Hollywood International Hostel

Unbeatable location, and that's it
staying in this hostel was an experience to say the least. we arrived at after twenty-plus hours in transit, hauled our suitcases up the unbearably steep stairs, only to be greeted by a very unfriendly mafia looking/sounding old russian man. after a cold welcome he gave us the key to our room, which literally smelt like poo! the window looked over a two-meter alleyway which received barely any natural light, hence the room was freezing! no heater of course, and very thin blankets (i asked for extra, but this was clearly too much of a problem for the lovely staff). i wore four layers to bed every night and was still freezing! i shudder to think if the sheets had been changed ever (i think the leopard print disguised the stains rather well). i couldnt stop scratching when i was in that bed. i pray it was only psychological! you could feel every spring digging into your back and the pillows were literally two centimeters tall! we woke up every morning groaning and longing for a massage! the bathrooms were ok (i mean its a hostel, you cant expect much) except for the fact that you had to throw dirty toilet paper in the bin! the "kitchen" was filthy, with probably a years worth of jam build up encrusting the table. so, you may ask, why did we stay here for so long? the location is unbeatable! right in the heart of hollywood, you can see red carpet premieres from the "living" room window (which had wooden park benches instead of sofas by the way). buses and subway right outside, shopping, nightlife, heaps of places to eat. there's always something going on a things to see, so hanging out in the hostel is unecessary (why would you want to) if you dont mind slumming it i would recommend this hostel purely based on location!

This place was terrible, the restrooms were like a crack den, and many showers/toilets were broken. The staff were very rude and had little info about activities. Rooms smelt horrendous, were dark and dingy, and full of boring other nationalities. We stayed for two days which was more than enough. Avoid it at all costs.

Great location, this place was great. I stayed here five nights, and they were the best.

horrible and smelly even in a private room. only good thing i found about this hostel was at the time was there was a good bunch of people staying there! staff were really rude and unhelpful. only stay here if you are desperate.

Very rude staff. Definitely the rudest staff I have ever met. Really did not like his job. Poor cleanliness and unhygienic toilet areas. Great location is the only good comment I can make for this place.

I stayed here a few weeks ago and I had an absolutely brilliant time. Whether this was to do with the hostel itself or the people I met there is a matter for debate though. The hostel is good, very clean and comfortable and the location can't be beaten (the day we arrived the shuttle couldn't drop us at the door because the Mission Impossible III premiere was happening right outside the door!). Watch out for the moody staff though.

I was offered a job here in summer '05 and had the time of my life. Ive stayed in over 40 hostels in north america and this is one of the best. Ok so your not going to get the same standard of service or amenities as a HI hostel but its the best in LA for value and location for sure. I worked here for just over 3 months and got to know the ins and out of this place pretty well. The hostel itself is actually opposite the kodak theatre - the best located hostel ive ever seen. The price was $18 a night which i think is now $20 but its still a good deal seeing as the USAHOSTEL 4 blocks away is at least $28. A rare find with this hostel is the size of the rooms. The average dorm has just 2 bunks (4 people) which is unheard of in hostel terms. This means that the rooms are pretty spacious so no-one will be bothering you in the middle of the night going to the toilet. The quality of the staff here vary as theyre all work exchangers staying there for 90 days. The cleaning staff are usually japanese or russian students aged 18 - 25 and have a good attitude. The office staff is pretty good depending on what time you are there. I found a regular daytime staff of Argentinian sisters who have been living there for about 5 years and so are the most knowledgeable, even if they are rude to you at first. The morning staff are eastern european men who are very easy going and are the best to discuss any problems with. The night staff is abmissmal. Its made up of a 50+ year old guy who is one the most most rude guys ive ever met in my entire 20 years of life. I advise to not check in on his shift as its not the best start to your LA experience. The security consists of a 6ft tall guy who seems agressive at first but is actually a pretty sweet person. Be warned though if you try to sneak anyone in - this guy doesnt miss a beat. The owner is a very nice guy. He lives for hostelling and has been doing it his whole life. He doesnt care about money or profits at all and goes out of his way constantly to make sure everyone is happy there. The breakfast is pretty awful i admit - toast, jam and coffee, and people always slag it without remembering that its all free! You get what you pay for if you ask me! The showers and toilets are fair and the tv lounge is roomy and sociable. In conclusion this place is not as bad as everyone makes it out to be. Its a very basic hostel, but just drop all pretences about this place before you get in and youll have a great time.

I spent four nights at this hostel and I loved it. I can not say anything bad about it. Bathrooms and rooms are cleaned everyday, the staff were very friendly, location was great and I made some friends, too. I highly recommend this hostel. Next time I go to LA, I will definitely stay here. Check it out.

I was living and working in LA last year; they offered me a job there that then paid for my room. I worked three hours every day and that was it. I was free to do what I wanted for the rest of my time, so the staff are mostly travelers themselves. The hostel is very limited! Breakfast consists of toast and jam and there is only a fridge, toaster and microwave. Limited, yes... But you just can beat the location. On the corner of Hollywood and Highland. Across the road from the Kodak Theatre Mall, the Kodak Theatre and the Chinese Theatre. If you're lucky you'll catch a Hollywood movie premier or star ceremony right on your street. There is the Hollywood Wax Museum and Ripley's Believe It Or Not, and about a five to ten-minute walk to Hollywood and Vine. The hostel is across the road from the Hollywood/Highland train station and bus deport, which means you can get anywhere from right outside your door step. A 25-cent bus trip will take you to the Farmers Market, Beverly Hills Center, Rodeo Drive, Sunset Blvd. and more. The owner isn't as bad as everyone suggests either. He changed my room, bed sheets and sprayed my bed three times because I thought I was getting bedbugs; however it turned out to be an allergic reaction to some food I was eating. So they actually went out of their way to help me out.

Very good hostel. Go there, it's fun, clean, and in the best area.

A very poor hostel. I've stayed in better in Nicaragua and Costa Rica in the middle of nowhere. It had dirty bathrooms, bedrooms and rude staff. We never had a linen change in two weeks. Unfortunately we paid up front for a room on a Web site booking agency. The manager is Greek and slightly mental, as are the "security" staff! One staff member refused to change the TV channel for other guests because he wanted Dragon Ball Z on!!! Do not stay here, it is a rip off.

I stayed there a night. Do not stay there longer than one night or you will feel bad, because the restrooms are really not cleaned and the breakfast is ...!

This is the worst hostel we have stayed in and we have stayed in many. If you go on their Web site the hostel looks great until you check in, when the reality is different. The kitchen is a microwave in a room that only fits one person, no kettle. There's supposed to be a swimming pool (picture on Web). The owner is very scary and will not give refunds if unsatisfied. I would not recommend anyone to stay here.

Very bad and unfriendly staff! One guy (part of the staff) of the self-called "security" who was hanging around in the hostel all night threatened and insulted me! He threatened to beat me up because I used the telephone for an incoming phone call for about 30 minutes and he was disturbed because the TV was in the same room. The owner of the hostel didn't say anything to his violent "security" employee after I talked to him! The staff are not friendly and do not help you (except one girl I only saw one time). Avoid this place if you really want to enjoy your Hollywood/LA trip!

I was here for three days at the end of December. Los Angeles is a city built for cars, so where do you leave yours? If you go behind the youth hostel you stand on a private parking lot. Look across Highland Ave. You'll see a sign for an expensive parking lot. Right behind this parking lot is a small street going off Highland Ave. There are some spots for free roadside parking. If they are occupied look a little further. It should be possible to find something. The best thing about this hostel is its location. The rooms are good-sized and clean. The staff are okay. That is about all. The bathrooms definitely needed cleaning and some repairs! The kitchen does not really deserve this name — it is tiny. The breakfast is free, but don't expect to get anything more than two slices of toast with jam and bad coffee. It could be worse, but I suggest you try a different hostel.