International UTE Hostel

Very accommodating
i got into salt lake three hours later then i had planned, and had trouble finding the place (my own fault!). Patty stayed up to make sure i got in, and gave me directions while i was lost. I was also able to bring my cat inside, no problem. Patty and the other staffer were very friendly, but I didn't mingle much with the other guests. There appeared to be a couple of travelers as well as a few long terms. They were friendly though and the older guys offered to help with my bags. The hostel wasn't dirty, but it was a little rundown. However, the friendliness of the staff and the calm of the hostel was so wonderful having come off the road completely exhausted. I plan to stay here again!

Don't judge a book by its cover.
I have to say my first impression of this hostel was horrible, I arrived late after a long day and a mess up in my plans involving me being very stranded in SLC for a few days. There was no one to check me in, also only long term residents who seemed a bit creepy. Also as a twenty-year-old female on my own the fact that there were no guests who weren't male and over forty was a bit scary. Felt weird but my bag was really heavy and I had nowhere else to stay so dropped off the bag, figuring if it gets nicked it gets nicked and wandered off for a bit to consider my options. Ended up going back and staying, was a bit paranoid though and booby trapped my unlockable door. Thankfully I can say that all of this was entirely unfounded, and that over the next few days I found that this was one of the nicest friendliest places I have ever stayed anywhere in the world. Patty, who turned up the next day was by far the most helpful and kind hostel owner I have ever met, she treats you like family rather than customers. I also had to practically fight to pay her as she felt sorry for me and didn't want me to. The previously presumed creepy guys turned out to be uber cool and I had lots of fun talking crap and eating watermelon with them on the porch. I couldn't believe I had thought that people might nick my stuff there, people kept trying to give me things. I'm so glad I got to be proved so very wrong. Everyone went out of their way to make me feel at home and all in all it was a really really great place. Just don't go there looking for a McHostel.

Think twice!
Although the new owner, Pattybear, is kind and accommodating, I would hesitate to recommend this "hostel" to young travelers. To be fair, I arrived at 9 p.m. and left the following morning while it was still dark, but the neighborhood is definitely questionable, as are the guests. Do not use the posted photographs as a guide -- perhaps IUH looked that way once, but certainly not anymore. I would discourage solo travelers from staying here.

Very good.
Patty picked me up and returned me to the airport. She went out of her way to make me feel comfortable and had the patience of a saint, despite getting a parking ticket at the airport. I would stay there again. Downtown and a good veggie restaurant are both within walking distance (about a forty-five-minute walk to the center of SLC).

Do not stay here -- robbed!
Do not stay here! i was robbed in my sleep! i was one of maybe three people there who wasn't homeless. the description needs to be changed from cozy to depressing and from hostel to homeless shelter. it completely brought down my mood for the rest of my trip. i would've grabbed a choice item from my trunk and gotten my money back but instead i just bolted away from this miserable hole as soon as the sun rose, going non-stop to bend, oregon. i read in a review book that it was in a working class section of town but the herds of tweakers i saw wandering the streets the next morning suggest that there's little working going on and no class whatsoever.

I thought that since this place is ok, it deserves a current review. It is under new ownership. Patty, the current owner, is an old hippie and very friendly. The place could use a cleaning and a case of febreeze. Again, I opted for a private room and was charged only $30 vs $20 for a cluttered dorm. They have two lounges, one larger with digital cable. The block and area are very safe -- walking distance to the light rail and shopping. This hostel has always attracted long-termers and they're still there. The back door is left open twenty-four/seven, which can be a good or bad thing. The fridge and kitchen are both tiny. There's no set checkout, which really helps if you're catching the train or bus out of town.

This place is a hole. The photos actually make it look quite nice but currently, it looks nothing like that. When I was there the place stank of BO, the floor probably hadn't been hoovered in about a year and it was full of weirdos -- including long term residents. I decided to stay one night, and only because I had nowhere else to go.

I was a female travelling alone in winter and walking everywhere, often at night and I felt it was quite a safe area. The hostel has been taken over by new management and the manager (Patty) was super friendly and very helpful, especially when it came to advice on logistics for skiing in the area without a car (quite difficult/expensive, unless you ski Alta/Snowbird all the time). This hostel is a really cheap option for a skier/traveller and I was almost not going to stay there and I'm glad I did.

I have serious doubts about the reviews at this site now that I have stayed at this hostel. It was very dirty, in a bad part of town, and was populated by strange guys. I was only there a few minutes before being hit up for a ride to the liquor store. It felt a bit like a half-way house (or maybe a quarter-way house).

This was a great hostel. I spent the night in Salt Lake City because I missed my standby flight and I called this hostel at 9 p.m. They had plenty of beds left. It was in a nice, quiet, safe location. Patty was very helpful and offered me a ride back to the airport in the morning.

Great hoste: very clean and cozy with fantastic staff in a convenient location.

Very small, and also some very strange people there. It is a ways out of town, although there is a great train system. The kitchen was always dirty, too.

Cool hostel. It has a super friendly staff who go out of their way to help and a great, relaxed atmosphere. It's very clean, probably the cleanest hostel I have ever stayed in. It's very easy to get to the ski fields and I'd definitely go back.

What... no hot tub?? The only bad thing I've got to say is that the literature claims there's a hot tub, but one is not to be found. Despite the mysterously missing tub, the Ute hostel is a great place, with a friendly staff, a resident cat to keep you company, clean and well kempt facilities, and within a few minutes walk to to the trax. The beds have changed since the pics were taken, replaced by metal bunks. All in all, a great place to stay. I would definitely recommend it when you are in Salt Lake!

Fabulous place! The place is actually a house, so it's small and you feel right at home! The staff also make you feel very welcome and may even invite you out for a drink. It's a very friendly place, clean, quiet and very safe.