Gardner Hotel - El Paso International Hostel

Ok if you are traveling alone and don't mind roughing it
I stayed at the hostel in early 2006. but the only good parts were that it is cheap and close to the greyhound bus station. the desk guy wasn't that helpful. i actually rode the bus from tucson with some ex-cons, and they stayed at the same hostel. the desk guy seemed to know them well. i think that says it all. i had a room to myself, with shared bathroom, which was small but sort-of clean. the heating was ok. my advice, it's ok to stay. many restaurants are close by, as is the only nightclub -- but be careful there, high school girls try and pick you up, but you might get rolled in the carpark outside by their mexican friends when you try and walk back to the hostel after a few drinks. keep your important stuff with you at all times -- don't leave it in the rooms as the door locks are poor quality, and most ex-criminals that flop there know how to break them open easily. it's cheap, but be careful, guys.

No air conditioning in rooms, illegal parking available
If you're visiting during the summer, or when the weather is hot, which I suppose is most times of the year in El Paso, I suggest that you skip this hostel. There's no individual air conditioning in the guest rooms, so prepare to sweat. I checked out almost immediately. Otherwise, the room and bathroom was reasonably clean. Of course, you will need an extra set of sheets, because you will sweat like a pig in this hostel. Parking is on the street only, and there is "no parking" from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. per the parking meter. If you drive, prepare to park illegally, or at one of the city garages down the street. If you do decide to stay, sleep in the lobby or in the hallway. This may be the only way you'll tolerate the heat, unless you're accustomed to sleeping under the stars. El Paso and Juarez are a nice place to visit. I was happy to spend a few extra dollars and stay the night at the a motel down the road. You'll find out that air conditioning is not the thing to skip in El Paso. Nonetheless, my one hour stay at this hostel hasn't soured my hosteling experience. I've had great luck along the way with clean and air conditioned hostels. There are plenty out there that are comfortable, just not in El Paso apparently.

El Paso's Embarrassment
The beds are uncomfortable. The staff made me worry about what a foreigner would think of the U.S. It is not a hostel, just a long-term residence hotel with a false pretense. It is not even an interesting place to stay. It is more halfway house than hostel. Try someplace else.

I also had an incredibly bad stay at this hostel. The staff nice enough, the rooms however, terrible. I had a one meter by one meter puddle on the floor seeping from the adjoined bathroom, and when I finally decided to jump the puddle I found menstrual blood all over the toilet seat thanks to some of the permanent live in guests. My advice. Don't stay at a hostel with permanent residents unless they work there.

I stayed here in January 2006. The manager was very friendly and nice. He took me and another fellow hosteler to White Sands, an incredible experience. It's minutes from the Greyhound, but again the Manager was great and drove me there since I had a lot of stuff. The bathroom is a little dirty, but that's from age. Overall, it's a nice place but has some long-term living residence who usually just keep to themselves. I would return.

I have stayed here several times. A rest here makes the long bus trip through the desert much easier. Greyhound is in easy walking distance. The hostel rooms are part of the larger hotel. If I lived in El Paso, I would not mind living at the Gardner. Quiet, full of antiques. The manager explained his mother's texmex cooking to me in the kitchen. It has the ambiance of the Hotel El Paseo at 1/10th the price. El Paso has a flavor of Mexico without having to cross the border. The weather is dry and sunny.

This hostel would be a five-star hostel, with the exception of two details. The first detail is one of the staff members who works there in the evenings. He tries to offer trips to Juarez and other places, but to me he was an annoyance. He talked my ear off and was trying to flirt with me, never mind the 20-plus year age difference. The second detail is the guests. There were not many hostellers when I went, which is disappointing if you want to meet people. I would have liked to have gone with some other hostellers into Juarez. Although there were not many hostellers, there were several long-term residents who looked like they were $20 short of sleeping on the street. The cool thing about this hostel is that the kitchen is well stocked and very clean. It's a historic building, and the decor helps keep the historic flair. It's within walking distance to Juarez, and it's in the downtown area. The downtown area was not as "downtown" as I would have liked. El Paso seems pretty dead, especially on weeknights. All the missions are on the outskirts of El Paso so you have to drive to them. However, there are some benefits. The El Paso art museum is pretty neat, and the city itself is bi-cultural. You might find that if you go into a store, the owner does not speak English. Overall, it's a pretty cool place, but don't expect a lot of night life and Southwestern/Mexican flair. One last word of caution: do not go into Juarez alone.

When I arrived in the lobby, a staff member was trying to sell a trip to either Carlsbad Caverns or to White Sands National Monument to a group of travelers. After a few minutes he stopped to help me check in. He asked if I had a hostel card and I told him I did not; that I did not find most hostels in the US required them. He then went off on a rant about how he hated that the fact that Americans never had hostel cards. He acted like he did not want to let me stay in the hostel and then finally said "Well, I am going to charge you extra!" He told me $20 and I said that was fine. He told me he would put me in with another American and said it in a punitive way. I asked him if it was safe to park my car overnight on the street and he again ranted about how El Paso was the 6th safest city in the US and about how the Mexicans in Juarez were the nicest people. I told him that other people I had met in El Paso cautioned me about crime and he told me those people were stupid. He really went on and on with his rant and I eventually asked him why he was shouting. He stopped and tore up my registration card and told me he would not let me stay there. Based on the attitude of their staff, I would recommend avoiding this hostel. If you do stay here you should expect the hard sell on guided trips. If you are traveling with a friend, you can find a cheaper and higher quality lodging further up Mesa Ave.

Great place. The guy working when we were there was extremely personable and helpful with regards to directions and advice.

This is a very poor place to stay. The rooms are very old and suffer from water leaks, the heating system is outdated and will keep you up during the night from assorted noises, and the bathrooms are in poor repair. If you have a car you can stay at many other places, especially along Mesa Ave., for the same price and get much higher quality. You could even walk to a few of these hotels if you don't mind a mile walk. The only reason to stay at this place is if you are a single traveler and must have the lowest, rock-bottom hostel price ($14 with membership). If you can afford to pay more than $20 a night or if you are a couple, go elsewhere. I will say that the staff overall were friendly and helpful. But they really can't hide the fact that the place is really more of a flophouse than a hostel or hotel. No offense, but I have stayed in hostels in third world countries that were better than this. PS. I am writing this review because I relied on the reviews above to make a decision. I feel they led me astray.

This place has a great location and friendly staff. I recommend staying here. It's a good value.

This hostel had to be one of the best experiences on my entire journey. You have everything from Chinese food to great Puerto Rican food within walking distance and a great bar scene which was a very short cab ride away. Seeing that the hostel is almost 80 years old and the current owners have remodeled it I think that it is very clean and has a really Kewl! Elevator. The only draw back is that you might see something very interesting here if you wander the halls at night some say there are still guests here that have check out but have never left? Hmm....? Also some really cool interesting facts is that John Dillinger stay here at one time and even Walt Disney has considered it for a movie shoot while here on location. If I can recommend this hostel to everyone who passes through here I do.

Great hostel in downtown El Paso. It's in a great location for visiting El Paso and nearby Juarez, Mexico. I have stayed there whenever I've been in El Paso. The dorms are in part of the historic hotel Gardner Hotel, with the kitchen, laundry, and common room in the basement. Inexpensive private rooms are also available. It has a water cooler and a circulating air-conditioning system, which is popular in dry climates like El Paso. Highly recommended.

Nice hostel, but not the best place to meet people. It has a large TV room and kitchen downstairs. The staff are friendly.

I liked the beautiful old-fashioned atmosphere of the place, the antique elevator and old wood. It was clean, safe, and friendly. I will stay here again.