HI Calgary City Centre - Hostel

My first hostel stay brought some good moments and cool people, but the staff issues made the place feel more like an institutional shelter than a welcoming community hostel. I won't stay at the Hi Calgary hostel again. I tried to be considerate: I cleaned up after myself, sometimes even swept and cleaned the kitchen when others left the shared space messy, and made an effort to be friendly. Still, I felt disposable and disrespected as a paying guest. Some staff were pleasant, while others wouldn't smile when I said good morning. One worker kept watch over people cooking and would tell you to wash dishes right after you'd finished cooking, before you'd even had a chance to eat. It felt like being supervised by an overbearing parent. The worst interaction came when I forgot to extend my stay on time one day. I woke up late, showered, then went downstairs to take care of it, probably no more than 5 or 10 minutes late. The woman at reception said rudely that I couldn't extend because I didn't follow the rules. When I tried to explain, she shrugged and said, "everyone has problems." It was an honest mistake, but they made a huge deal of it. A few staff members also seemed to lack basic communication and people skills. Hosting may not be the right job for them.

Downtown, clean, and with reception and security available around the clock. Breakfast is included, with boiled eggs, yogurt, waffles, coffee, tea, and juice. The beds are really comfortable. Bring earplugs, though, since Calgary gets noisy at night. Recommended.

The kitchen is great, and the theatre room is a distinctive feature. The bed was fine too, but my sleep was wrecked by two dorm mates who decided 4am was a good time to pack, unpack, search for things, and use an electric razor. Barely slept. The hostel itself feels more like an institution than a lively place, with almost no atmosphere. It was okay and did the job, but disappointing overall.

The hostel is clean, well located, and most of the staff are efficient and friendly. But a bed is a pretty important part of a hostel stay, and this one was poorly put together. The base uses three pieces of plywood resting on two long, narrow wooden supports, with nothing in the middle to hold them up. One piece snapped when I sat up late at night. I'm only 80kg, and at least I was on the bottom bunk, so the fall wasn't far. The repair was hardly reassuring: the long support was almost falling off, and staff simply put the broken plywood back in place. I didn't sit up on the bed again. To be fair, it lasted the next two nights, but that doesn't excuse such shoddy work in a facility that must make plenty of money. It feels like an accident waiting to happen again.