HK International Hostel

Finding the place the first time can be tricky, though that seems common in HK. Look for Chunking Mansions across from a pedestrian crossing. There’s a large open entrance with lots of currency exchanges inside. Take the first elevators. The one on the left serves even-numbered floors and goes to floor 16. Turn right there to reach a lobby used by many hostel names. Expect a long elevator queue in the evening, roughly 17.00 to 00.00 or later. It can also be hard to leave your floor because a full elevator may keep skipping it. The location is fantastic, about a 3-4 minute walk to Avenue of Stars, with plenty of good food nearby. I think tim ho wan in k11 is the best. The airport bus stops right there too. The rooms are clean, including the beds, but they’re a big compromise: ultra small, with no closet, and storage only under the beds. The main problem is the air. Ventilation only works with the AC on, and it still doesn’t feel great to breathe. Without AC, it becomes impossible to breathe after a couple of minutes. Plug adapters were already in the room.

Late checkout is available, but you have to pay for it. I also found a big gap between the booking price and what I actually paid. My booking only mentioned accommodation tax, but they added a 15% service charge and an extra $10, perhaps for drinking water. The location is the best part. Staff are friendly and supportive, there’s daily cleaning and housekeeping, the Wi-Fi is excellent, and drinking water is provided. The rooms are very compact. You have to shower in the toilet, with no separate washroom or bathroom, and the tight setup could be difficult for larger people.

The location on Nathan Road is very good, and getting to the airport is fine. The room itself is tiny but tidy and clean, apart from some bugs. There’s a small bathroom with the showerhead over the toilet. They cleaned only on the first day, and we hadn’t known they would come at all. Air conditioning and a fan were provided, and the staff were friendly. Reception is on the 16th floor. There’s just one elevator, usually full, so you have to queue. The staircase is really dirty and smells very bad.

The cleaner and hostel worker were very helpful, and the location is fantastic. Still, the room in person was quite different from the Agoda photos. There are only two lifts, and the wait to use one took a long time. The building is full of foreigners. If you’re not used to old buildings, smells, and dirt, look elsewhere. I had a very bad experience with a woman at the front desk. She asked to use my Agoda account, saying she’d check whether I qualified for a discount voucher. Without my knowledge or consent, she used it to post reviews of the hostel on my behalf. That’s unethical and not genuine customer feedback. I’d never encountered this before.