Hostelz.com Hostels Reviews


Find hostels in:

Hostelz.com - "Reviews of All Hostels Worldwide"

Hostels Guide > North America > USA > New York > New York City Hostels > Chelsea Spot Hostel

Chelsea Spot Hostel

New York City (Manhattan - Midtown West)

17 of 82

Hostels in New York City

Address	341 West 30th Street, New York City (Manhattan - Midtown West), New York, USA Map
Price	Dorm beds from US$23.00. Private rooms from US$45.00/person. Price may vary by season - Check Current Prices by Date Here

Location/Contact

Details

Their Description

Features

Kitchen
Lounge / Common space
BBQ
Washing Machine (laundry)
24 Hour Free Hot Showers
Phones (public or in room)
Currency Exchange
Air Conditioning

The Hostelz.com Review

A small spot in the big apple, Chelsea Spot Hostel offers a helpful and happy staff, a full-service kitchen, and a place to crash after a long day scaling the Empire State or watching the live version of the Lion King. The rooms are small and dim, but the hostel is clean and friendly.

The Location

Located on the west side of midtown Manhattan, the Chelsea Spot hostel is within walking distance of Times Square and the metro system--twenty minutes from both. From Times Square guests can take the metro to any of the neighborhoods that they would like to explore.

The hostel itself is difficult to locate due to a lack of markings on the outside of the building. It must be located by the number of the address and not by its name. This can be frustrating for those who are unfamiliar with New York and it is best to plot out where you are going beforehand.

Rooms and Bathrooms

The rooms were reasonably clean, but felt somewhat dim and cramped, without much space for bags or movement. On one hand, this encourages guests not to stay in their rooms, but to head out and explore or hang out in the common area and meet other hostel guests. On the other hand, it makes for a more frustrating stay to attempt navigating a crowded little room.

The bathroom is shared with the hallway and there was only one shower for every six or eight people.

Common Spaces

Unusual for New York, this hostel has a backyard. Chairs and a table out back allow for a nice wind-down area out back and the lights of the city illuminate it perfectly. Before reaching the backyard the guests will find themselves in the kitchen and dining area, which is exceptionally clean, quite large, and nicely decorated with the chelsea spots in the hall leading up to it.

Summary

Slightly out of the way on a quieter street the Chelsea Spot Hostel is a great fit for those not planning to spend much time there. The rooms are small and encourage people to go out and see the city. It is, after all, New York City. There's always something to do.

by Gigi Griffis

— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
September 2007

Ratings & Comments

3 Average from 4 Ratings

This is an open forum, and unlike other hostel guide websites we don't censor out the negative comments.
We can't validate the legitimacy of comments posted on this site—so take what you read here with a grain of salt.

Comment by Casper Jensen, New Zealand European

July 2009

Good Location, Terrible Service
Chelsea Spot hostel has no soundproofing and is really cramped and in poor condition, even for a budget or short-term accommodation hostel. The problem I had with staying at Chelsea Spot Hostel, 341 West 30th Street was the terrible service; after I'd checked in I had to put up with this immature, totally arrogant pig, and all-round bigot called Paul who works at the desk. He is not funny and he is insulting. Practically everybody in the place was either annoyed or disappointed by the level of service at Chelsea Spot Hostel, and even worse, he crashes into the guest rooms at 6:30 in the morning to catch up on sleep, making the worst snoring/grunting/pig-like noises I've ever f***ing heard. Two days later, Paul (the customer service check in person) got totally drunk and bashed around in one of the guest rooms, trying to get someone to go party with him in the city. During this episode he actually sprayed a poor innocent guy who was asleep in the face with a deodorant bottle by mistake. Trust me, you might think this is all slightly amusing, but Paul is nothing more than a grade A asshole, and staying at this shabby and poorly organized hostel may well ruin your stay in NYC.

Comment by Nathalie, Québec

October 2008

The worst place
The hotel was overbooked! It seems that this practice is quiet common over there. We arrived at 8 p.m. on a Friday night. We had reserved one month and a half before. We were five and a bed was missing, we told the staff, they told us not to worry. When we came back in the middle of the night, one bed was still missing. They never apologized, they hardly agreed to look in the problem, they even laughed at us. No other bed was available. We had to leave at nearly 5 a.m. with no place to go, we could get refunded but we had to fight! Otherwise, there was a huge persistent smell of chemical products, and the place is so small it gets incredibly crowded. I am used to sleep in YH, never had such a bad experience.

Comment by Kyle, USA

August 2008

Friendly staff, cramped, amazing location
We stayed in this hostel in March of 2007. We chose it because they had a free room that would fit the five of us and they didn't set silly rules like the other hostels about who could stay where. The staff was very friendly and the place seemed to still be a work in progress while we were there. The bathroom was a converted closet and the shower was another converted closet. The walls of our room weren't straight, so the bunk on one side was against the wall and on the other side it was two feet away at the top! I thought all these quirks gave the place character. You couldn't ask for a better location. It's right near Madison Square Garden and walking distance from Midtown Manhattan. It's on a quiet street right across from the Police Precinct Headquarters. You can arrive safely and quickly at any time of night.

Comment by Lu, Australia

March 2008

An excellent hostel
probably the friendliest hostel we visited in the U.S.! the staff are great and nothing is too much of a problem for them. if we wanted extra blankets, or a new room because the other people in the dorm were too noisy, they would sort it out immediately! the location was great too, walking distance to times square, nightlife, food places, subway, shopping -- very affordable too! we couldnt believe we found such a great hostel for such a low price! the dorms/facilities were what you'd expect from a hostel, the only downside would be the tiny toilets/showers, but thats a minor detail. after six weeks backpacking around the U.S., friendly staff makes all the difference! a great all rounder, i would definitely recommend this hostel!

Have you visited this hostel? Post your comments here.

17 of 82

Hostels in New York City

Hostelz.com is the only hostel guide with complete information and reviews on all youth hostels and backpackers worldwide.

About Hostelz.com - Contact Hostelz.com - Add a New Hostel - Group Bookings - Reservations at Chelsea Spot Hostel
Copyright © 2009 Hostelz.com

Exclusive Photos Taken by the Hostelz.com Reviewer

Additional Photos