I love all the colors and great atmosphere at this hostel. As a frequent hosteler, I can say the accommodations are better than standard, with legitimately comfy beds. The hostel isn't too large, so it feels welcoming and it is easy to meet people. I have stayed here often, and it almost felt like I was home the last time I was there. read more

We had two beds in the six-bed female dorm. We are 35 and 41. The other guests were mid-20s and 55. A great variety of folks! It was exactly what we expected. Clean and safe. The guests in the common areas were a little loud sometimes but it wasn't a bother. It was really quiet outside. We had no trouble parking in the lot. The location was amazing. Minutes (on foot) to the Capitol and many local bars/restaurants. read more

I used to stay there and even did a large portion of the last renovation on the place. While the hostel itself is good for the price, the manager is a complete psychopath. We did the work on this place LAST SUMMER and had to stop because the manager didn't submit our invoicing to pay our crew. One of the most important projects we couldn't complete was the rear emergency exit which has a 1500lb wall about to collapse on anyone who may be using it. IT STILL HASN'T BEEN FIXED. BE WARNED, the place is a wee bit of a death trap currently. read more

I can't even believe this place is real. I keep looking for something to be wrong about it, but there's nothing. First off, the location is crucial. It's walkable to anything you could want downtown. The lobby is clean and welcoming. When I arrived I was greeted by two smiling faces who offered me insight on the city and answered any questions I had. Though I booked a bed in a double bunk room, I spent the night all to myself (it was a Thursday). So lovely. The room was super clean and cute! AC unit and extra blankets and pillows made for a good deep sleep. The bed was way more comfortable than I imagined it would be. The room had plenty of storage and outlets. The kitchen is pretty amazing and there is a full fridge to store any goodies you may bring back. Honestly next time I'm in Madison I'll be spending my money here instead of at a hotel. read more

We have stayed here before and had no issues. It was clean, quiet and comfortable. We had a private room. We are staying here again soon and I'd like to confirm our reservation. However, I am unable to reach the hostel via their listed phone number. I also tried to e-mail, but have not received a response. It is important that we confirm our reservation because we have a little one with us and want to know if everything is set. read more

Yet again a very inexpensive and very friendly experience. We decided to stay again at the hostel and got a private room with a full-size bed that demanded that you rise by at least 8 am. Hey, you don't stay at a hostel to sleep without end or shag with comfort! No! It's cheap, friendly, safe and doesn't break the bank. Please note: Limited parking is extremely limited and the street parking directly in front is metered. Walk about 4-5 blocks West and the free parking is plentiful. Take your shoes off and stay a while! read more

staff was exceptionally friendly, it was a great experience- - hostelling is not for everyone - i enjoyed my stay and met some really neat fellow travelers. The facilities were clean, i'd stay again read more

As a grad of hotel school, I'm used to 4+ star hotels, so I was skeptical. But I can honestly say that I very much enjoyed my first stay in a hostel. The facilities were clean, comfy, safe, convenient and friendly. And who can beat the price? I'm glad I listened to my young cousin :) read more

This is the only hostel I've ever stayed in, so I can't compare it to others. I really enjoyed the atmosphere of the building, the full kitchen, and the location (right in downtown). The staff was very nice and helpful, and you can't beat the price. My only complaint was that the heater in my room didn't work. It didn't end up being too cold, so it wasn't a problem on my stay, but would've been a big issue a little later into the season. read more

For the money it was good overall. The noise was a bit much as my room was across from the kitchen and I was awoken at 630AM to someone in the kitchen talking on their phone. There was that and someone decided to play the piano down in the living room area which could be heard throughout the entire hostel. The location is good and the staff was friendly though. read more

Friendly and clean. I stayed in the 6-person women's dorm, which has an en-suite shower. This is on the first floor, but there are still stairs to get into the building. I didn't see any other entrance, so I have to assume this place is not accessible for some people with mobility issues. Also, a slightly unusual thing for me: you have to remove your shoes in the entryway. There's a stool to sit on, should you need it, but you can't wear your shoes within the hostel. The staff were friendly. I actually didn't spend a lot of time at the hostel itself - I was in town to be out and about, after all! But the time I did spend was well worth the money. The sitting room has, as mentioned, a piano. It also has free Netflix access. I know others complained about the towels - I brought my own, so I can't comment on the quality or size of those provided by the hostel. Pros: * Individual lockers in the room for storing your things (bring your own lock) * Great price * Free street parking about 4 blocks away (Note: on Sundays & Holidays, the meters are not in effect, so you can park for free directly in front of the hostel) * Walking distance of Capitol and downtown (less than half a mile) * Nearby bars, so you can have a nice nightcap before heading back to the hostel to sleep Cons: * Beds are *very* soft - softer than I like * Room sharing - if you are a light sleeper, this may be an issue for you * Shower pressure was mediocre * As noted, not accessible for most assistive devices. * Nearby bars, so there is occasional noise from the patrons when they are leaving Note: I visited during the spring, and the weather was great. I did not see any air conditioning, however, so it probably gets quite warm during the summer months. read more

what an awesome place to stay in Madison. the staff is super nice, the place is clean, quiet, colorful, and the the location couldn't be better. the adorable Costa Rica Cafe adjacent to the hostel is the perfect chill spot for some good eats and drinks in a low-key, yet very popular and busy, atmosphere. the staff was very responsive to all my requests, including mailing my cell phone charger back to me without any attitude or complaints. it's a queer friendly place with lots of resources as to what one can do around Madison and it's walking distance to the Cardinal, another fun local queer hang out for those who like a bit more of a flavor with their night life than what the local jock bar can offer. i'll be staying there next time i'm in town for sure! read more

Terrible, terrible hostel. All the favorable reviews are from corporate employees of hostelling international. The building and rooms are the most dilapidated I've seen. The beds are painfull and the temperature is freezing. Worst of all there is this rip off restaurant run by a scary Jamaican guy, connected to the hostel, that blasts regae all night long! I mean till two am on a Tuesday, sleeping and comfort are impossible here. It's not even worth $2.50 a night. read more

I do actually have a couple of complaints about this hostel, but I will start off saying that it is actually very clean, the staff is very friendly and hospitable, the hostel is very conveniently located a few blocks to the downtown/Capitol Sq. area and yet is very cheap (the cheapest you can find in the vicinity of downtown Madison). Finally, it is pretty environmentally-friendly and uses biodegradable cleaners & hand soap, has efficient lighting and has signs about water conservation, which I appreciated. My complaints stem from things that occurred before I came to the hostel and at the tail end of my stay. I have a medical condition and so when I made my reservation so that I could attend a conference in Madison on a tight budget, I had requested a private room with a private bathroom (I offered to pay a little more for this privilege, but would have still saved a lot of money compared to any hotel in the area). The hostel agreed, and I was grateful for their willingness to accomodate me and my condition. After being assured of these arrangements, I registered for the conference and purchased my plane tickets. However, only a few weeks before my trip to Madison (and at this point I had had my hostel reservation for over a month), I received a terse e-mail from the hostel quickly apologizing that they had cancelled out my reservation because someone else who wanted to stay longer in it and pay more money for the room, wanted it. In the e-mail they made no attempt to arrange other alternative accomodations for me. I understand that the hostel is small and needs to turn a certain profit to stay open, but I still think it's unprofessional to cancel a reservation that had been in place for a while on short notice because there is the potential of a higher paying customer.At this point, it was too late for me get a refund on my plane tickets or my registration fee, and most of the other hotels in the area were either booked or way out of my price range. I basically had to make a lot of noise about the situation (including invoking my rights under the American Disability Act), and conjure up my own compromise that would allow me to stay at the hostel. The hostel did agree to it, and again, I was happy for their flexibility, though I wished they had put the effort in first. At the time of my arrival and during my stay, I was happy with the service and friendliness of the staff, and the orderliness of the hostel, until the time came to check out. Since check-out at the hostel is at 10am, and my flight was not until the late afternoon, I had inquired upon making my reservation if it was possible to store my luggage in the front desk office in the interim period, so that I could run some last minute errands and enjoy some last moments in Madison. I was assured this was a service they provided. I also asked about this again when I checked in and again the night before I was due to check out. But when the time came to check out, no one was around and there was simply a sign on the door saying someone would be back in the office in the early afternoon. Several other people also were wondering where the staff was to check in, change keys, etc. I guess there had been an emergency and the front desk person fell ill and by some fluke there was no back-up for the front desk. I know stuff happens and again it's a small operation. I was unaware of the emergency (the note did not indicate it), had some leftover frustration about my first situation, and so left an e-mail and phone complaint before I left the hostel. My complaint now isn't even with the situation itself, since it turn out to be a fluke, but that the hostel manager replied to my complaints stating that they are a non-profit and not a hotel and therefore not responsible for patrons' bags after check-out. Non-profit status was the same thing that was offered to me in defense for the first situation. My complaint is that the hostel staff actively offered these services, assured them, but then when for whatever reason they couldn't follow through (even if it's for a good reason), the manager appealed to non-profit status as though it grants automatic immunity from any complaints for failing to provide services that were initially agreed to. I did not expect these services implicitly and the hostel manager should acknowledge that my frustration is justified from my perspective. I will say, that a staffer e-mailed me a very courteous apology and a reasonable explanation for the check-out situation, which is all I really wanted. But they caused a lot of stress and wasted a lot of my time prior to and at the end of my trip due to shoddy mgt and unethical priorities. I had a nice stay though. I would just warn you if you have a medical condition, or another reason that impedes your ability to be flexible, you have a back-up plan. read more

Welcoming desk staff, great location, felt warm and friendly, lots of great info about the area.

The Madison Hostel is awesome. I was here a few years ago and decided to come back to this great city and my stay was even better than it was the first time. They have new beds, which i'll admit was needed the last time i was here. The atmosphere is great, the staff was super helpful and i was close to the metro so i could get everywhere i needed to go. If you're looking for a cheap place to stay in downtown madison i definitely recommend the hostel! read more