Greenpoint YMCA Hostel

I signed up here and haven’t seen any of the creepy stuff from some of those YMCA photos, like the guy with the rings on the wall. They have a pool and some cool staff. It’s quiet, and people just get on with using the machines and swimming. That’s good enough for me.

Greenpoint worked well for me on a tight budget. The interior is cool, clean, and well maintained, and the staff I met when I arrived were warm and friendly. I booked a private room on the third floor, which felt like a good deal. The drawback was having to go all the way down to the second floor to use the restroom or shower. There’s an indoor pool with a lifeguard on duty, and locker rooms for storing your things before swimming.

The staff clipped the lock on my daily-use locker and removed all my personal things during business hours, without giving me a reason. I was there at 10 a.m., left the gym around 12:40, and came back after work at 8:30 p.m. to find the lock cut and my belongings gone. I believe YMCA staff did it with a special tool. I found my things in THEIR OFFICE. At 9 p.m. on Sep 19, 2023, I was at the front desk asking why this had happened. This is not acceptable. I used to think the staff were friendly, but I’ve found them lazy and unhelpful. Paper towels and wet wipes are often out, and I’m always the one asking staff to refill them, which they don’t do properly. One ballet bar in the studio is completely broken, another is missing many screws and feels unstable, and the sauna control panel has been broken for months. Staff never seem to care or fix things.

The beds were fairly comfortable, and my friend and I slept well. The shared bathroom was the worst part: it felt uncomfortable, and the smell of urine spread through the hallways. The men's shower has only a small curtain, while the women's bathroom has a locking sliding door. This could be a decent place for a couple of days, but I wouldn’t want to stay a week. We expected the “free” breakfast to let us choose what we wanted, but it was only a $2.50 voucher for eggs or $2.50 off the meal.