Hostel offers shared bedrooms ..means traveling students no kids ..called "European hostel" for what reasons ..travel dorm ...San Francisco sunny and easy to access ..old fashioned ..not called a hotel ..same purpose extra: there is a rooftop view and terrace...ragged but spectacular rooftop...homey house kitchen and cabin wood...cabin sized hostel...rooftop has an abandoned bedroom to see..404 haha read more

Unprofessional Manager / Horrible Customer Service I stayed at European Hostel in San Francisco (SoMa area) and had a very disappointing experience because of the customer service and management. After working a 9-hour overnight shift, I received a phone call from the manager at around 10. Instead of speaking respectfully, he insisted yelling at me over the phone about their policies and claim I broke policy and threaten me Regardless of their rules, calling a guest at 9am and speaking to them aggressively is completely unacceptable and unprofessional. If there was an issue with my stay, it could have been handled calmly. I then arrived to check out after staying there already for 2 nights he proceeds to inform me that I broke the policy rules overstaying my visit. To which I asked him why not address me about when I checked in two days previously. He then proceeded to yell at me aggressively not have a respectful tone and give me the respect to have a conversation man to man. But instead act like a child and yell and cut me off while I was talking thinking I was trying to argue with him. He Then added he had proof so when I asked him for his proof that I knew I was wrong and intentionally over stayed my visit he kept telling me why should I show you and kept ordering me to leave instead of doubling down. The way the manager handled the situation was disrespectful and made me feel uncomfortable. I would not recommend this hostel to anyone looking for a peaceful stay or respectful staff. The customer service here was one of the worst I've experienced. read more

European Hostel - Hostels Near Me - San Francisco, California

Poor management. You have to pay for a lost card key. Why is it such a big deal for a card key. Never seen a hotel wherein you have to pay but this place is so different. Do not trust this hostel. read more

This place is disgusting. I would never recommend this on my worst enemy. I don't care how broke you are you do not want to stay here go find something else. The Indian guy at the front desk is so rude. I don't know how this place is even allowed to be in business. You're better off sleeping on the street than paying this place any money read more

The Worst Hostel Experience of My Life - Unsafe, Disrespectful & Discriminatory This is by far the worst hostel experience I've ever had - and I've stayed in hostels across the world, from Berlin to Bangkok. If you care about your basic human dignity, emotional safety, or physical well-being, STAY AWAY from this place. Upon arrival, despite having already paid a deposit, I was met with a rude, aggressive, and unstable front desk staff member. He first insisted that payment could only be made via credit card, even though their policy also allows cash. When I calmly offered to pay in cash, he became visibly annoyed and started questioning my decision, complaining loudly and refusing to explain things in a professional manner. When I politely asked for clarification, his tone became hostile, he raised his voice, and within minutes he was shouting at me, saying he would not provide service and demanded I leave. He even threatened to call the police, for absolutely no reason. His behavior was deeply disturbing, bordering on psychotic. I genuinely felt unsafe, especially as a non-white traveler. His actions and attitude were clearly discriminatory, and I suspect racist in nature. I recorded part of the interaction on video and can confirm: this person is not emotionally stable and should not be in a customer-facing role. The hostel itself is riddled with excessive, unnecessary rules, the atmosphere is hostile, and nothing about it feels welcoming or safe. If you value your peace, your safety, and your rights as a guest - do NOT stay here. This place is a walking red flag. There are many other options in San Francisco. Avoid this place at all costs. read more

European Hostel - Very rude and bad attitude.... - Hostels Near Me - San Francisco, California

The proprietor of this hotel is a thief he will overbook the rooms and then when you arrive find any reason to reject your staying there after you have paid through a booking service but when you attempt to get a refund through the booking service they contact him and he lies and said you didn't show up and keeps your money. Even if you do stay he will always keep the $20 deposit in cash he has you leave. read more

I had a really hard time deciding whether to give this place two stars or three... We'll start with the good things about the place: The employees there are very nice. When boyfriend and I got there, the guy at the front desk asked "you didn't park nearby did you?" (the place is NOT in a good part of town). The main entrance locks at a certain time and you need a code to get in the door. There is free wi-fi, and the kitchen area is very roomy. I would like to believe that the sheets and blankets are washed between guests based on the fact that we were asked to strip the sheets and bring them to the front desk when we checked out. The paintjob in the room was nice, it must have been done recently. The shared bathroom was actually pretty nice, though it was kind of gross that it was always steamy from someone else's shower. The bad: this hostel is in a really rough part of town. Human feces on the sidewalk, people smoking meth and shooting up right outside, midday. Our room came with a bed and that's it. Literally nothing but a bed. We didn't trust anything about the room so we slept with all our clothes on, sweatshirt hoods pulled up in hopes that none of our skin would touch any part of the sheets. We think we may have had one of the best views. We could see the the roof of other buildings around us. The window had no screen, the wall socket was pulled halfway out of the wall. The shared bathroom had a slider lock on the door instead of a lock on the doorknob, which is kind of awkward to have someone try to open the door when you're in there. The carpets were filthy. There was a meth pipe on the roof outside our window. For about $50 a night, I guess we should have known what we were getting ourselves into. If you're looking for the cheapest place possible, you can't expect it to be nice. If in the future, the only two options are stay here for $50 or sleep in my car for free, I might choose sleeping in my car. Reminder to self, spend $100 and be okay with it... read more

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Besides the fact it's located in an alley where homeless people are everywhere, sleeping on the sidewalk right outside the Hostel. The rooms are so small the full size bed barely fits and you have to bring your own sheets. The bathroom was out of order so I had to walk upstairs or downstairs and most of the time they were occupied. No television in the room and the view of a wall was what I had. Stinky refrigerator that was packed full, so full I couldn't get a half gallon of milk to fit. I could go on about how bad it was but I digress. I left some tissue on the floor next to the bed that would take 5 minutes to clean up and they kept my $20 deposit.I strongly advise against staying there. I was told that they wouldn't rent to me in the future and I looked at it like they were doing me a favor. read more

Cool experience, located in a allyway or so. Few of the guests were from Europe. Internet cafe is avalible for guests.

One Star should be zero. This place is chaotic. Many of the guests are semi homeless. The beds are issued on a first come basis. Front Desk staff is okay but not really helpful. read more

DO NOT STAY HERE!!! I have stayed in my fair share of hostels, in SF all the way to Barcelona, Venice, and Prague. This was by far the most disgusting and unsanitary hostel I have ever stayed in. Before we were even allowed to check-in, we checked out the hostel inside, set our things down, and yes, I did take a much needed shower after camping. The bathrooms and shared kitchen were so gross and unclean. I asked Nick for a partial refund since we hadn't even checked in yet and used the room, and he refused because we had placed our stuff down for an hour and I took a shower. Ridiculous. I really hope they get their act together and invest in cleaning supplies. It really is not that difficult to clean a kitchen, scrub a toilet, or clean a sink. read more

So I got sick, SUPER sick. I'm coughing and hacking, blowing my nose, coughing up phelgm, everything. They won't let me cancel. They want me to pay full price for 3 days to stay in a dorm room and get everybody in the dorm room sick and keep them up all night. They told me to pay EXTRA for a private room. I'm not gonna pay MORE money to someone being so unreasonable. They kept saying, "oh call hotels.com" but hotels.com calls them and they won't refund but still keep saying it's somehow hotels.com's fault. I'll just stay in the room and keep everybody up all night coughing and hacking and get them all sick. read more

I had heard that this place had very mean and nasty people but I was shocked by what I experienced there! I made a reservation for a friend who was staying in town on Expedia since they do NOT have their own booking engine. You had to arrive by 10pm, I showed up at 9:50pm and found they had already canceled my reservation 45 mins before despite their own policy! The agent started yelling at me and telling me to take it up with Expedia. Then he finally seemed to be able to let me in after demanding a cash deposit which I was going to give him. Then he changed his mind and said no one could enter it was his call. I have been in the hospitality industry my whole career and have NO idea why this guy was even allowed to work there. He was hostile and seemed to enjoy his little bit of power of us. It didn't matter anyway so we left. But I will NEVER allow anyone I know to stay here or recommend it. It's on a dangerous street with homeless junkies laying in front of their door. STAY AWAY! read more

I'd only recommend staying here if you absolutely need to. The office staff was friendly and competent, but the hostel itself is not well maintained. I was scheduled to stay 2 nights, but I left after the first. If you stay in hostels a lot, you've seen the good and the bad. This hostel is not nice. Seek somewhere with better reviews. read more

You can't give less than one star. Most disgusting hostel I have ever stayed in. The homeless people tailgate guests into the building at night. Had two try to get in behind me. Found one in the third floor bathroom at 4am. The people at the front desk can't see anything anyway. I heard one guest say that this is a four star hotel back in India. I feel badly for homeless people but I don't want them roaming the halls of my hotel/hostel. The floors are never swept and there was one vacuum that sat at the base of the stairs all three days I was there. Mold everywhere. There are three showers on the third floor and one has a shower curtain that had its own skin peeling off. The other two didn't have a curtain or door so water everywhere. Mold everywhere. In the grout lines, under the nasty rubber mats. I showered in my socks and then tossed them out. Too many beds and not enough bathrooms. I had one guy bang in the door while I was using it. Even though I yelled occupied he was leaning on the outside of the door brushing his teeth in the hallway. Almost fell on me when I opened the door. Mold! The place smelled like despair and rot. Most hostels smell like industrial cleaner. This one did not. There are mice as well. Pretty bold creatures to roam the fully lit hallways in the morning hours. This stay may have just pushed me to NEVER stay at a hostel again. I feel way dirtier than ever. Did I say mold! I'm surprised the Dept of health doesn't shut this place down. read more

DO NOT STAY HERE!!! I would give no stars if I could!! I found a syringe needle next to the bed. I am to say the least not happy. The room smelled weird the shower had almost no water coming out. Then I dropped my phone next tot he bed and I seen the needle on the floor. Also room is supposed to be smoke free but smells like an ashtray read more

European Hostel - A syringe and so much trash - Hostels Near Me - San Francisco, California

BED BUG!!!!!! Live bed bug in my bed in Room 104 next to the kitchen. The guy Andy refused to give me a refund because he said I could have brought the bed bug on my own bags!!! He said I could get a refund if the exterminator came and verified that there were bedbugs!!!!!! Ewwwwwwwwww this place is gross. My room smells like crotch. There is somebody else's body hair in the bed. The hallway smells like an ashtray because they don't pay to have someone working the front desk after 10:30, so people just hang out with the front door of the hostel open and people smoking cigarettes right there. The bathroom is disgusting, covered in water and hair. Also it's now midnight and they have 3 moving guys going back and forth down the hallway in front of my room moving a refrigerator. Is midnight the appropriate time for that activity??????? read more

European Hostel - Hard to tell but that is a motherfucking bedbug full of blood and when I tried to pick it up it squirted blood everywhere. - Hostels Near Me - San Francisco, California

I stayed here for a few days and met an interesting array of sociopathic characters with poor social skills (and 2 German girls). Considering the whackjob clientele (one guy had been accused multiple times of sexual harassment in the dorms and one girl perpetually sat on facebook all day complaining she didn't have any money or life) I didn't think it would be a big deal on my last night to sneak another dude into my 6 person dorm to have rebound-sex with. Well, *apparently* this is frowned upon by management. I eventually paid extra to indulge with him in my 'prison style' mattress, complete with scratchy sheets and poor quality blanket. (What exactly is a $3 'linen charge?') Alas, I was forced to pay/bribe an extra 30 of my hard earned dollars to the establishment for the opportunity to mack this perfect 10 for 8 hours. (The check out is 10am and this is vigorously enforced with roaming agents (of sorts) who will invade` your room to verify your status. Failure to depart in a tardy fashion will result in the business withholding your $10 key deposit.) Several problems arose (none of which, thankfully, pertained to the German girls). 1) The springs supporting the 'prison style' mattress produced loud and irritating noises as we went down on each other. It is a scientifically proven fact that immediately following orgasm, excess noise can really kill the buzz. The squeaking of the springs surely irritated other guests, and this is something management must address post-haste. 2) The door of my room did not lock adequately. I was unable to bar entrance to other guests who was residing in the dorm, for my privacy and for the privacy of whatever-his-name-was. I appreciate that these guests had paid for a bed, but just go to another room for a while or something. Geez. Consequently, we had traffic going in and out of the room. 3) The hostel failed to provide condoms and water-based lubricant. Promoting unsafe sex in this day and age is unacceptable, and this should be a top-priority for the hostel to rectify. I have notified safe-sex organizations that this business is failing to do their part to stop the spread of STD's in the Bay Area. 4) I was due to check out that morning, and I wanted to stay another night. I don't do 10am. I was told by the front desk that no such vacancies exist. Nonsense! I booked online after aforementioned sexual encounter and received a confirmation email. The establishment failed to honor it the following morning claiming it was a glitch in the computer system. I do not believe this. 5) I had to pay $30 for an extra bed to have sex with him. I feel like I'd hired a prostitute. No amount of local maps, low dorm rates, free wifi, or communal facilities can make up for this feeling. 6) Little to nothing was "European" about this hostel. I hope for the confort of future travelers this hostel addresses these issues as soon as possible. read more

Ok, this hostel *is* filthy and disgusting, the staff are rude and there's no toilet roll, but it's actually fine if you're ok with that. I booked a mixed dorm room here before reading the reviews, and was terrified about my impending stay after reading them. I was worried it'd be full of pervs and mice. But it was fine! I shared a room with 3 lovely girls, had a good sleep and came out alive. Hurray! In short, it is a shitehole, but if you need a cheap, central hostel that's close to the Bart, and you aren't too fussy about cleanliness or service, then you'll be fine. read more

Note: this place is only for students and young people. It's THE CHEAPEST place to stay. I barely got in because I'm from out of town and young, former student. They do not want grown men coming and being inappropriate and they do a great job of keeping them out. I really applaud them for that and providing the "hostel experience". That said, details are below. I'm a very optimistic person. I'm a very tolerant person. Don't let my tone fool you; by normal people's standards this place is terrible. But if you're a 20-something college kid traveling or in a group and like getting wasted, go here. It's a "super cool place" That's what this place is for. You can play beer pong in the big social area. There's a kitchen and several fridges to store food. I had different roommates almost every night. One had come into town waiting for a union job to stay. Others at the hoste were students/travelers from other countries including China. Bullet points: -This is the cheapest way to stay in SF for a young person. It is amazing in that regard. like $20 a night. -People are rather respectful and are not loud late at night. -The place smells somewhat like weed at all hours of the day, 24/7. -To avoid city room taxes and keep price low, you pay a fee for them giving you a towel. -The building is really cool. read more

WORST HOSTEL OF ALL TIME. I wouldn't really call this a hostel but more like a shelter. Let me start from the begining. the location is far from any parking. we had to park a block away in this sketchy parking lot behind a pizza parlor. there are bums all around that area, street, side walk, steps. I booked here since I had no other hostel available for my friends and I to stay at. When we got to the reception desk, the lady in there did not have our booking available. It was a good thing I took a copy of our booking. She then proceeded to add a bogus charge for linnens and $10 dollars for a key. when we were ready to pay she told us they didnt take anything but cash. they dont have an ATM so we had to walk down the block to get to an ATM in a liquor store. After asking her how early we could check out she said at no earlier than 8am and if we tried checking out before that she would charge us! We weren't even trying to! WTF? after trying to open the door for 2 minutes with their shitty keys and locks, we went into a tiny smelly(like stinky feet) room with six bunk beds without linnens and with trash everywhere. the booking was not well speciffied with us because when we got to the room there was a guy in one of the beds. turns out we had booked a six bed dorm room as opposed to the 5 bed private room. that was fine. The kitchen and "activity" room had 3 middle-aged people who were there all day all three days I stayed there and who didnt seem like guests but more like bums off the streets. some of the the restrooms where acceptable(no TP, but didn't surprise me by then). The shower on our floor was basically a small closet converted into a shower with no room to shower! not to mention that the light switch shocked 3 of my friends when they would turn the light switch off. Over the next 3 nights, some of my friends woke up with bug bites in their arms and back. Let me put it like this, if you're looking to book a hostel in San Francisco, let this be your absolute LAST option. It's that bad. read more

European Hostel - The Notorious European Hostel(Bums on sidewalks not included) - Hostels Near Me - San Francisco, California

OH MY GOD I wish I had read the reviews before booking this place. I would have been better off sleeping in Golden Gate Park. BED BUGS. SERIOUSLY. I got a bite while staying here and now I am absolutely covered. There is literally no other explanation for how I acquired bedbugs and this is ruining my life. How is this place allowed to stay open?? read more

* This is a long review* I was TERRIFIED after reading some of the comments of this hostel. I was prepared for bed bugs and smelly rooms and bathrooms. I was pleasantly surprised. A hostel is not a five star hotel, and you would not expect everything to be pristine. For San Francisco it was an incredible bargain if you just want to crash after taking in the sites or going to an event. The staff were very friendly and personable. The woman who helped tidy up was very nice and did her job. I stayed in a woman's dormitory, 3 bunks with plastic covers over the mattress, sheets, a towel provided, and a blanket. I guess I was lucky with my roommates because they were awesome and really interesting young women. I have not been in a hostel since my teens and I will GO AGAIN when I just am poking around SF all day and just need a place to sleep. BTW, I got lucky again since the kitchen was tidy and guests cleaned up after themselves.( I carried a ziplock of Clorox wipes and did my part) The garbage was full and I asked if they could empty it which they did right away. Location is great for Metro and Muni. An incredible Ethiopian restaurant along the way to metro (maybe some other exotic country) but the aroma of food that was being prepared before it opened was mouth watering and the interior looked quaint. I almost tried it but I was traveling alone and will save my experience when I have a dining companion- much more satisfying! The Hostel is close to great attractions. Overall if you put yourself in the vagabond mode, and don't mind a very well worn carpet (just don't look)where many visitors have tread, this is better than a couch. YERBA BUENA GARDEN has a great informational website. See you there! patty read more

I've stayed in many hostels, all in Europe except for this one, and I can confidently say this was THE WORST HOSTEL I'VE EVER BEEN TO or even heard of. AVOID THIS HOSTEL AT ALL COSTS! SERIOUSLY! My girlfriend and I decided on European Hostel because we are on a budget, and they were charging about twenty bucks less per night for a private room than other hostels SanFran. This hostel was NOT WORTH THE SAVINGS. We would have been better off paying a little more so we could have a more comfortable environment. The Room was about 6'x8', just slightly bigger than the queen-sized bed. It smelled bad (like feet), and the carpet was so dirty it was horrifying. There was a window that opened up to a walled-in space of about five square feet, which let in very little light. There was nothing to hang our clothes and towels on. There was barely enough room for us to get dressed. The bed was clean enough, but uncomfortable, and the covers were several sizes too large, so we ended up getting tangled quite often. There was no table, which would have been useful, but then again there was no room for a table. The bathroom on our floor had a broken lock and would not close properly without a fight. Every bathroom in the hostel had a serious mold problem, and they were not very clean. The thermostat on their water heater was set far too high and I got a severe and intensely painful burn when I washed my hands. The water must have been between 150 and 190 degrees. And THE NOISE!!! Oh my god! The doors slam so incredibly loud in this hostel. It seriously sounds like someone shooting a gun right outside your door. We were woken up dozens of times during our stay by people allowing the bathroom door to slam behind them. The Kitchen was filthy and in total disarray. The staff of the hostel do not clean the kitchen, and they excuse themselves from this responsibility by taping signs to the walls that say "you must clean up all dishes and cups after yourself or you will be charged a fee." The "common area/lounge" consisted of a single broken couch. THERE WAS NOT ONE SINGLE ASPECT OF COMFORT OR RELAXATION AT THIS HOSTEL. It was a very uncomfortable, unwelcoming, and unclean environment. The location was awful. There were homeless people everywhere. We couldn't leave the hostel without having at least five bums confront us and try to get our money. The area felt VERY UNSAFE AT NIGHT. Because of this, after our first night we spent every night inside our little stinky room watching movies on my laptop. We were very uncomfortable going anywhere after the sun went down. The staff provided no help. We were booked for seven days. On the third day we confronted staff and asked to cancel our final three days. Since our booking receipt said they require 48hours for cancellations, we at least expected to get a refund for our last two nights. NO SIR. The person at the desk said he couldn't help us with that, and that we had to email the manager if we wanted to try to cancel our reservation. Of course the manager never responded to our email, so we were forced to pay for the full seven days even though we only ended up staying there for four nights. read more

I have stayed at hostels all over the world, particularly in Europe, and this one is by far the worst. I always take other reviews with a grain of salt, because you never know what kinds of standards people have when they write about dirty hotels, etc. Let me tell you: my standards are pretty low, and this place didn't even come close to a minimum level of satisfactory. We booked a private room for our two night vacation to SF. We selected this hotel last minute because of its good location and cheap prices. Also, the website advertised free parking, so we thought that would save us lots of time and money. As we drove up, we realized that the hotel was located in a shady middle street, with bums loitering around the hotel. The "free parking" was limited to one hour at a time, so we had to park our car far away and then walk back to the hotel. As we walked in, we noticed junk piled up in the corner of the reception area. We brought our own linens but were given additional linens from the staff free of charge, because they "recommend putting these linens on in addition." That did not give me a comforting feeling about the state of the mattresses. Our room was small and dingy, and the furniture consisted of a small side table with plastic covering, a mirror, a twin bunk bed, and a visibly dirty vintage style chair. I was scared to leave the hostel after dark, so we stayed in and hung out in the room. As I walked in the kitchen, I noticed that the other inhabitants were unlike your typical european hostel inhabitants, as they seemed like they were living in the hostel because they couldn't afford to rent an actual house in San Francisco. Middle aged, unkempt, stared at me while I ate. The wifi didn't work in our room, and when we went to the front desk to ask about it, the receptionist (wearing street clothes and a beanie hat) showed us his phone and said "the wifi works for me." I have never before wanted to change my hotel reservation mid-stay until we stayed here. There is nothing european about this hotel, except the occasional german or british resident. It would have been worth it to shell out another $10 or $20 per night to stay somewhere else. read more

Horrible fucking place, i stayed no more than two hours till i changed my mind and found somewhere else to stay. The room smelled like cigarettes with a pungent odor and on the website it claims its a smoking free room. Everyone shared a bathroom that was disgusting and backed up. The room was also dirty and found some bed bugs that i ended up taking home unfortunately. They didn't want to return my money either since i signed their shitty contract that no where states how crappy the state of the room is. Im calling the manager or owner, either he gives me my money back or im taking him to court. This places deserves no stars. read more

I'm staying here right now. The price is great. Very cheap. I'm not a traveler. I'm a poor American. The rooms are jam packed with 6 people to a room. On the 2nd and 3rd floor you have 24 to 30 people staying but only 2 bathrooms. I live with a Jamaican and the room regularly smells like marijuana because its apparently what Jamaicans do. Some of these travelers treat this like its a networking event. I'm here because i'm poor, not to network. The internet is slow. Too slow to do work or schoolwork. It takes 2 hours to download a 1 gigabyte file on my smart phone. I have to leave and pay money at a internet cafe in order to get fast enough internet. All i was trying to due was C++ programming using online IDE (Interactive Developer Environment)s. The internet is too slow to stay connected. The older male and female locals keep trying to socialize with me. Local homeless shelters are actually better and have a better quality of life. The only downside with Homeless shelters is that they have curfews and you have to show them proof of employment and schooling to avoid the curfews. Homeless shelters have lockers where you can lock your things up. This place doesn't. The Asian travelers are great. You can barely hear them, they mind their own business. Some of the power outlets in the rooms don't have the proper covers so your electronics fall out and they don't output the correct amount of power so your electronics take longer to charge. They had construction people doing construction and fixing up the place inside of my room during the day time while I was trying to sleep. Any normal hotel this would be unacceptable. I tried to check out early and no staff where at the front desk. I checked out later because I had important things to do. I paid a small key deposit to them and they refuse to return it because I checked out two hours late. IF YOU ARE CHECKING OUT PAST THE CHECK OUT TIME DONT RETURN YOUR KEY. THEY WON'T GIVE YOU BACK YOUR KEY DEPOSIT. read more

European Hostel - The construction happening inside of my room. - Hostels Near Me - San Francisco, California

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THIS PLACE HAS BED BUGS!!! I never thought I'd create a yelp account because I feel that too many people think they're critics, but in this situation I feel it absolutely necessary. If I could rate this hostel with NO STARS, I would. My bf and I stayed for 3 nights this past week in a private room. We were stoked at the location and the price of the hostel and pretty much couldn't believe our luck. Well the first night I woke up feeling really itchy and complained to the bf that I thought we had bed bugs, but he told me he didn't feel anything, so I left it at that. The next night he started feeling itchy also and we both woke up covered in bites. I went to the front desk and told the guy working, and his response was "well..we don't really have bed bugs, but i'll get the maid to change your sheets." Suffice it to say this did nothing to improve our situation and on the final morning we had acquired even more bites. (Might I add here that I have photographic evidence of the huge, swollen, itchy welts on my body, and even SHOWED them to the desk staff..who couldn't have cared less.) Upon check out we explained the whole situation to the next front desk guy and asked for a refund..because who the hell wants to spend hundreds of dollars to sleep in an infested bed?? He then told us that he wasn't authorized to help us out with that and to contact the owner. He would't call the owner so we could speak with them directly, but instead gave us her email address. OH, did i mention he insinuated that WE brought the infestation in with us?? As soon as we left I emailed the owner who told me she would get pest control to run a test and get back to me later that evening..which she didn't. So i emailed her this morning and she said that the results came back all clear, and that she would give me 10% of what i paid back..which equals $17. I asked her for the pest control's contact info and their letterhead report, because I'm not going to just take her word, and though she has since emailed me ALSO now insinuating the WE brought the infestation with us, she is yet to prove to us that the bed is free and clear. I'm not being greedy and I'm not asking for an exorbitant amount of money..I'm asking for the exact amount I paid for my 3 night stay. I hate the way they have handled this situation and i will NEVER recommend this place to anyone. read more

The Dirty European.... I have generally always been a fan of all things European, especially when it comes to sleeping arrangements, until I stayed here. First impressions, the bed was badly made. What's even worse was the linen hadn't been changed from the previous victim. How do I know that? Pretty sure I don't have red, curly, suspiciously thick hair. I went to wash my face to recover from shock of the room and was greeted by an overflowing toilet (hot tip it wasn't willy wonks chocolate water). Lastly was the kitchen, considering the 'self catered' nightmare had one pot and two forks for all guests it seems a bit steep to call it a kitchen. Probably a good thing it lacked facilities considering the one cloth responsible for cleaning that filth den hadn't been changed since before disco died. Only plus was the location was good, near good bars and drug dealers. read more

I was staying only one night in SF and literally only needed a place to sleep so all I cared about was a clean room and bug free bed and European Hostel delivered! The price was WAY cheaper than the hotels around because of what it is and as long as you're not a fussy, high maintenance person this will work fine for you. I brought my own sheets and blanket but they provided both and they seemed clean enough so I used theirs. I stayed in room 301 and it has hardwood floors so no nasty carpet which is a huge plus. The room didn't smell even when I closed the window at night. It's by the stairs and bathroom so bring earplugs (which I did and slept perfectly). It's near Market street so it's right in the middle of the city and close to the Civic Center station for Muni and BART. It could be located on a better street but no one bothered me, even at night. The front desk guy was very friendly and you can check in until midnight. Make sure you have $20 in cash for the key deposit which is returned when you check out. Overall I would stay here again. read more

Absolutely awful. Booked a 4 bed room for girls ONLY, got a 6 bed room with two guys in there, both of whom were beyond fresh. NOT okay! We didn't go to a hostel for a random hookup. And nowhere near standard enough for a $22 per person (it was definitely not clean). We had to leave because they couldn't hold up their side, claiming it was a computer glitch! They kept our money and room key bond too. We asked to speak to a manager but were told that was impossible. Despite being three girls of three different nationalities, our email complaint requesting a refund was met with the accusation of being racist - apparently this is the only reason anyone would not want to share a room! - and despite the fact that none of us raised our voices and that there were no clientele around, we were accused of frightening their clientele when asking for a different type of room. There was no apology or acknowledgement of anything on their part. In short, if I could give negative stars, I would. It was dusty, dirty, I SAW a mouse in the hallway, they wanted three girls to sleep in a room with two men who were into random hookups, and accused us of being racist because we didn't want to, and they got our booking wrong. Um...we're from New Zealand; one of us is part Maori, part Jewish; one is half Dutch, half Welsh; and one of us is of Native American descent. There is nothing European about this hostel. read more

I only got a yelp to give a bad review to this place. But you get what you pay for! No wonder it was cheap. Freaking bed bugs and bums all over the area. I did meet some interesting people from different countries, but they have other beliefs in personal hygiene, and don't apply deodorant making the whole room smell. The stupid front desk attendant who's English is horrible kicked me out from the kitchen at 1 am saying it was "closed you have to get out." Excuse me, learn your English and phrase your words. They do not provide towels! The restroom just smells like Clorox to seem to be clean. One of the freezer wasn't working. I came for SF pride, it was very close to the event. Not more than 1 mile walk. And also close to the greyhound station where I took the bus. Location and price are convenient. You get what you pay for. read more

It was so bad that I didn't even stay! Very creepy feeling and does not feel safe. The website says its for young travelers or students but that is not true. The only reason I gave it a 2 is because the owner was really nice. read more

Due to getting bed bug bites I have to one star. Pro Tips: -Leave your luggage in the car to avoid bed bugs spreading to your luggage and bringing them back home. I changed into my PJs by the locker and only brought myself and iphone into the room -Check the mattress as soon as you get there and request a new bed if you spot any or any signs of them -Bring your own towel, soap, shampoo, blow dryer, etc as this is not provided -Lockers are provided but only small locks will fit the hole in the lockers. To give you an idea of how small, I'd say a lock that would fit the hole of a luggage zipper -Size of locker is pretty decent. You could probably fit 2 backpacks squished in -Sleeping situation: Labeled mixed dorm but from my experience it looks like they try to make it so it's males in one room and females in another room. -Contrary to what others have said I found the staff to be very nice and helpful -Also contrary to what others have said I found the bathrooms to be quite decent. There are 2-3 bathrooms on each floor although the first floor only has 1. -There is a community kitchen with 2 fridges if you care to bring/buy groceries. There are cups, bowls, pans and all sorts of communal stuff. (I'd say wash anything before using. I wouldn't trust the last person who used it to not be lazy. Lazy people just rinse with water) Overall the place is a dump. As you walk up the stairs to your room you'll think shit what did I get myself into. But if you're on a budget sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. read more

Well things started off shakey- the first room they gave me has some questionable stuff on the mattress. When I raised the issue they acted offended but gave me another room. Then I made a special trip to her cash for the key deposit which the guy at the counter took. I didn't get a receipt which was my mistake. They handed me cash then accused me of not paying a deposit. It got ugly. Plus now I'm worried about bedbugs. Skip this place. read more

The negative reviews reflect more about the writers than about this hostel, and in any case newer management has brought vast improvements. It's still a slightly funky place, but hey, it's a hostel, the bed is super cheap, you have to expect some quirks and minor inconveniences. It's not the Ritz & never will be, but it is a good value for those on a tight budget who never thought they could afford to visit San Francisco. I saw no mice & felt no mites (and if there were any, I would feel it, I have very sensitive skin & itch at the slightest provocation). The locks are still sticky, but do you know how expensive those electronic key systems are, how much it would add to the price, and how often *they* don't work properly either? Again: think about the bargain you're getting. If you want everything perfect, you've got to *pay more money*. Anyone who complains about key deposits is obviously more used to Motel 6 than hostels. Scarce parking is a problem in most of San Francisco. Note the complaint about it comes from Oxnard, a car-based Southern California suburb where the idea of taking transit, walking a little, maybe getting on a bicycle is alien. It's routine in SF even if you stay at the St. Francis, the Fairmont, or the Sheraton Palace. The European Hostel is INCREDIBLY convenient for transit-users. It is less than 3 blocks from the Civic Center BART station, and you can take BART from both the SF and Oakland airports, or have an airport shuttle drop you off. Half-block from the Mission Street buslines, block-and-a-half to the historic Market St. F-line streetcars (take them or BART to Powell for the SF-only cable cars). LOCALS do not own cars or leave them parked for weeks at a time & refer to them as burdens more than benefits. If you insist on driving TO SF, drop off passengers and luggage at the hostel and find one of the many downtown parking garages and LEAVE YOUR CAR THERE THE ENTIRE TIME (for the nervous suburbanite, the one at 5th & Mission is big, well-lit, easy to find, & you can catch a Mission bus or walk up to 5th & Market -- a nice, safe corner with expensive shops -- and the Powell St. BART station. Just don't walk up 6th street, you might see some uncomfortable reality). It might seem expensive to leave it there but no more than the parking tickets you will inevitably rack up, the hassle of trying to find a parking spot every time you go anywhere, etc. Or, park OUTSIDE of SF and take BART into the City. SF is a geographically compact city well-served by transit and walking those hills is part of the adventure, tho' not one you will have to endure to get to and from this hostel, which is located in the flats south of Market. The area does have some "bums" -- homeless or otherwise severely challenged people. It has some people in interesting leather outfits, not all of whom ride motorcycles. It also has a large number of artists, students, and other perfectly nice people who love San Francisco but can't afford the VERY steep rentals on the steep hills. There are more clean-n-sober residences in the area than there used to be and that means more people trying to be responsible, put their lives together, and contribute to society. There *is* more broken car window glass on the ground per square foot of SOMA than in some neighborhoods, but this block of Minna is very quiet and friendly. It is very quiet inside the hostel -- every bit as much as in one I stayed in on lower Nob Hill -- the kitchen is roomy and easy for people to work around each other. The hot water is hot & consistent in the showers -- not always so in hostels with old plumbing. Free PINBALL machine. Free wifi, actually free, actually works in the rooms as well as the lounge, if the one terminal is in use sometimes one of the staff will let you use their laptop, signal is strong. There is an encrypted network as well as an unencrypted one so you can make secure financial transactions online, useful for travelers. I did not meet a single unpleasant person in my stay there. The main staff, from India, represent the finest tradition of polite hospitality from that country, and I think their pleasant attitude rubs off on guests who sometimes arrive rather frazzled from the journey; the signs posted around are written in that lovely and rather formal English that sounds like it's out of an EM Forster novel of the Raj. Coffee is instant but Starbucks around the corner is open 4AM-11PM. Think of the European Hostel as a place that's been through rehab and deserves another chance; still poor, but trying to do things right. It still makes mistakes; we all do. But on the whole, it's a great place for the right person who understands they are visiting a CITY, not Epcot Center, and at a hostel, not a 5-star hotel. As mentioned by another reviewer, the staff is very friendly and helpful. They let me bring my bicycle inside at night. Come on, take a walk on the wild side, you'll find it's not so wild. read more

I'm not sure why this place has gotten such terrible reviews. My stay for one night on a Wednesday went perfectly fine without any real issues at all. Front desk clerk was nice (& apparently shares the same birthday as me), the property itself wasn't too shabby & the room was pretty nicely kept, there were only 2 others sharing the room along with me. I did, however, wake up with a bug bite on the side of my forehead, but that's mostly our fault for leaving the room's window open for the night (I knew I heard the faint buzzing of a mosquito in the room). As for the location; it's really close to everything & actually made my trip easier to get around. A lot of people complain about the homeless "problem" in SF, but I honestly didn't see anyone camped out or loitering on the street for that whole evening/night, but if you are jumpy at the thought, entering from 9th street makes the walk up to the hostel very short & safe. If anything, the street right behind Minna, Natoma, is the street to avoid. Overall, a very decent stay, & for the low price of some $25, well worth it, I would say. Note that there is a $10 (cash only) deposit for the key at check-in, but you get it back during check-out so long as you don't lose the key & are able to return it. read more

This place rocks. I came in here with some expectations and it definitely allow me to be. The front desk boys rock Anuj, Andy and Miki. They are uber cool, I will show them a good time if they come and visit me anytime. And the cleaning girl Cindy is precious. Highly recommmend this love nest. Oh yes I did find the love of my life in this place read more

For being the cheapest place in SF to stay it was worth it. A friend and I split a private room with bunk beds for $60. Very appreciative of a SAFE place to stay in SF. We're both girls and felt safe. Definitely would come back. read more

Terrible, terrible, terrible! Bed bugs en masse, so dirty and disgusting, nothing worked, rude staff. We stayed for two nights, one in a mixed 6 dorm that barely fit the three beds and one in a private, which was more spacious compared to the first one, but still disgusting. The worst thing is that the price was the same as we paid in a 450sq feet premium room in Vegas the night before! We came here as last resort as we didn't book too early in advance, but would definitely advice anyone to stay far away... Yuck! read more