Jazz on the City

Jazz on the City is a modern, mid-rise hostel conveniently located one block from Ninety-Sixth Street Station on the Upper West Side. Central Park and dozens of well-regarded shops, restaurants, and grocery stores are all within walking distance. It is part of the "Jazz" hostel chain and thus has a well-connected reception desk and experienced staff. It offers traditional bunked hostel rooms as well as twin-bedded private rooms with en-suites. The hostel's atmosphere is average and unremarkable, but also predictable and professional. The guests are typical international backpackers on extended worldwide journeys.

The newly renovated rooms are impeccably clean and brightly painted and feature in-window air conditioning units (which are loud but powerful). Each room has a small flat screen television with remote. Bathrooms have showers with tubs and plenty of hot water. Towels are provided, but soap is not. The guest rooms have very thin muslin-like draperies, which offer little to no privacy. Each door has a key-card lock, a deadbolt, and a safety chain.

Jazz on the City does not have an elevator, but the main staircase is wide and accessible. There is no secure luggage storage, but because the reception desk is always manned, they will allow you to pile up luggage at the base of the staircase for short periods (for a few hours while waiting for your room to be ready).

The common area is a large combined laundry-internet-eating-phone room with an adjacent rooftop deck. Although the room has good utility, it suffers from poor housekeeping at times. The area seems to be destroyed daily due to the sheer volume of usage. Trash piles up on the floor and unattended laundry piles up in the corner. The room hosts a miniature fridge and microwave as well as two pay phones. The rooftop deck is wide and spacious and sports a decent view of the surrounding neighborhood and a BBQ area. Unfortunately, it tends to be used as a gathering place for smokers rather than a social hub.

The common area on the top floor has two computers for prepaid internet access. A car service website can be accessed at no cost in order to arrange transportation around town or to the airports. It is important to note that New York City taxis cannot be prearranged -- they must be hailed from the street.

Overall, Jazz on the City is a clean, reliable hostel in a convenient location. For those visiting in the hot and humid summer, the air conditioned rooms are a huge plus. The hostel's proximity to three subway lines makes it a great base for exploring the city. Regular hostel-goers will appreciate the clean and newly renovated individual rooms and forgive the poor condition of the common areas (or just avoid them altogether).

-- Exclusive Hostelz.com Review