Zenith Basecamp

The room was clean and well located, but I had no heat and spent the whole night freezing under just a sheet and thin blanket. I was surprised towels and shampoo weren't provided. At nearly $100, I expected basics like heat and soap. Save your money for a proper hotel until they work out the kinks, especially in winter when you won't be comfortable.

Zenith Basecamp checks the boxes I look for: affordable, fun, quirky, independently run, and dog friendly. The rooms are great, and there are plenty of bathrooms with showers, three upstairs and two or three downstairs. Bring your own towel. The beds are comfortable, with sheets and a blanket provided. You can hear everything because air moves through slats near the tops of the walls, but I think that works fine. To me, staying in a hostel means sharing space and being willing to join the group. The bar made the night so much fun: the bartender was great, the cocktails were fun, and people were friendly. A 10/10 overnight stay, and it's so nice to finally have this kind of place in Duluth.

The location made it easy to walk over to Bent Paddle, OMC Smokehouse, Wild State, and other spots, and parking was available across the street. Inside, everything looked fresh and was kept really clean. I liked the thoughtful touches in the room, especially the cooler and wool blankets. With plenty of separate showers and bathrooms, I hardly ever had to wait. The downside was having no staff on hand around the clock. The guests next door were noisy late at night, then left their alarms ringing in the morning. Their very private conversations also came through clearly into our room. Staff might have been able to step in, and the disturbance took away from what was otherwise a great stay.

I had a quiet, relaxing evening, and barely noticed the other guests apart from some road noise. The semi-private room still felt comfortable, not exposed. The bathrooms were spacious, and I really appreciated the water bottle refill station downstairs. My single queen room was small, so I had to move my bags around. The bed sat low, with nowhere nearby for my glasses or to plug in. The bed was covered by just a sheet and one wool blanket, as the listing said, but the warm upstairs kept me comfortable. Those are good things to know in advance, though none would put me off staying. Check-in was also easy as long as you followed the instructions and downloaded the required app. It was my first hostel-style stay. Zenith made a good impression, and I’d probably stay again.