Hostile and unprofessional staff. I had to call the police just to try to obtain my refund and retrieve belongings I had left at the hostel after an aggressive confrontation with the manager that made me feel extremely unsafe. Apparently, someone from the staff made a mistake while extending my stay. I followed the instructions given to me by this person and on the second day when I was ready to move to the room assigned told by the latter, I calmly approached the manager to confirm. Manager became unnecessarily defensive insisting that I had only paid for a cheaper room even though I had the receipt and the person who originally made the extension confirmed that my reservation was exactly as I described. Instead of apologizing, management reacted with hostility, cancelled my reservation without an explanation, and demanded that I leave the building immediately. This person even became more aggressive, rushing me out giving me little time to properly pack my belongings with dignity, humiliating me in front of other guests, and taking my things nearly outside without my permission even though I never resisted leaving. At one point he told me, "You will see today," while trying to provoke me into re-entering the building likely to escalate the situation even further. I chose to walk away because his behavior appeared completely out of control. If you value professionalism, respect, and personal safety, I strongly recommend avoiding this hostel. I would not recommend this place. UPDATE: Now I see the property responded to my review with false claims, including accusing me of "taking a leak" in the room and underestimating their hostile behavior, in what seems like a desperate attempt to distract readers from the serious and unacceptable incident I experienced there. This person seem to forget that the police were called for a reason. Nothing justified such behavior. Dear readers, this is how low and sketchy this place is. Instead of addressing the lack of professionalism, the owner chooses to attack my character publicly fabricating arguments. I dare this property to prove their claim. Again, I was NEVER given an explanation as to why my extension was suddenly revoked. It is clear the manager just appeared frustrated and angry after his misconduct and decided to retaliate by forcing me out in an intimidating and hostile manner likely to try to humiliate me. This appears to be a family-run business. Manager and owner seem related. Again, for your own dignity and safety, I strongly recommend staying away from this place. read more

So first of all, I should note that I am 40 years old and definitely not the target demographic for this particular hostel. That said, I would have been just slightly less appalled if it was 20 years ago and I had this experience. The staff person was polite, but not particularly helpful. I told him I would be checking out before 6am, and so he wouldn't give me a key to my room because he said no one would be on duty that early to take the key back when I checked out. Not great for my roommates, I had to leave the door unlocked while they slept when I snuck out a little after 5:30am. The facilities were so filthy that I didn't even feel comfortable taking a shower there, or using the bathroom much at all. I wasn't given a towel, so showering would have been awkward anyway. More on the lack of hygiene was demonstrated by the presence of all the mice; not fun seeing a dying baby mouse stagger from the kitchen to the bathroom, or hearing about mice running around in the dorm I was assigned to from my roommates. The best things I can say for this hostel is that it's in a popular location, the bedsheets were clean, and the other guests were nice and polite without being overly friendly. This was a last resort because reservations at other places fell through, but I definitely wouldn't return here for anything, and no matter how minimal your needs or budget, I'd advise avoiding this place. read more

This is infuriating. I make a reservation through the website on the 24th and within maybe a half hour, change my mind. I call the number on the website to cancel and the guy can't find my reservation through my name. So he asks for my confirmation number and I had to give it to him three times because he couldn't get it right. Then he finally tells me I'm canceled but there was something about the way he says it that makes me think nah, it isn't really canceled. So I email using the address on the website asking him to confirm my cancellation. So, same guy apparently and he can't find the reservation through my name and asks for the dates booked and or the confirmation number. So I forward him the reservation confirmation and he tells me he will see me tomorrow. I remind the guy I canceled quickly after making the reservation. Then it see,s like he canceled it today and not on the 24th when I called him. He refuses to tell me his name and insists he doesn't take his work home with him. When I to,d him he answered the phone when he wasn't at the hostel, he never answered. I had approximately 24 hours to cancel with no penalty. I'm calling the Better Business Bureau to lodge a complaint. read more

I thoroughly enjoy this place. Very basic but it has everything you need. Great location. Very accessible to bars, restaurants and public transportation. Staff and owner are great. read more

This is a great place to stay, love it here. Close to all the attractions. In the heart of the Adams Morgan neighborhood. Only a metro stop away from the historical sites. Would recommend. read more

The first time I stayed in a hostel was more than 50 years ago. Since then I have stayed in more than 300 hostels in 50 countries. This is one of the Top 3 hostels I have stayed in regards comfort, accessibility, and a general good vibe. Nice showers and full kitchens. There are supermarkets, pharmacies, restaurants and gyms in easy walking distance Adams-Morgan is vibrant even in this time of covid. Close to public transportation. The staff and owner Steve are accessible to answer your questions and help out. read more

Very friendly staff and wonderful experience! The experience here is amazing! I will definitely come back! Clean room and warm kitchen! It made my whole trip in DC awesome! read more

WISC gets a bum rap --and it shouldn't. I've stayed here repeatedly. The location in the heart of Adams Morgan is ideal. Steve the owner uses a low flat rate (usually $30) -- so there are no sudden surprises like there are at other hostels. It has the most diverse mix of guests I've ever experienced -- by age, education, gender, race and religion. Great living room on the first floor, very functional kitchen, and a number of desks and nooks to work from. If you need a few weeks to look for work, or you're just a diehard digital nomad, this is a great place for you. Great nearby cafes to work from, and plenty of grocery stores, large and small. If you are looking for a back-packer hostel filled with 20-somethings, this is may not be your first choice -- except for the location and rate. Yes, there are a few "long-stayers" but that's because the hostel market has changed dramatically in the past few years. It gives the place a sense of "community." Staff, which, lives onsite is very helpful. Steve goes out of his way to respond to inevitable (in fact, often outrageous) complaints to accommodate you. The water is always hot and the AC is always cold. More than I can say for other places. Check it out. Post-COVID, quite a few spaces still available here. read more

Originally we had booked an airbnb for our 2-night stay in DC, but our reservation was cancelled pretty last minute and we had to look for another alternative. With no better options, we settled on staying at this hostel. It can be a little hard to find this place. The door is tucked between two other restaurants, and there is no prominent sign outside. When my uber driver dropped me off, I was so confused and for a second questioned if he had brought us to the wrong place. The door is also locked, so you'll need to ring a doorbell to be let in. Once you're inside, there is a pretty long and narrow staircase you have to go up--no elevators so be warned you'll have to carry all your stuff up. I stayed in a private double room with my sister. The room was pretty bare bones, but it had the basics. Didn't necessarily feel clean though. The blanket was also totally shedding "hairs" all over, which I didn't realize until after I had lain on top and got covered in it. The bathroom also does not feel very clean. Definitely bring a pair of flipflops or something if you plan to shower there. Also, there was no soap in the bathroom for washing your hands. One nice thing is that they provide breakfast here. Pretty basic stuff like toast and cereal, but better than nothing. Be warned, their fire alarm goes off pretty easily. Like after every time someone used the toaster, the alarm would go off. Also, the hostel is located in the Adams Morgan neighborhood, which is really nice. A lot of great food options are within walking distance! Overall, you get what you pay for. This place does its job in giving you a place to sleep for the night, but it wouldn't have been my first choice. read more

This hostel is conveniently located in the middle of Adams Morgan. I was a little frightened of staying here based on some reviews I had seen, but the price was too good to beat (something like $30 for a night). All shared dorms I believe and only 2 bathrooms in the entire place as far as I could tell. Still, no one seemed to be too upset about waiting for the bathroom and the wait was never too long. The bathroom was clean enough as well as the dorm rooms. The bunkbeds were a bit rickety and I was afraid that I would shake it loose in the middle of the night and further was worried constantly that I would wake the person below me every time I moved. The linens were clean and the place was surprisingly quiet given its location! I do recommend this place if you need to save some bucks and need a place to stay in DC and you don't mind not having a private room and/or bath. The staff was super friendly and most importantly, you get 1 free night of parking in the parking garage in Adams Morgan. That alone makes the cost of the stay worthwhile!!! read more

Price-wise this place is unbeatable for its location around bars and places; however the hostel itself is OK. You see students from all over the places and sometimes it surely can surprise you how different people lives. I think all the rooms are mixed gender, so there is not much of privacy, but the owner is nice enough to do the best he could to move people around. I went alone so that might also be why; if you have a group of people there might be less of problem. The neighborhood is fun though, lots of clubs and bars and tons going on around. read more

This place is great location wise.A bit of a hike from the Metro but buses abound. Friendly staff and owner. Homey feel, great kitchen. Right in Adam's Morgan restaurants and bars surrond the place. Two supermarkets in a 5 minute walk. A fun time. read more

There is a reason it is cheap. Its dirty, smelly and creepy. The rooms were tiny. I dont know how they expected 6 people to live in the tiny bedroom, its inhumane. The place stinks because the people there dont bathe and they just stink up the room which alsp doesnt have any ventilation. The beds are super ricketty and theyll make loud creaking sounds all night. The common area is also stinky and musty and the kitchen is straight up disgusting. The utensils are so old and everything just looks really dirty. I bookes for 2 nights but after 1 night i couldnt take it anymore and booked the highroad hostel which was nearby. That one felt like heaven after i went through this. And the price difference was just 10 dollars between the two. I regret wasting my money on them. Dont ever go there. read more

This is a decent hostel. The hostel is located in the Adams Morgan neighborhood, which is a really happening place (even on weekdays) with a bunch of bars...I had a private room with my travel companion and that was $60/night...a steal for this location. The guy has some free parking passes for a little bit next door...but when we got there, he didn't have any left. We did get it for the next day, though! That is pretty amazing as parking in DC is expensive/confusing. The guy who runs this place is a friendly guy. A bit dirty/run down, but still a great place to stay considering the good value (price + location). read more

This hostel was NOT enjoyable. My first night in DC, and it was St. Patty's Day. I was with a school group on spring break, so I get it. Unfortunately, the hostel staff was less-than-understanding of my friend who got legitimately sick overnight and needed to change her sheets in the middle of the night (and was then stuck in the dirty hostel for the rest of the week). The owner also gave me a rather "creepy" feeling that left me unsettled, as a college girl. There was duct tape on some of the furniture to repair it, and my room in particular - a 9-bed girls room with exposed venting and 3-high bunks that you couldn't sit up in without bumping your bed - was terribly uncomfortable. It's not near the Metro, you can't sleep because of the noisy bar downstairs, and it's dirty. I'll pay $5 more per person and stay at the "Hostelling International" chain hostel near Metro Center (11th & K-ish). read more

I have been staying in hostels in Washington DC frequently over the past 5 years. I think I have stayed in nearly all of them at this point. Generally, I have found that many tend to be either gross, overpriced, in terrible neighborhoods, or (frankly) Hostile. Given my experiences, my expectations for WISC were not great. I was hugely, surprised with this place! It is in a solid, well kept building in what I consider to be among the coolest neighborhoods in DC, yet the price was considerably lower than many if not most other hostels in DC. The beds were solid, the layout of the building was really well done (ie great circulation, bathrooms where you want them, etc. The sheets, etc. were clean and fresh, and we actually got a real, solid key for the door. Something about that I just love :-) It was clear that this place had been thought about, and honed, for years. Check in was smooth. The staff went WAY out of their way to answer questions, solve problems, etc., and the owner is, I think, what made it all work. I suspect he does what he does not for money, but rather because he just loves doing what he does, and is really good at it! It really shows. He was a treasure trove of knowledge about the city, and I don't think there was a question you could ask him that he couldn't answer down to the finest detail. For most trips, I look back on where I went, cool stuff I saw, etc. This trip, I will probably remember this place as the coolest part. I don't think I will ever stay anywhere else for all my future DC trips. Glad I found it! read more

It is located Adam Morgans which is a safe area. Other than this hostel is far from the subway but there is a bus station near there. I stayed 6 bed mixed room. It was so smelly and not clean. First day I saw a bed bug in the bathroom. But it was the cheapest hostel in DC and the receptioner was a good guy. read more

Do yourself a favor and under no circumstances consider staying here. The owner is demeaning to his guests upon the simplest of requests. I witnessed this on several occasions. Bed sheets were absolutely filthy, other guests were being bitten by bugs during the night. People were sleeping on the common area couches and even belittled an older lady after she was locked into the building. Cockroaches and mice roam freely. Additionally the building is between two night clubs in which the music that was played literally vibrated the building. I have heavy duty ear plugs and those were not anywhere near sufficient. The area is not safe as two female guests were drugged and rushed to the hospital when one had no pulse. This place should be avoided at all costs as there are much better places for similar budgets elsewhere in town and in much better locations. I could also tell the married owner was surely trying to hit on the pretty international girls. Creepy. Just stay away! For similar budgets I recommend: Hi Washington Hostel Duo Hostel Lofty Hostel read more

I wanted to say that Steve is an incredible guy and very understanding. I can't say the same about the staff, because either they were nervous/overworked but don't mind them, get your business done by Steve if you can. I had made a reservation online and Steve left a message right away on my phone telling me it was overbooked. However, he provided me and my party with special arrangements which were unexpected and was very nice. Everybody in the dorm is chill and laid back. It's a GREAT BARGAIN to be able to stay dead smack in Adams Morgan for that amount of money (total of $27/night incl tax). read more

Objectively, I can see most people having a 3 star experience here, but mine was not the case and I lowered it due to unaddressed safety concerns based on my personal experience. The owner seemed to be a good-hearted guy and especially friendly toward the ladies, based on my limited experience of him, but seemed extremely perturbed at me asking about the internet connection, perhaps because he was stressed at the time. He was responsive, though and fixed it within 15 minutes. The down-side of his good-heartedness was that there was a long-term resident who, according to other folks there, had a history of paranoid/aggressive behaviors toward guests. He was allowed to basically take over the entire side of a 6-bed dorm room with his belongings. After keeping me up the first night by coughing (more the shaking of the rickety bunk than the noise), as I slept above him) he accused me of stealing his laptop. The next night, he randomly punched/kicked the underside of my mattress, at one point getting up and violently shoving my mattress against the wall and putting everyone else in the room on edge. There was no-one on site to contact about the incident and so I waited in the common area until morning. I told the morning staff about the incident when I checked out a few hours later. He repeatedly reassured me that he would tell the manager about it, and that he also had concerns about this particular resident. Two days later (as of this writing), according to someone still staying there he is still there, showing aggressive behaviors, making him and probably others feel unsafe. Apparently, the manager had befriended him and is reluctant to make him leave. I don't believe this is acceptable for the well-being and comfort of the other residents. Other than this, it's a great location, the staff seem relatively friendly (although the manager was outright rude when stressed) and responsive to concerns when asked. The wifi was spotty and after my first experience, I was reluctant to have the manager restart the router after it went out the 2nd time and so went without. The facilities are a bit grungy. They don't allow sleeping bags and only provide sheets and one thin blanket. (I was given two additional sheets when I asked for another blanket). The free continental breakfast consisted of defrosted loaves of bread and a jar of peanut butter and jelly and orange juice. All-in-all, despite my safety concerns, I would say that given the price/location, it's an okay value. . read more

I've stayed in many hostels. Of course you shouldn't expect much from a cheap hostel. But this place gave me the worst experience. Room and bathroom weren't clean, I almost asked if they change sheets between guests. Good that it didn't stink, except the smell of instant noodles that hit me when I walked in. There are far better hostels for the same price. BUT if you are a young traveler who is looking to drink/drug and sleep in a bit dirty bed with noise from street and other rooms, this is the place for you. read more

I had mixed feelings about our stay at this hostel. It wasn't horrible but it just wasn't good either. My boyfriend and I chose this hostel because it offers free parking for the first night. When we got there the lady at the reception told us to park our car in the covered car park around the corner. So we did. It all seemed a bit weird because we got a visitors parking pass and no key card or anything to access the car park for free. So we went back to double check and were told they didn't actually offer the car park service anymore but to park somewhere at the side of a street. But just not where there were metres installed. Since we're not from the area that meant nothing to us. We had to ask someone walking past if we were allowed to park where we had found a spot. The lovely gentleman ended up googling the area code on the visitor's pass and without his help we would have been lost. On the plus side we did get our money back that we had already invested in the ticket for the car park, but we did waste quite some time on the whole parking space search. Shouldn't the person working front desk be informed about the services they offer? Also, breakfast was nonexistent. Or maybe someone had already raided it so there was none left. The ac is so loud you will need earplugs at night. The pros of staying at this hostel were the price, the fun location and ............. yeh that might be it. Wouldn't stay again. read more

I have just stayed at the Washington International Student Center, originally planned to stay a couple of nights, but after such a good experience, decided to stay an extra night. Friendly staff, great price, great location, there is more than one bathroom which other hostels I stayed at didn't have. My entire experience staying at WISC has been extremely positive. The rooms are a good size and there is plenty of space, the front room is great for socialising, and there is a large kitchen so you can save a few dollars by cooking your own food instead of eating at restaurants every night. The only negative of my whole experience was not being able to see the front door when I arrived on the first night, but a quick phone call to the hostel reception and I was checked in and ready to go out to the many local bars 5 minutes later. The front door is to the left of the bar Union Station, and to the right of The Diner. However it was dark when I arrived. read more

I'm relatively new to the hostel world. I must admit this before I go any further. Ok, admission, so now that that's out of the way....This is the second hostel I've been to and its really cool. Its not the most high tech hostel so you wont feel like you're at the four seasons but you wont be experiencing the four seasons either. Its at the heart of Adams Morgan right above a banging bar called Grand Central and an innovative 24 diner called.....drum roll please....The Diner.....definitely on point. Then you have a strip of clubs and bars up and down the street. The Reef, Crown Cafe, Bukom Cafe, Millie and Al's.....oh and the New York sized slices of Pizza....had to cap that P ya know.....nem joints is huge......for an eclectic pizza and craft beer cross the street and go to the Mellow Mushroom.....18th Street doesn't close til around 4 its crazy...there are so many more places to go to but I couldn't possibly list them all here but look out 4 my reviews....but yeah though about the hostel....International people even the people who work here. Games and fun b4 going out and when coming back in.....breakfast is what you make it....literally there's a stove and pots and pans and whatever you need to make it awesome....one morning a few of us all made something different and we had a real international breakfast. The first hostel I went to was cool as well but it was like so far away from everything here at Washington International everything is either a few steps away or right around the corner....grocery, pharmacy, metro (bus & train), everything is out here..... read more

This hostel was tons fo fun. It's in the middle of a great neighborhood with a very active nightlife. Not too far from downtown and the main sites. The staff was incredibly friendly, very helpful with directions. Parts of the hostel were a little on the old side, but nothing major, and considering the price, not too big a deal. The bathrooms were really clean. There was a free breakfast, and wifi. However, this hostel was really hard to find. They need to get a sign! Overall, great time. Would definitely stay there again. read more

This hostel was great, the rooms, the facilities, and especially the staff. They helped me a lot when I messed up my reservation. Thank you for your help and patience! read more

Respectful and professional staff. Excellent location, near Tryst Cafe, Starbucks, independent bookstore, and a grocery store (Safeway). Kitchen offers breakfast at 8am (PBJs and orange juice). Commons area provides cozy couches, TV, and books. Rear rooms are quieter than front rooms. Had one negative interaction, but manager addressed the situation. Owner / manager is onsite and available 24/7. Over-all, a positive experience. read more

this was a very fun hostel, i stayed there for about 2 weeks, and i have to say that i loved it. the owner, steve, is a very straight forward guy that makes some mildly inappropriate jokes from time to time. but overall the diversity of people who visit is incredible. i felt like i met someone from half of europe and a bit of africa while i stayed there, as well as the occasional asian. the breakfast served there is toast with milk or tampico. the kitchen is small but has most necessary utensils to cook what you bring from the market. loved my stay her and would recomend to all people who are looking for a cheap place to stay at for a couple nights or even a couple weeks. not sure if its normal for hostels to have this, but this hostel has a commons area that is great for meeting the people staying there. read more

Absolutely disgusted. This place is located in Adam's Morgan which is tons of fun, great places to eat and drink however this hostel was terrible - by far the worst we have stayed at in our 2 month stay in the US. We could handle the 6 bunk dorm crammed into a room that could barely fit a double bed in it given the price we were paying but the place hadn't been cleaned in months if ever. We heard the staff bragging about how they were supposed to take half an hour to clean each bathroom but were able to clean the entire place in less than half an hour (and I'm pretty sure that just consisted of emptying the rubbish bins into bags and dumping them in the lounge) and it sure looked like it. Anyway, all of this we could grin and bear until it came to checking out... we waited for over half an hour in the common area to check out at 8.30am (checkout time 8am to 11am) and there was no one there to man the desk, we tried calling the phone to get some attention until we could wait no longer to get our deposit back because our taxi was waiting. I left a note asking to be phoned to sort out getting our money back and this happened about 20minutes after we left where the guy claimed he had to duck out for "just a second" several times to which I argued back that we (amongst others) had been waiting for over half an hour and he told me that it was my problem that we needed to check out so early (during checkout time??) and refused to sort out the fact that they now have made an extra bit of cash out of us because they provide terrible customer service. By all means stay at this place if you want to be ignored, told you are stupid and made to phone in several times because the lazy staff can't be bothered answering your calls or doing anything for the people that pay their wages. read more