Washington International Student Center

Steer clear of this place!
This hostel is simply crap, disappointing on all fronts. The staff were unfriendly, unhelpful, and downright rude to other guests. Triple bunk beds were crammed into tiny rooms with very little space for luggage, and only tiny lockers were available for rent. The bathroom was clean but there was probably one bathroom between thirty people, the kitchen was gross, the breakfast was bad, there was no tourist information at all. The whole vibe of the place was bad, probably because everyone was bummed out at having to stay at such a hole. Avoid this place at all costs!

Couldn't be any worse!!!
I first satyed at this "hostel" about 2 years ago. Back then it was in Adams Morgan, and very centrally located. It was terrible: filthy and disgusting dont begin to do it justice. I didnt think t could be worse. Then they had a fire and closed. When I saw they had re-opened, I thought maybe they rehabbed the place and updated (cleaned) it. Well, it has moved to another location. It is NOT centrally located, unless youre looking for drugs, a prostitute or are looking to be a crime statistic. The staff is TERRIBLE! Unfriendly and unwilling to do ANYTING for you. I wish I could leave ZERO STARS, but it isn't an option. TRAVELERS BEWARE!!! STAY AWAY!!!

Absolutely Awful.
I would give this place zero stars if that were an option. The website hasn't been updated, so when I arrived I'm glad I thought to call and discover that it had moved from a really central neighborhood to a very questionable part of town that is far from everything. The staff were incredibly rude, they charged me for a night that I didn't stay and then wouldn't refund my money, and it's not just the males there who don't help small, baggage-laden females lug their stuff up the two flights of steep concrete stairs. I finally ended up leaving mid-stay and finding another place because I just couldn't stand the staff and filthy shower any longer. It was filthy, nothing worked, and the internet kiosk hardly works and is a total ripoff. The staff treat you like you are either a criminal or, if you're really fortunate, just an inconvenience. Charging $23 a night for this place is audacious beyond belief. They did let me stay, despite being an American. I just had to show a student ID. Really, this place is only an option if it's either the International Student Center or the street, though. It's awful, awful, awful. And, if you do choose to sleep on the street, you definitely won't be alone in this neighborhood.

if there was an option of zero stars, then i would give this place a big fat zero! my friend and i arrived to find we were in the ghett. the windows next door were busted and boarded up. after being let inside by the scary man (we didn't know if we were at the right place due to no signage) we had to lug our heavy bags up a million flights of stairs (i love the way male americans don't offer to help young females with hard tasks). the room itself was scary, the bathroom even more scary. we decided we couldn't stay there because the guy would murder us in our sleep, or even worse, lock us up forever. instead we spent the afternoon walking around dc looking for somewhere safer to stay. when we returned to get our stuff and leave our keys we snuck out so the man couldn't stop us.

The bar/restaurant below this place caught on fire last year -- enough to keep the business closed for over a year now. The overcrowded rooms above it had no clue there was a fire due to lack of a fire system. The rooms hold about nine people and shouldn't have more than four at most. Its truly a fire hazard due to lack of alerting systems, overcrowded rooms, and lack of exit points. Not safe and not updated.

This hostel is disgusting! We had to drive around in a taxi for 2 hours trying to find the place because there was not a single sign on the building. The staff were rude and the place was filthy! Tiny rooms had three high bunk beds crammed in with no room for any luggage. We did not stay even one night but were forced to pay even though it was disgusting! We found a hotel in town for only $5 more per night -- well worth it!

I called them a couple of hours before heading out to this hostel, from the airport, to make sure they had space. Everything seemed ok. After lugging my bags for the 20-minute hike from the Metro, I was told they don't accept Americans, only international visitors with passports. Why didn't they tell me this on the phone??? They are m*****f****** bigots.

Awesome place. I was there years ago, during September 11. It was a bit weird but they took care of most of the people who were stuck there. I stayed there eight days and enjoyed it big time. The French dude working there was cool! Cheers.

It was hard for me to rate this hostel. It is not clean but not dirty. The "breakfast" is toast and tea. The beds are stacked three high, disallowing you any opportunity to sit up in bed. This focuses you to socialize in the commons area. I realize so far, this does not sound good. However, I stayed there six nights and had a blast. The hostel is in an awesome part of town (though dirty). It is surrounded by three blocks of ethnic food joints and nightclubs. Fridays and Saturdays are a riot. The bars let out at 3 a.m. People eat pizza out in the street until after 4 a.m. This makes for a convenient place to head out on the town, just feet away. The people that stayed at the hostel were really cool, down-to-earth individuals. It is located right in-between two subway stops. This equals about a twenty-minute walk to either station. I thought it was convenient. They do supply sheets and towels. The place though seemingly dirty is sanitary. I don't feel as if I'm doing this place justice. Don't expect much and you won't be disappointed. It is not nearly the nicest hostel I have stayed at. However, I had a blast! I would definitely stay there again.

Had the misfortune of staying here a few months back. A complete dive with unfriendly staff. We left as soon as we could check out the following morning. The only think it had going for it was the lively street it sat on. I felt on edge the whole time, don't stay here, it's a dump!!!!

The best feature of this hostel by far is its location, admittedly it is nowhere near the city centre and kind be bit difficult to find as nobody seems to know that it is there, but once you find it you are in the middle of the best street of pubs, clubs and restaurants in Washington DC. The hostel itself is not the cleanest of places, we paid for a private room which was a bit dusty, but had loads of space, proper double bed, two big wardrobes and a desk, would recommend the private rooms if you can stretch to it as the dorms looked very cramped. Don't expect to get a quick shower in the morning unless you are up ridiculously early as there are only about four bathrooms in the hostel so there is always a queue in the morning. Free breakfast is pretty much just bread and jam, but what do you expect for free!? There is a lot of helpful information in the common room with directions in every language for every tourist attraction you could possibly want to see and the staff are pretty helpful too. All in all I would recommend this place on location alone, but book ahead as it gets really busy at the weekends.

Hmm, having traveled in over 50 countries the past ten years and stayed in hundreds of hostels, this one definitely takes the biscuit! Why? Well triple bunk beds in damp, dirty and cramped rooms is one, and the rude staff behaving like it's their own living room is another. They got very annoyed when asked questions and wouldn't even take their feet down from the desk or lift their heads from the computer games. We felt so uncomfortable because of the unprofessional staff that we checked out and left Washington DC earlier than planned. It was not a good first introduction to the States. The management should do something now as the place is a complete joke or they will be out of business before they know it. Oh yeah, information on the walls hasn't been updated since 9/11.

Haven't stayed there, but I live nearby and see backpackers walking from the Metro. If you don't take a cab from the train or bus station, be warned that this is not that near the Metro. It's about a 15 minute walk, which is a lot with heavy bags. You can take the 42 bus towards Mount Pleasant from the Dupont Circle Stop (Red line), when coming from Union Station and get off at Columbia Rd and 18th St. It's a great neighborhood, but it sounds like a rough hostel.

I had the 'pleasure' of staying in this hostel a few weeks ago. I have stayed elsewhere in the US and this was by far the worst place I've stayed in. Which is a shame, because the hostel is located in a great district, with good nightlife, and it isn't too far from a Metro station (at least the 20 minute walk to the station is a pleasant one at any time of the day or night). - The staff were unfriendly, and rude to a number of guests, not what you need when you arrive after a long flight. This hostel is located in a great district but no attempt was made to organize nights out or even recommend good places to go. Most of the time the residents seemed to be an inconvenience to the owner. - The hostel sleeps about 50-plus people, for which there are four bathrooms. If you are in a rush in the morning don't expect a quick shower! The bathrooms are filthy, and the locks are dubious. - The rooms are filthy, and many of the rooms have triple bunks. Don't expect a good night sleep because you have to compete with noisy air conditioning and squeaky beds. - The kitchen is disgusting and dirty. Don't expect much from the "free breakfast" which is basically bread and jam. Go downstairs and enjoy a meal in a cafe. It's a real shame because this hostel could have massive potential. All it needs is a good clean, a lick of paint and a change of attitude by the staff.

While I didn't encounter any bedbugs, the place certainly is a dump. The rooms are small and cramped. You have a better chance of getting to know some interesting people, but you might just run out of oxygen in the winter. The breakfast of bread and jam (marmalade) was good enough for me but other places might give more. One of the issues with Washington, DC is that the localities change from block to block. This joint is located in a relatively okay area, but two blocks in the wrong direction and your chances of getting mugged go up exponentially. Two blocks the other way and you are in the better end of the Adams Morgan neighborhood, with a bunch of embassies, etc. The immediate area around the hostel has nightlife, and a lot of ethnic food, which was one of the few plusses. I have seen hostels closer to the Metro as well.