at the moment you wouldnt go near the place. I thought it'd be ok. I have about eight bites all over my face and at least twenty-five over the rest of my body -- from one night! Caretakers should sort something out, otherwise burn the place and start again. Great potential but keep the cats, fleas, and bedbugs out in the street. — LB , Aussie (2008-02-12) I stayed here for at least nine days and enjoyed the warm atmosphere and met cool people. The location is perfectly near to the new fantastic metro-rail, so its very easy to reach all parts of houston quick and fast. the staff is friendly and you can ask what you want and will get a helping hand. I only can say its perfect and extremely cheap -- enjoy fantastic Texas and Houston. — Arne , Germany (2007-04-12) I had such a fantastic time in the Houston hostel! On my way from New Orleans and on toward my destiny, this place was more of an adventure than a place to sleep. My friend Ruby and I loved it! You can't beat the warm smiles and safety for under $15 a night and it's in the museum district! What great memories were created during our first introduction to Houston. — Ms. Tee (2007-01-16) The best hostel I've stayed in so far. Clean and well-kept bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen. Comfy, home-like environment in the living room areas. 10 bucks for unlimited Internet access (wireless available), which is just unbelievable. Greatest of all are the people there -- very friendly, helpful, and ultra-cool! (Do donate some money to Sam the cat. I regret that I forgot to.) And it's so much cheaper than most hostels. If you are picky, there are two little problems -- the TV does not have very good reception (as if you'll want to watch a whole lot of TV while traveling around) and the room I stayed in was a bit cold at night -- but I believe they will fix them. — Smart ass (2007-01-07) Excellent knowledgeable staff, clean friendly surroundings, located in the fantastic Medical center/Montrose area, where the average home is five hundred thousand plus. An outstanding bargain. Books galore, and the staff has knowledge of everything from close grocery shopping to literally ten museums and less than half a mile from the Hermann Park, Houston Zoo complex where you must visit the Japanese-inspired Fragrant Garden with ponds and the Museum of Natural Science butterfly display with over a hundred different varieties and ten thousand butterflies zoom around you as you walk! — Willy (2006-12-05) Relatively inexpensive, but can't access rooms and your stuff, unless you use the pay lockers from ten to five-thirty. Not for you if you're looking for "international" atmosphere -- very few international/young hostellers, mostly unemployed long-termers, the unfriendly homeless "friend of the owner," and the odd cleaning woman, living there. Don't believe what they say about food that is not labeled with a name as being "free food," some of the long-termers forget to label, so you could get accused of being a thief. I got there late at night, dead tired, but the check-in guy droned on and on about his "exciting" adventures for nearly an hour before he showed me what room and bed I'd be assigned to. The morning check-in lady is nice and to the point, she gave useful suggestions for things to do in the area. — Pat (2006-05-22) I've stayed in several hostels, and certainly have my expectations of what makes a good hostel. The Houston Hostel covered the bases quite well:
Location: It's so close to the cute, hip Montrose neighborhood, where you will find cafes, antique stores, and lots of other people having a fun time. You are also nearby several great museums.
Attitude: We met 2 staff members. The more socially adept of the two, Gordon, was helpful in recommending some nightspots to my friends and I. Chores are not enforced. We were not woken up for a lockout. Nice.
Facilites: The kitchen was clean. The bathrooms were spotless. There is a nice living room with a fireplace. Our dorm was comfortable and we slept well.
I think anyone looking to visit Houston on a budget will have a nice time staying at this hostel. — Kirsten (2006-02-21) My first impressions were that this place was dirty (from the outside). There were cats and garbage in the front lawn. This hostel is in an old home - standard 4 bedroom, 3 bathroom, kitchen, living area, etc. The front desk lady told me it was 4 blocks from the Metro/Train. It was more like 6-8 blocks. Also, she wasn't too socialized and had a hard time carrying a conversation or doing calculation for how much I owed. There was a family staying in one room. The kids running around weren't always the most pleasent of noises especially when you try and sleep. But it was cheap! — kam (2006-02-14) Cozy, comfortable, friendly. — Anonymous (2005-02-19)