HI - Syracuse - Downing International Hostel

Good
I just want to say that I stayed at the Downing International Hostel back in 2005 before the so-called "new management change." The place was cheap, the architecture was interesting, and the facilities were adequate. I'll admit the former managers were not the best fit for the job, and they did allow some shady characters to hang around the hostel. However, they (the managers) still treated me with the utmost respect. Even when I came in late well after midnight from bar-hopping with a fellow hosteler, Mr. Garcia still let us slide on in and he did not lock us out.

Great!
I visited Syracuse in December 2007 and I spent the first couple of weeks in the city staying at Downing International Hostel. It really was a great experience and the warmth and kindness shown to me by Jean, the manager, made my experience in Syracuse really worthwhile. The hostel is situated in a very safe area, very close to the bus system which makes it easy to get around even if you don't have a car. I often enjoyed taking a thirty-minute walk downtown on days when the weather was good. The hostel itself is well furnished and has all the appliances one would need to use whether they were staying for a long period of time or only for a short while. At an extremely affordable rate you can expect to have a comfortable stay. Above all I really appreciate the kindness shown to me by the manager who went out of her way to ensure that I thoroughly enjoyed my stay, and helped me to see parts of the city I may not have been able to see.

Inviting, involving, and enjoyable
I visited this Hostel, Downing in Syracuse, when I arrived to work on a local campaign. I really didn't know what to expect. Jean who manages the place summed up what my entire experience would be with her instant warmth, friendship and concern for my best possible comfort. She's really the center of the experience there. I'll stop in to Downing any time I venture through that neck of NY. She's the reason for that (and so said also several of the others I stayed with there who had time with her to share stories). The house itself is beautiful and atmospheric.

The place just rocks. It gave me all the comfort i needed.
My journey with the hostel started on the 11/13/07 to the 12/22/07. When i first reached there i was a bit anxious of staying alone in a place that i did not know at all because i had never been by myself till that fortunate time. I met a good friend " Jean" on the first day and she made me feel very comfortable. Jean is the manager at the front desk for HI Downing hostel. She showed me around the whole place and i was impressed about the fact that the price was very good for a decent enough place like this. It was through Jean that i met so many wonderful people in Syracuse who i can treasure for my life. The place is like a traditional country home with many rooms and a beautiful fire place. The best part of it being the internet and the phone, both of them being free. The staff is very co-operative and helpful. Greg the assistant manager helped me with an extra space heater in my room because being from Mumbai, India i was not accustomed to the cold weather. There is a very nice TV room with games, books, DVDs. In fact i also had a personal TV in my room. The kitchen is very big and extremely well equipped and well maintained. The bathrooms were kept very clean but the only changes i can suggest is that the wiring should be changed along with the interiors which mainly includes the wood work. Transportation is not at all a problem. The locality seems to be safe because i am still alive! The hostel environment is pretty safe and warm. I had come there for my externship at SUNY Upstate hospital and in the beginning i was counting days to get back home, but when i left, my heart was filled with sorrows for the fact that i was leaving the hostel as well as the city that made me so independent and taught me about all the wonderful people around me. If given a chance someday when i achieve my dreams in the city of Syracuse i would personally make some donations for the hostel because my journey started there! May the hostel flourish and prosper.

Beautiful, affordable
I visited this hostel during August 2007 and it has beautiful community space. The kitchen, laundry room, and main lobby are maintained very well. The bedrooms are shared bunk beds and I found my few roommates very quiet and considerate. The bathroom was very neat and had a bathtub as well as a shower. The price is great.

Good value, conveniently located, access to public transportation/food
The hostel is located in a relatively quiet and safe neighborhood. The management is accommodating and pleasant. I would recommend this hostel. I stayed here for a week while I took a course in downtown Syracuse, which was about two miles southwest from hostel. I had a car and was able to park it in the driveway, but there was also a bus to catch located two blocks away, if needed. A short walk from hostel, was a convenience store that sold subs and grocery items as well as the usual sundries. Next door to that was an Italian restaurant for a pizza, calzone, or sub. The foyer of the hostel was stunning with stained-glass windows, oriental carpet, and dark-wood appointments. There is a cozy little living room right off the foyer where you can watch VHS or DVDs. The bedrooms were much plainer though. I had cracks in my ceiling, chipped paint, burned-out overhead bulb, and not one iota of art/expression on any wall in my private room. But there were pretty curtains on the windows, and the manager -- a kind and helpful woman in her early fifties -- brought me an extra lamp so I had light to study by at the desk. There was also a small closet to hang clothes in and a small bookshelf located near the bed. The kitchen area was very large and well-appointed, with two fridges for guests to keep their stuff in. There were also a few tables to dine on and some additional chairs near a TV. I found the hostel to be moderately clean. The rug in my room look vacuumed but the shared bathroom I used was not cleaned once during my stay (wear flip-flops in the showers), and thus had to endure the long, black hairs of the primary user scattered all over the place. Be advised that alcohol is not allowed inside the hostel -- which is a shame, because I enjoy a glass of wine with my dinner -- nor is smoking. But you may indulge out on the pretty porch in front. Be advised that you must leave the hostel premises from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every weekday. Luckily, I had class to attend during those hours, but otherwise would have found this rule extremely off-putting had I not. Likewise, if you return to the hostel after 10 p.m. be prepared to pay a $6 late fee. There was no Internet service available on premises when I went in September 2007. However, I understand that it is available there now.

A unique, laidback, friendly, and good-value destination for any visit
Syracuse is an underrated major crossroads of the Northeast and this hostel is a credit to it. HI Downing International is a beautiful and well-maintained 1890s mansion with very comfortable and extensive amenities, a friendly and knowledgeable manager, secure and attractive surroundings, and a central location. While it's not exactly within "walking distance" of either the university or the downtown, local transit service is excellent and there are several eateries and groceries nearby. Parking is not a problem and the hostel is especially convenient if one is arriving by intercity bus. In brief, it's about as good as hosteling gets in a non-major-metropolitan urban setting. I return as often as I can (last visited September 2007).

Good
I stayed at the hostel from November of 2006 until May of 2007 while working on a contract in Syracuse. I found it to suit my needs. Fran did a great job of turning the place around from what I understand. High points -- lots of space, great kitchen facilities, great location, very reasonable price for a long-term stay. Low points -- even though I had a car and there was sufficient parking space at the hostel, I had to park in the street, heat was way too high in the winter. I would sweat in my room, had to buy my own toilet paper, no alcohol allowed in the hostel.

Funny Place
We stayed one night in this hostel, and it's a unique one. It's located in a very big typical American house, with a lot of rooms. The lady at the front desk, who've been there for just a few weeks was very friendly. It is very cheap to stay in this hostel, which is great too. The only thing that is a little bit strange, is that you have to been inside before 10 p.m. because after that the hostel is closed and you can't get in anymore. But that wasn't a big problem for us, because we had to stay up very early in the morning to catch our train.

Stayed one night in April on my way to NYC. The host was very friendly, kindly provided me with an alarm clock as I had to wake up really early. Will definitely stay again. Thanks a lot to all who maintain the hostel.

I have stayed in hostels throughout Europe and in several here in the States, and the Downing International stands out as one of the best. I am looking at grad schools at stayed at this hostel during my visit to Syracuse University. It is a cheap place to stay, pretty good location, the building is a beautiful old mansion, and the staff is wonderful! The manager is incredibly friendly and helpful, and made for a great welcome into Syracuse. Keep this place in mind if you are in the area and looking for a unique place to stay.

I spent two nights at this hostel in early Feb. The hostel is unique, well-kept, comfortable, and had probably the best equipped kitchen I've seen in a hostel. Staff was very responsive and friendly. It was a bit lonely, however, with only one other traveler there. Not sure how they survive in the winter months! I'll stay there again when in Syracuse.

I visited this hostel for the first time in Jan. this year, so am unaware about how the previous management was keeping it. The present management seems to be efficient. The hostel is in a residential area, public transportation is not that great, but Syracuse is a small, safe city. The main lobby is actually very beautiful, the best I have seen in any hostel! The rooms and bathrooms are nice and clean and well kept. The kitchen is huge and functioning. Now the flip side. Since the city is not a traveler's hub, the hostel was deserted. I was the only guest and almost went crazy with boredom! Could not even chat up with the managers who were an elderly couple, nice and helpful. They do not have net connection, had no iron, and they have daytime curfew (but, they don't start banging on the door if you are there an hour or half extra). Hopefully the place's popularity would catch up or maybe I visited in off-time. A decent place to stay overnight or for a few days.

I posted the comment below in April 2004 and happy to report the place has changed for the 1000% for the better! Very friendly staff, clean. I hope reading this will convince others to visit again if they had a bad experience there. I pass through Syracuse and have stayed away -- I will be visiting more often now. My only question is how come AHY let this go so long?

Hostel is now under new management. Big improvement with new managers than under previous "mismanagement." Syracuse is a nice city to visit as a stopping off point between Niagara Falls and NYC and between Chicago and Boston or NYC.