How to choose a hostel?

USA Hostels in Los Angeles

Even if you want to save money, you need to be careful when comes the time to choose your hostel. To sleep well, it might be necessary to pay a little more.

If it happened that I wasn't satisfied by some of the hostels I chose, I usually ended up in good places. Why?

- Booking early allows to choose in a large number of hostels. But... being last minute might help you take advantage of a cancellation. No place to sleep? Ask at the reception how long they do keep the bed for a no-show. And wait. Sometimes, it works. Otherwise, the fuller the hostel is, the more popular it might be... Could be a good sign.

- Know that websites like hostelbookers and hostelworld only show a part of the beds available. If you call the hostel directly, it happens they might have beds left even if the internet tells you the opposite.

- Look at the average rating. Cross that information with the number of clients who left a comment. The place may have a perfect score of 100 %, if that result is based only on one comment, it might only be the opinion of the owner. I was told some hostels with bad comments erase their account to start fresh. But it's not the majority. A hostel with a few comments only may also be a very new one. It's up to you to see if you take the risk. But if the owners want to keep their business open, they will never offer as many services as when they just opened.

- The comments. If the ratings are important, the comments are at least as crucial. They explain the ratings. Sometimes, people complain because the soap is not included in the hostel. Because somebody snored in their room. Because they didn't like the color on the walls. Because they found dirt on a shelf... You take some... You leave some. But it's a good way to know if the place is a bed bugs nest. If you can see the age of the person who commented, you can also find out what kind of people stays in that hostel.

- Know what you need. Want to sleep? The smaller dorms offers the best chance not to share a room with a snorer. Want to meet people? Big dorms might be for you. Know that younger people travel more on a budget and usually choose bigger dorms to save money. The more expensive a hostel is, the more chances you have to meet young professionnals, in their mid-20's, and older backpackers. I usually choose those.

- The services. In 2012, if you don't have wi-fi in the hostel, you're kind of late. But be careful, in some places, you'll need to pay to use the internet. Search for the word "free" in front of the wi-fi word. On the same subject, most places give free breakfast. Do they have a common room, a curfew, DVD's, a restaurant, parking, lockers, private bathrooms, bicycles to rent, a tour desk?

- The description on the website. Reading the property information helps find out a lot of information. If it is fun, easy to read and complete, you can guess the services will be great. Same for the amount of pictures that show the rooms where you may sleep. Same for the directions to help you get to the hostel.

- Private hostel or a chain? Yes, there are chains of hostels like USA Hostels in United States, Wombats, Saint-Christophers Inn, in Europe, Nomads in Oceania, Che Lagarto in South America or Hi-International, everywhere in the world, like in Canada. These hostels look more like hotels. They have a lot of rooms. The employees are usually very professionnal. The buildings are huge. Impersonal. You are almost sure to find some quality. On the other hand, private hostels, where owners are younger and often live there, are more authentic. There are only a few rooms and it's often easier to meet other travelers there. Cleanliness and services depend on the quality of the owners.

- Location. Some hostel say it "only" takes 30 minutes to get downtown with the metro. Tranquillity might be what you're searching for. If not, the further away you go, the harder it is, usually, to move around.

So, as far as I'm concerned, I mix prices, location, ratings, the number of beds in the dorm and the pictures to make a decision. The result is good most of the time.

And please, if you sleep in a hostel, leave a comment to help other travelers to make a choice.

Why stay in hostels?

Hostel in Xi'an

What is a hostel? Why would you sleep there? It must be impossible to get a good night of sleep in there... You are courageous to go in these kind of places.

When I first heard about hostels, I was 21 years old. I was told it was cheaper and less comfortable than a hotel, that you needed to bring your sleeping bag or to pay for the sheets, that the dorms had 10 beds, that I could get bed bugs, that the showers were dirty and that hot water was often just an option.

Hostel in Beijing.

That is crap! Well, it wasn't really eight years ago. But hostels got better. Backpackers ask for more. The places which can't adapt won't get good comments on hostelworld or hostelbookers or tripadvisor. That is not good for business.

I know what I'm talking about. I visited 58 hostels in six months. At least 75 in my traveling life. I tried several things. And I still book in hostels when I go on the road.

What is true is that hostels are cheaper than hotels. You will find guests between the age of 18 and 80 years old, with more young ones than the ones with wisdom.

The concept : yes, there are dorms. Of 3 to 26 beds. The more beds they have, the cheaper it is. The cost usually includes the sheets, more and more, a reading light for each bed, a locker for your valuables, a wifi connexion and a breakfast. The time where you would get dry bread and a sip of bad coffee is behind you, Most meals are good enough.

If some mattresses make noise or can be uncomfortable, most of the time, it is possible to have a good night of sleep... even if it happens that the roomates are not disciplined enough.

Advantages, other than the cost, the internet connexion and the meal? The employees know trendy places, off the beaten track, or tips to help you save money in the city. They know the public transportation system, know exactly what you should see, speak good english and can teach you some words in the local language. They will write a note for you for the taxi driver or the train station cashier.


Hostels are often really well located or in places you need to explore. If they thought about everything, there is a common room where people gather to chat at every hour of the day or the night. You sit with a group of strangers, you say hi, and there you go, discussion is underway. And the solo traveler finds something to do.

That's the best part of it : meeting other travelers, from everywhere, with stories all more interesting than the others, who travel for different reasons. They also can share their knowledge, tips, life experience.

About cleanliness, again, most of the places are great. Same for the bathrooms, that are more and more private. I once slept in a hostel where the toilet used rain water to preserve the environnement. Efforts are made despite the low prices.

Yes, you'll find a snorer once in a while. Or a sleeping beast who never leaves the bed, event to shower. But for each bad experience, there is a lot of good ones.

Hostels are everywhere... Why not stay there?