Wanderstay Houston Hostel

The hotel is cute and comfortable, in a great spot near lots of bars and restaurants. After the first night, the rest of my week went really well, and I’d stay again. Gabby apologized in person the next morning, upgraded my room, and offered a bottle of wine. More than that, she listened. She and the staff kept checking in, made sure things were going smoothly, and shared good neighborhood suggestions. They took responsibility and focused on figuring out what went wrong and how to prevent it, rather than getting defensive. The start was rough. I’d been given the wrong access code, and my reservation hadn’t been passed to the night support team, so I couldn’t get inside and had to find another room for the night. The team’s response afterward made a real difference.

I was nervous since this was my first hostel, but it was affordable and I ended up really enjoying the stay. I especially liked that they offered a female dorm, and the entry codes added an extra sense of security. The decor is distinctive and carefully done, the location is convenient, and it’s just minutes from downtown with lots of attractions nearby. The staff greeted me warmly and were upbeat and helpful. Thanks, Wanderstay, for giving me such a great first experience with hostels. I’ll be back next time I’m in Houston.

There are plenty of nearby places to eat, hang out, and meet people, and the staff were all knowledgeable and helpful. We even met the owner, who was so pleasant. I really enjoyed my stay. This is the best hostel I’ve stayed in. Thanks for a wonderful time, Wanderstay!

The price is attractive, about $50 a night for my private room, and the hostel is near downtown with a transit route that gets there in five minutes on foot. Still, I’ve stayed in plenty of hostels and haven’t had this many issues so often. I wish I’d paid another $20 a night for a place with A/C, hot water, and a desk. I couldn’t get in at first because the check-in form and access codes were delayed. I filled out the form minutes after it arrived, but an hour later I was still outside, on the phone for about ten minutes while someone insisted the codes had been emailed. A second email finally worked. The small “museum room” had museum logos on a gray wall with peeling vinyl. Its curtain rod was broken, the ceiling fan had only three of its five blades, and there didn’t seem to be A/C. In March the room was around 80 degrees, which wasn’t too bad, but Texas summers can reach 115 degrees, and no A/C could be dangerous. Other reviews seem to mention this problem with the “museum room,” so be cautious about booking it. One morning, I waited ten minutes for the upstairs shower to heat up, then had to take a cold shower. The downstairs one had hot water. There was a front desk worker, but only from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. five days a week, I think, and she didn’t know about the issue. I also had nowhere private to work because my room had no desk. There were public areas where I could take my laptop, but I’m more introverted and wanted to work alone. The lower bunk had only about two feet from the mattress to the top, so I couldn’t sit upright and had to kneel at the edge with the laptop on the bed. These may be small complaints individually, but they added up and hurt the stay.