St Clair Hostel

We had a clean private double room on the third floor and would book here again, just not in summer because it gets far too hot. The old building’s cute vintage decor has a sailor and navy theme, and we really liked the look. Contactless check-in and checkout were great. The washrooms are awkwardly close to a room, and the walls are thin enough that I worried people could hear us.

Most of the visit was fine, but I wouldn’t count on the staff for help. When we checked out, with a late-night flight ahead of us, we asked if we could leave our bags. We were told they’d be put outside the office after it closed. Instead, they were locked inside, and our attempts to contact staff got nowhere. I eventually caught a staff member as she was leaving. She said she was done for the day and wasn’t responsible for our things, though earlier she’d said she would move them into the hallway. She warned us that anything lost or stolen wouldn’t be their responsibility, which is fair, but our bags were still locked away and we had an international flight that night. I wasn’t personally upset with the staff until she refused to unlock the door so we could get our things. After we argued for a minute, she finally let us in. It would have taken less time to open it than to argue, and I’m still baffled she was reluctant to help with a high-stakes problem caused by her own negligence. The place is cute and well located, but stay at your own risk.

The location worked well for getting around downtown during the day, though the area felt sketchy. The rooms were hot, noisy, and bright, but clean enough, with no bedbugs, and the staff were decent. What really got me was a moldy coffee cup left in the common area so long that its smell made me gag whenever I went to the washroom. For the price, I wouldn’t recommend staying here.

The room was quiet and clean, with a sink, and I hardly saw anyone around. The showers were cramped and not very clean. The neighborhood isn’t great, though the place itself felt safe. I paid $150, which was a little steep, but everywhere else that night was $400, so it felt like a steal. You get what you pay for.