HI - Portland, Northwest Neighborhood Hostel

Loved it
I had a great time at this hostel this past weekend. It's clean, in a very beautiful neighborhood with Victorian houses right near the Pearl District and cool shops and bars further West. I wouldn't stay anywhere else if I go back to Portland! The staff is very helpful, the size of the rooms is great, and the kitchen has free bagels and pizza. There was a really good vibe at the hostel with tons of information about local activities and places on the walls. If there was perhaps anything missing, it would have been a separate living room area, but I actually didn't miss that too much.

A Good Choice
Location - for the northwest part of town, it couldn't be much better. Staff - really great. They were all very friendly and helpful. Accommodations - the beds were fairly comfortable, the bathrooms could have used some scrubbing, the common areas were nice, the kitchen area was under construction, but it was still fairly clean. Atmosphere - generally very nice.

Quite nice, low key, great location, good service
I had a private room and was pleased overall. The location is excellent and it is a comfortable place. Not bad for the price at all. I easily walked from the light rail stop and from the hostel could easily walk or take rail or the streetcar to most anywhere, They even have magnetic room entry keys. The kitchen is nice and there was free bread and pizza. Internet and phone service was easily available and there were plenty of maps and local information.

Chill
This hostel is very clean and welcoming. The staff cleans in the middle of the day, so expect no napping! The location (close to downtown) is excellent. Easy ways to get to the east side of PDX (just ask the staff). The people who stay here keep to themselves but if you hang in the common room, it is likely a conversation will begin. I also met the cutest guy ever here, so I am a bit biased. I stayed in a co-ed dorm and it was great. I stored my bike and other valuable things without feeling uneasy about it. I recommend the hostel as a long-time traveler.

Although this is a beautiful house and a great location, my experience at this hostel was very negative. There was a mix-up and the staff failed to communicate that they moved all my things to a locker without telling me. When I came back that night, I found someone else in my room -- they were quite surprised when I opened the door (I would be too!) -- and it was very awkward. When I called the owner, he was very rude to me about the misunderstanding -- at one point he told me (I am a single, young female, and this was at 12:30 a.m.) something like this "you don't have to stay here, you know -- I can kick you out." I don't think this is a very appropriate thing to say to a young woman late at night. I understand he might have been tired, but this is no reason to threaten a paying customer. I found the staff to be nice, yet a little disorganized (obviously). When I was given my room the next day (the night after the fiasco with the owner), one of the female staff members neglected to knock on the door of my room before entering and simply came in. Basically, I didn't feel safe at this hostel, and I didn't feel like I was treated well. I asked the manager to call me about what had happened and he never called. I talked to some people who have been staying at this hostel for a long time, and they said that there have been changes in staff recently, and that things have been rather disorganized lately because of the changes. I stayed both in a private room and in the dorms -- the situation in the dorms was a bit strange as there was an older woman who basically "staked out" one of the bunks -- the night that my things were moved, when I was finally ready to go to sleep in one of the dorms, I climbed into bed and the older woman feigned a cough and asked me to move bunks because she was sick. I would not stay here again, nor would I recommend it to anyone.

I loved this hostel! Its really centrally located, close to music venues, twenty-four-hour coffeeshops, and most importantly the amazing Powell books. It's not a really lively/party hostel, but very clean, spacious, friendly, and has heaps of are information and discounts. Plus every evening free pizza and really good, healthy, free breads twenty-four hours.

I do not have any great complaints about this place, nor do I have any great praise. It was an average hostel in a fairly good location for exploring downtown Portland. Rooms were clean and rather large for a hostel. The kitchen was well stocked and having free bread all day certainly helped the traveler on a budget. Free, easy parking was great especially since it was so easy to just walk everywhere. One concern I had was that a girl in my room had been living at the hostel for weeks and had made the room her own apartment. She often made others in the room feel like unwelcome guests. I think there should be a max number of nights a guest can stay.

A place that was okay most of the time. I think that the people in Portland and around this area are a bit frustrated, and the staff is overworked, and the rooms are stuffed. Overall, ok experience that could be a lot better at an average hotel. Location is good, not bad, a few cool places on 23rd and 21st, but you can do better. Do not stay longer than four days, and the snoring in this place from other hostelers can get annoying.

I spent four days here at Northwest and it was real cool. I met some really nice guys and the place had such a friendly vibe about it. I loved Portland and I'm definitely going to come back. Hopefully when they are in the new building next door. The staff are the best and it was a good experience. Especially in the co-ed dorm, which is the best!

My girlfriend and I really enjoyed our stay at this hostel and the city of Portland. Make sure to check out the Japanese Garden (you should walk, it's not a bad hike, and there are interesting shops and such along the way) and Washington Park (probably should take the MAX train). Also, if you're out late, go to Voodoo Doughnuts for a late-night iced snack! Portland is really beautiful, and the things we saw and did here will undoubtedly be some of our favorite memories.

I was at this hostel in mid-January and really enjoyed my stay, despite a minor confrontation with another dorm-mate and the super-icy weather. The place was clean, warm, and close to everything I wanted to see. I think I'd rather stay in a private room next time, though.

The best thing about my stay at the hostel in Portland was the awesome staff who work there. They all KICK ASS! Erick is HOT!

I lived in Portland for five years previously and returned to visit. The location of the International Guesthouse is unbeatable. You are just minutes to 21st and 23rd streets, with cross street Glisan (there's so much to do and many, many restaurants and microbreweries) and a small walk away from free city transportation (bus or tram). Our private room was nice. There was one bathroom per floor. A nice little lounge area with helpful tips was useful and deserted. It was a very peaceful place. I really felt like I was on vacation in my old hometown. I would give the place an excellent rating but the stairs are steep and the place needed a bit of upkeep.

What constitutes a "fun hostel"? We (my husband and I) stayed there in April of 2003. We loved it! We do not expect certain hostel dynamics like "fun hostel" to come under the duties of the management - those are "supplied" by the hostellers themselves and they change on a daily basis. Of course, being elderly hostellers may have had something to do with it. We have learned to roll with the punches, maybe? By the way, what are we expected to do, apologize for our age?! Anyway, this is a good hostel, and I recommend it, especially if this is your first trip to Portland. We would go there again any time!

A way kewl ole house in NW Portland - even without the cosmo' atmospherix, that would be a bit of heaven. With it, you just don't wanna leave. I could marry this place.