Santa Fe International Hostel

Not Trans Friendly.
This place is not bad as far as hostels go. Good price for a single room too. However, the clerk on duty (Howard) was incredibly rude to me. I am a transgender woman and Howard insisted on showing me where the men's restroom and men's showers were located. After I interjected, "Actually, I'll be using the women's facilities, I'm transgender (duh)." He responded, "Have you had surgery?" He wasn't going to let me use the women's restroom unless I'd undergone surgery! So unacceptable. You do not ask your guests about their genitals, and if you are going to ask your guests about their genitals, then you have to ask every single guest or it's called discrimination. I did not expect this in Santa Fe. I replied to Howard, "that's none of your business!" to which he replied, "Well, you're making it my business!" What an A**hole.

Free food!
Be nice and you will not have to deal with any hostility in the hostel. Besides, it's absolutely the cheapest place in town and they have free food -- tons of free food. You can't get three meals a day for $18 let alone have a bed to go along with it. The chores are easy. The rooms are clean. The internet is $2 for the whole day. What the hell do you people want? And Mike is a sweet sweet fellow. Get him to tell you a story.

The negative comments are 100% True
It would be one thing if you had to put up with crappy attitudes to stay in a cool hostel. It is totally different to put up with extremely negative and offensive hostel operators in a total dump. They use the hostel like it is a landfill, storing broken down cars and useless junk. They also are just unkind. I overheard one hostel worker saying that "no one is fat in New Mexico except for the Indians." We were also woken up to a serenade of drunk hostel goers playing guitar outside our window at 1 a.m. One of the guys should have known better because he worked at the hostel. It seems like the many people defending this hostel are either the ones who "work" there or the owners. If people encountered the same rudeness and negativity we experienced it would be impossible to take the time to post a positive response. I would strongly not recommend you stay at this hostel unless you are desperate.

I will stay there again.
I showed up in santa fe knowing little about it. the hostel was a good base. interesting people, straight-forward common sense rules, and simple chores that took fifteen minutes to complete. i will definitely stay there again.

Good value
I very much appreciated this hostel. It is affordable. The owner goes to good effort to have lots of free food available. There was quite a bit of free and good quality food available to me while I was there. The kitchen is large and pretty easy to cook in. The bus stop is close by and the service is good. You can bus to the downtown areas where all the art you could wish to see is available. You can also bus to museums and hiking spots. All this was helpful to me and allowed me to attend a conference that I might not have attended if this hostel was not available and the conference was a very good one for me to attend.

Friendly, international atmosphere
I recently stayed two nights at Santa Fe International Hostel and after reading the reviews was not surprised about the chores issue. Preston is a friendly guy and everything happens by check-in. Preston or the volunteer on duty will give you a tour of premises including chores rules, early check-out bed sheets disposal, kitchen, and free food for use, laundry (washing powder for free -- washing/drying run for $2). Internet use is a $2 daily fee. About the chores stuff -- some other hostels still use this like in Alaska but there you can not choose your chore, it is assigned upon arrival. Here you can choose yours (empty all outside containers in trash, clean dorm baths) but it looks like some people just put on their name without doing any. I ended friendly arguing with Preston because on my last day I didn't register any chore but only wrote room -- which means I cleaned up the whole female dorm and bathroom that really needed it! Thing is if you want to keep on finding cheap place to stay -- you sometimes have to help it out. Santa Fe is a pricey town but at least there is still this friendly place to stay at and don't change anything so that it does not become a hippy and trendy place. Preston, the place is great the way it is.

Seemed fairly ok, but turned out not to be
This hostel has the feel of a homeless shelter. It's dirty, the rooms are better than your car or outside, the locks are pathetic, there's no lock on the bathrooms, no doors, only curtains. The famous owner, is truly a jerk, and has more issues than anyone I have ever run into ever. While trying to check out ten minutes early because of a plane flight he was rude beyond belief, created scenarios making me think he has some serious mental issues. Told me I should check into a hotel next time since I needed to leave ten minutes before the lobby opened (even though he was in there, but wouldn't respond). I felt intimidated, frightened, and completely unwelcome. I would not recommend this hostel to anyone. Go at your own risk! There is not a single note in the halls, the bathroom, or the bedrooms telling you how and when to check out. Don't go! it's not worth the unpleasant scene.

Nice place, excellent value
This is a nice hostel. It really is. The kitchen is massive, the free food is not at all bad, and above all the rooms are comfortable and warm. Of course, it is easy to see the mandatory chores as a downside, but they're really not that time-consuming and if the result is a $15 bed in Santa Fe -- I'm certainly not complaining. I would recommend this place to most people and furthermore would stay there again if I found myself passing through. Apart from anything else, it's worth noting that this is the only hostel that I know of in Santa Fe. So roll up those sleeves, get out the mop, and enjoy hosteling as it once was!

It's a hostel, not a hotel.
People seem to complain a lot about a couple aspects of it -- the chores and the fees to stay in during the day. First, chores are often (especially in Europe, but sometimes in America, too) assigned to guests. Second, many hostels worldwide close down during the day and kick the guests out, regardless of weather or whatever. This is not unusual. It's because of policies like these that they can offer a place to sleep in Santa Fe for only $15, which wouldn't pay for a snack from the minibar in most hotels.

Great staff
The staff was very helpful when I had a problem sending in a check to book a reservation. The check arrived late but fortunately the staff held my reservation for me, and sent my check back to me when it finally made it in the mail.

Generally good
In general the experience was good. I stayed in the dorm and there were never more than three people in the room (including myself). Chores were annoying but if you got up early enough you could get a good one. Most of the people were very friendly. There was free food, but it was often expired and the fact that it came from a local food bank really bothered me. However, it was a very good experience for the price.

Best place to stay in Santa Fe and thats definitely poetray!!
For more than 10 yrs I have been staying at the Santa Fe International Hostel and Pensione and can honestly say it is the best deal in town when visiting Santa Fe...it is located right off cerrillos rd. which is a direct route to downtown Santa Fe for shopping and entertainment. I have always been respectful and courteous to the staff and they have always shown the same in return..Preston the operator has been a great host and has hired a helpful and courteous staff to provide the traveler with a truly "enchanting" Santa Fe New Mexico experience.. The hostel is always clean and welcoming. Some free food is provided and the large industrial sized kitchen provides most of what you would need to prepare your own meals. The rooms are clean and clean fresh linen is provided. Furthermore because the hostel is a non profit guests are asked to perform simple daily tasks (chores) as a means of promoting a sense of community and to keep the high cost of accommodations in Santa Fe at a minimum. Located near shopping, galleries, local color and culture the Santa Fe international hostel and pensione is the best bet for your money! Howard Thompson

A good place to stay
Well, I am not elaborate with words as my wife. We loved staying at the hostel. Our room was clean. I took some Lysol for the bath, just in case and sprinkled it around the shower. Probably didn't need it. The staff were very friendly. After reading some of the reviews about the owner, I was a little nervous. However, after I started to talk with Preston, the owner, wow, this guy is a genius. I hope he is there if I go back to Santa Fe. Now, he has rules. And you have to follow them. The rules were just common sense. I never saw anything negative about him. There were a couple loads of high school kids that were there from different states. All the boys and girls seem to be having fun. I played a few of these kids a game of chess and got I beat a lot. It didn't hurt my pride too much. I enjoyed the bus stop just around the corner, I could go almost anywhere in Santa Fe with the bus. The only negative was no A/C. The only time we needed it was in late afternoon. We stayed in June so I am not sure how August might be. All in all, it was a fun place to stay.

Owner is overbearing, nickel and diming guests, "free food" is a sca
I'd heard many reports of the owner acting like an overbearing jerk; but it turns out it's true. While I was there he literally pushed me towards the door with his body when I politely asked whether the kitchen was about to close. I've heard tales of him picking fights with people for no good reason and then running them off. Seems to have some real control issues. The so-called free food in the hostel is unethically scammed from a local food bank. A food bank is supposed to be a resource for local poor people. However, as you can see from past comments, the owner hates poor people and doesn't want them anywhere near his place. He regularly kicks out people for not having the extra two bucks to pay late registration fees or the $2 "hang-out" fee. The owner also prides himself on not paying any cleaning staff. All cleaning is done by the guests. You can imagine that the long-term state of cleanliness is not very good. This guy makes enough off the guests, how can he be so cheap as to not hire staff to clean the place properly? The only common area of the hostel (besides the kitchen) is an area of a few tables right next to the front desk. Guests are nickel and dimed to death -- extra fees for late registration, for "hanging-out" during the day, ridiculous internet fees of $2 per day (you can go down the street to the Santa Fe Baking company cafe at St. Francis Drive and Cerillos to get free internet). A friend of mine stayed there recently and a woman in her dorm room started screaming at her at midnight in the room. There were no staff on duty at that time. My friend ended up sleeping in her car. The woman at the desk the next morning was completely unapologetic. She explained that the woman in the dorm had mental health issues and blamed the guest for not knowing how to deal with her. No refund was offered. You might still manage to have a good time at this hostel (as some people do) if you avoid the owner (and some of the staff), but it's kind of a shame to give your money to somebody who acts this way. Free food, if you don't mind the fact that all of it is expired and was unethically scammed from a local food bank. Big kitchen. Overbearing owner, sometimes rude staff, chores, nickel and diming the guests.

Took me back to the seventies
My husband and I stayed at the Santa Fe hostel for six days last week while I attended the Santa Fe Screenwriters Conference. He was apprehensive after reading one of the reviews, but I had stayed at hostels before and knew I would have a pleasant time. The rooms were quite humble but just fine and I appreciated that there is no TV in the rooms or in the lobby. I ate about 75% of my meals from the communal kitchen and since I am vegetarian I found plenty to choose from. My husband, a carnivore, ate at McDonalds, and then returned to hang out in the lobby with me where I ate with my laptop using the lobby wi-fi. Hubby liked playing chess with the international students who were visiting there at the time. I played the upright piano and guitar that were provided in the lobby. A library of books and magazines are at your disposal. The staff at the front desk were helpful young ladies, and we enjoyed meeting fellow travelers -- a young man from Germany, high-spirited but respectful high school students on their class trip from Manhattan accompanied by their teacher, a young woman from Turkey, a vegetarian man from Massachusetts, an Asian man, and many others. The owner, Preston, is a nice fellow, and he drops in from time to time to keep things running smoothly. Beautiful murals adorn some of the outer walls, and Preston's partially restored classic cars sit around the parking lot draped with sheets. I can't deny that some redecorating would be in order, and you do have to bring your own soap and toilet paper, but having matching towels is not the point of the place. It is a great halfway house, where time has stopped to allow you to live in a gentle atmosphere where the enjoyments are the same as when your parents grew up, maybe even your grandparents, except for the two computers in the lobby of course. No eating is allowed in the rooms, and I never saw an insect there. You can purchase and add food to the multitude already in the kitchen and you can put your name on it. If you don't want to do the daily ten- to fifteen-minute chore, you can pay an extra $10 per day and not have to do it. The dormitory beds are only $15. Instead of that we had a private room ($25 for one person, or $35 for two), and we added $10 because my husband didn't want us to do chores. So for $45, we had free food and no chores. Add $2 per day for the wi-fi usage. The rooms at the main conference hotel would have been $140 per night. The money was more important to us than amenities. And if the accommodations brought back memories of summer camp cabins, so be it! No air conditioning is required in that nice climate and a large box fan in the room kept us comfortable at night with the window open a bit. I really hated to leave. I overheard a woman ask to stay at the hostel on a long-term basis, but Preston explained to her that this lodging is just for temporary visitors, and she seemed disappointed when she went away. I didn't blame her as I felt I too could be comfortable for some time there in this urban retreat of sorts. It is the kind of place that would make a good short story set in the forties.