Gramercy Place

A homey, wonderful place.
I have stayed at Gramercy Place Hostel many times (please do NOT confuse this with the Gramercy Apartments in Koreatown which receive not-so-nice reviews). I sometimes arrive in L.A. with little advance notice (from San Francisco). L.A. is my "escape valve" from the misery of San Francisco's filthy streets; blighted neighborhoods; drug activity; mentally disturbed citizens; and lost souls covered in disgusting tattoos, with hair dyed chartreuse, purple, pink, and orange. L.A. metro area does have some of this going on but only in small "pockets." Generally, you will not see these types around the Gramercy. There is nothing like it anywhere in the hostel world. It's your home away from home, as many have found out. The "common areas" area very pretty and well-kept. There is adequate kitchen space without the kitchens being crowded as they usually are in almost all hostels. The management is always accommodating and very flexible. The great deal at the Gramercy Place is that it's a relaxing and very nice place to live for the many who come to town and are in transition as well as for folks just in town on business for a few days (which I often am) and/or for folks who are simply in town for fun and sightseeing. I prefer to escape mobs and multitudes of people sightseeing and lugging cameras around. I also prefer to avoid being used as a tour guide. At the Gramercy Place, if you want to dine outside in the back, the accommodations are perfect -- I have never, ever seen anything like it at a hostel. I also appreciate not feeling that I am in a cement jungle, as I have felt while staying at some well-known and popular hostels in the L.A. metro area. Add to this the fact that the price is right here. There are some cheap places to do your food shopping, convenience shopping, and public transportation literally "swarms" in all directions within a few steps of the hostel. I have found the "locals" to be friendly and kind. Gramercy Place is an incredible "find" and a good deal for your money.

I had friends in town and they loved everything about this place.
It's like they said, "Your Home Away From Home." They have a huge patio with a BBQ in the back yard, we got to cook, mingle, and drink wine with the other guest. It was a nice experience all around. The place was kept very clean and organized.

Nice place, nice people
I have truly enjoyed my stay at gramercy place. The staff were nice and always made me feel at home. There are short term and long term people of all walks of life staying at Gramercy Place. It is what you bring that either makes this a nice place or not. I will always recommend Gramercy Place. It is a safe, clean, and sometimes fun place to lay your head.

If you land at Gramercy Place, count yourself very lucky!
I found this place quite by chance and was "nervous" about staying in a hostel because I had my young daughter with me. Saw the ad online -- along with a few pictures -- and figured I would "take a chance." What great luck! The pictures and description (in my opinion) don't really do Gramercy Place justice. It was so much nicer than I expected! Our first night there, we were invited to join the residents on our floor for a family-style italian dinner cooked by our hallmates. What a welcome! And my daughter has benefited greatly from meeting so many people from places that she's only read about (Israel, Spain, Colombia). My favorite moment, watching my ten-year-old tutoring and helping a student from Spain with her English. Priceless. I'm particularly fond of one of the staff members (Maria). She's in charge of housekeeping and keeps me laughing (my Spanish has gotten so much better -- I think). Thank you, Maria! The owners, Sheila and Kelly, have been very welcoming to us and spend a great deal of time doing things that make Gramercy Place special (organizing wine/karaoke bus tours, planting flowers on the deck). I had a particularly special event happen while I was there. I celebrated a very big birthday. I was treated to an evening of food, cake, and wine prepared and purchased by some of the staff and residents of Gramercy Place. I smile every time I think about it. What a great night! I have a new found love for this area. Koreatown is yummy -- full of diverse and satisfying food choices. Who knew you could find such great Mexican food in Koreatown? I have made friends and built relationships that are life-long and I know it's only because we came here to stay.

Great place to stay when in L.A.!
I'm planning my next trip down to L.A. this summer and looking forward to staying at Gramercy Place (I've been coming here every visit for the last several years). It's meticulously maintained and the needs of guests are looked after by the helpful management staff. I particularly enjoy the outdoor common areas and the unassuming atmosphere. It's not your typical hostel, there are often foreign students staying for extended visits or folks relocating, looking for a safe and clean place to stay till they land something more permanent. Typical protocol for hostel stays apply though -- always watch your stuff, this isn't your grandmother's house you're crashing at. It's a big place with lots of great people in and out and the occasional bad apple.

Very safe, yet relaxing and comfortable stay
This hostel is professionally, yet warmly run. It has the feel of the old time class hostel, the way they are meant to be-fun, clean, an environment where people are considerate and empathetic to the weary traveler. There aren't too many hostels like this anymore-especially in the big cities, where either the HI hostels have more rules than a fifteenth century seminary or the independent runs that have beer bottles and broken down bathrooms (the bathrooms at Gramercy work perfectly, I tested them!). The rooms are clean; they've got a big widescreen television; but most importantly, the managers/owners of the hostel are good, real, salt of the earth people. They've experienced hostels and know exactly how to run one. It's about time L.A. had a place like this for backpackers and students!

Comfortable, safe, clean, great value!
I have spent considerable time at Gramercy Place. Like many people I was a little leery about staying at a hostile. After the first night of anticipation, I realized what a find this place is! The environment is very comfortable with a pleasant international flavor. The rooms are well thought out and clean. The fully equipped kitchens would satisfy even the most discerning gourmet. What about the bathrooms? Clean, nice fixtures and above all, hot water! The grounds are manicured, with a very natural landscaping. More importantly I found that the staff is efficient, attentive, and very professional. I recommend Gramercy Place to any one from the international traveler to the professional businessperson in town for meetings.

Unfriendy -- Staff is a bit hostile and creepy
The Gramercy is divided into three areas -- one upstairs for VIPs, one upstairs for older residents, and a downstairs for the rest of us. You cannot use the upstairs kitchens if you are staying downstairs, and you will never meet any of the residents from upstairs -they are locked behind closed doors with their own TV, kitchen, and attitude. Many of the residents seem to be divided along racial lines for social purposes. One older African-American woman is downright crazy and wears a funny looking "Egyptian" vamp style wig and scolds people. The computers, which are supposed to be included in the price, are old and do not have basic software on them; forget about watching your travel videos or pics. And the wireless does not reach throughout the house -- a backwards, loser place that is not on the bandwagon. The staff consists of two ladies who you will only see in the morning because they leave early, plus a nosy maid who yells to the maintenance man in Spanish. The younger staff lady is kind of rude and creepy, especially to women and, for some reason, attractive men-perhaps because she is overweight and seems socially insecure. She seems like she may be in a racist militia in her spare hours, although she wears glasses and appears normal at first meeting but is quite authoritarian and cranky -- if you see ever her outside the "office." The maid and older lady disturb you when you are sleeping and enter your room and move your belongings around at will, leaving weird notes -- some of your things may end up missing. Neighborhood is dangerous and dirty as well.

I found this place to be amazing!
It was my home away from home. The place is beautiful, clean, and everyone was very helpful and caring. Won't stay anywhere else when in L.A. Thanks to the staff, job well done!

I wouldn't tell you to go anywhere else!
From the moment I walked into this place the vibe was great. Kelly, Sheila, Dolan, and Tim were very helpful. Everyone in the hostel was cool as well. The best part is that what you see on their website is exactly what you will see when you arrive. The neighborhood isn't the cleanest, but you won't have to worry about whether its safe to walk around at night and thank god there is a Carl's Jr. around the corner. Coming from Atlanta, I had never heard of a "Hostel," just from what I saw from the movie of the same title and that about scared the hell outta me. Big kitchen and dining room. Phat patio area in the back and the place was kept immaculately clean. I can go on and on for days about how much I loved this place, so I'll stop here.

Nice, friendly, comfortable place to sleep!
Although I was leery of staying in a hostel in Los Angeles since I had never been there, I quickly realized that I had made a good choice in Gramercy Place. For $50, I got a comfortable, clean, noise-free room, and a choice of four bathrooms in the home. Even though I stayed here while a group was present, I had minimal trouble getting into a bathroom when I needed to. The staff was friendly and helpful and although I checked in late, they were kind enough to leave a key in the mailbox with detailed instructions. An added bonus was having two computers available for internet access. Gramercy is in a great location, central to downtown L.A. and Hollywood. Its only drawback is the parking -- Gramercy Place (the street) is completely filled up after 8 or 9 p.m. on any given night. Two nights I parked on Pico Boulevard, but it was a little confusing because you couldn't park on one side of the street from 7 to 9 a.m. and you couldn't park on the other from 4 to 6 p.m. Yet, the neighborhood felt safe, the bed was comfortable, and the noise minimal. Who could ask for anything more?

Found staff to be friendly, fun, very helpful. Gramercy is beautiful, clean, close to everything -- great value for the money. Lots of different people. I'd stay there anytime.