Gaslamp Hostel San Diego

One of the coolest looking hostels I’ve been to. It was a house of ill repute once upon a time and it still have a very classic decor and layout which will transport you back in time in a really cool way. It was a bit hard to find (it’s a very small door between two Italian restaurants). They provided free vodka on our first night there (Saturday) but it was a very low key social vibe and a bit dull so my fiancée and I ended up going out to find a seperate bar crawl. The private room we had was basic but comfortable enough and had a decent amount of space and a small fridge.

Great staff, cool building, coffee was appreciated, cleaned regularly. Room was always freezing and no individual thermostats. If you have asthma and/or are sensitive to the chemicals in cleaning/air freshener products, beware, it's a minefield. There is no outdoor space to retreat/relax. Kitchen loft can fill with gas fumes, or casein fumes if someone's cooking peppers. The fan helps a bit. Sunset tour and ghost tour were fun. Bed was comfy, but I missed my pillow.

VERY mediocre hostel. The vibe was not as friendly as other hostels that I have stayed in, the beds were extremely uncomfortable (even for hostel standards), the bunk beds were very creaky and loud so that every time someone moved you heard every movement. There were single stall showers with no where to put your things while you showered (no shelves or bench, just a hook). One night, there was a guest in my shared dorm room that kept me and the other roommate up all night yelling, turning the lights on and running out of the room and leaving the door wide open. We reported her in the morning once reception opened (they now have 24 hour reception I believe) and told us that we should have called their over night number for help (we didn't think to do that, that was our bad). It was honestly one of the most bizarre experiences of my life and was kind of scary because we did not know this other girl and had no idea what she was doing. I know it's a hostel, but I would have like management to do a bit more after the incident. I did get moved to a new dorm room, but the girl that caused the disruption stayed and even got the whole room to herself.

Excellent stay. Absolutely fabulous for such a good price. Friendly staff, very clean, well-stocked, abundance of amenities. Historical building with lovely decor. I stayed in a 6 bed same-gender dorm and my roommates were very respectful. Yes, you are staying in the middle of downtown for a big discount so don't complain - just be ready. Bring heavy duty earplugs and an eyemask. I booked my stay at the last minute and I came in very late on a Saturday night - so I was prepared to be in a noisy room. Once the bars closed at 2 am, I was able to get some pretty decent sleep until about 8:30 am. I would definitely stay here again! Thank you Gaslamp Hostel!

Stayed July 24-26 2023 - Positives: Clean and Orderly The fish! Let you choose your own bunks Gender neutral bathrooms Huge kitchen with seating upstairs Friendly staff In the middle of the Gaslamp district so close to restaurants and trolley & bus stops Vending machine where you can buy laundry detergent and quarters to work the washer and dryer (these are $3 each so $6 total) and some nice snack and drink options Easy checkin and check out Need to scan your card in to gain entry inside They let you store your bags if you are too early for checkin I didn't see AC in the rooms but somehow they were perfectly cool - Negative: The internet did not work in my room at all. Only worked near the check in desk and even then it's rather choppy Didn't know there was a ton of stairs you had to climb. I had a ton of bags to carry so that was fun. If you have mobility/health issues or rely on a wheelchair - look elsewhere Misc: you're only allowed to do laundry from 3-10PM. Altho didn't affect me I know some people can only do laundry in the morning. It should be available all day. This place is a little hard to find - it's a pink door inbetween two restaurants (luckily this was mentioned in another review or I would have been looking for it forever) I didn't store my food in their fridges but they have labels and pens to mark your items. Also they have a ton of cameras to make sure you don;t sneak off with staff workers' food I would technically rate this place a 3.5/5 but gave it a 4 as google doesn't do half stars