I had a very disappointing experience during my stay.At approximately 9:00 AM, I was leaving the building to go to work when another person approached the entrance at the same time. We reached the door simultaneously. The person appeared to be a traveler carrying large luggage, and I had no reason to believe she was unauthorized. Since I was exiting the building, not entering it, I reasonably assumed she either had already been granted access or was a legitimate guest.The property's stated check-in hours are 3:00 PM to 9:00 PM, but from my perspective there was no way for me to know whether this person had arrived early, had already checked in, had stepped outside briefly, or had simply gone to a car to retrieve luggage. Guests are not in a position to verify who is authorized to enter a property. That responsibility belongs to the property and its staff.Immediately after I opened the door, I heard a staff member over the intercom questioning what had happened. I explained that I was simply leaving the building. Rather than politely reminding me of the security policy, I was immediately told that I could be charged for the incident. This was the first threat made during the interaction.I understand the importance of security and would have had no issue with a polite explanation of the rules. However, I found the tone and approach unnecessarily confrontational, especially considering that I was simply exiting the building and had no reasonable way of determining whether the other person was authorized.After this interaction, I attempted to contact staff by phone and text while heading to work, but my calls were not answered and my messages were not returned.Then, at approximately 12:00 PM, I received a phone call informing me that my reservation had been canceled. This was communicated as a one-sided decision with no meaningful discussion or opportunity to resolve the situation. During the call, I was told that my belongings would be placed outside and that I needed to collect them immediately. I was not provided with clear information regarding the refund process.When I returned to the property around 1:00 PM, I was not allowed back inside to pack my own belongings. Instead, I discovered that my belongings had already been removed from my room and placed outside in the back area of the property. I had not consented to staff handling my personal property, and I was not given the opportunity to verify that all of my belongings had been returned before they were removed.Another issue was communication. Before my stay, I emailed the property to ask about parking availability but never received a response. As a result, I had to find parking on my own and ended up parking approximately 15 minutes away on foot.Overall, the combination of poor communication, immediate threats over a misunderstanding, the abrupt cancellation of my reservation, and the handling of my personal belongings left a very negative impression.P.S. In response to the owner's reply: I did not yell at staff. The phrase I don't care was said only after I had already been informed that my reservation had been canceled and that my belongings would be removed from the property. At that point, the decision had already been made without any discussion. I also disagree with the suggestion that I intentionally violated house rules. I was leaving the building when another person arrived at the entrance simultaneously. I had no way of knowing whether that person was an authorized guest, someone who had already checked in, someone returning from outside, or someone retrieving luggage from a vehicle. In fact, I later learned that the person was there for an early check-in. Readers can decide for themselves whether canceling a guest's reservation and removing their belongings over this incident was a reasonable response.

I stayed here for 6 nights, and several issues made the stay uncomfortable.First, the place was way too cold. I was given only a very thin blanket, and when I asked for extra bedding, I was given a bath towel! At first I thought it was funny and asked for a proper blanket. Nope, this was it.I also agree with other reviewers that the property seemed to need a general cleaning.The toilet situation was a real problem. I actually started by brushing my teeth and flushing first, just to see whether it could handle even that small amount of water. That turned out not to be something one could assume. Several times, even the toothpaste foam did not flush away properly.The property was covered with Post-it notes and longer notices about rules, fines, and guest behavior. In the toilet area, there were more notes than seemed reasonable, including instructions about cleanliness, using the plunger, and what to do if the toilet overflowed. The overall impression was that if something went wrong, it became the guest’s problem.I also want to mention the $50 authorization hold. I was told that a $50 security deposit hold had been placed, but it was still showing as reserved on my account 24 hours after checkout. That added to the uncertainty, especially as the communication was not reassuring.Overall, between the cold, the lack of real cleanliness, the poor-quality furnishings, the bombardment of notes about rules and fines, and the toilets — which ended up being far too memorable — the place had a distinctly unfriendly atmosphere.

I was looking for a very affordable place to stay for work in Boston. I checked out the hotel prices and they were not within budget. I found Boston Homestel online and saw it's cheaper to book at their website. The location was a lot more convenient than I thought. I flew into Logan and took a Silver bus down to South Station. Then I transferred to the Red line train. I rode south to the JFK/UMass station. A block south was the Star Market that sold food. About a block's walk away was the hostel. I was greeted by Patricia and Alex. Shout out to Alex for helping me check in. He was very friendly. The hostel was very clean. I was put into room 8 which was a mixed male & female room on the second floor. They provided sheets and a blanket along with a towel. I prefer using the second bathroom. I wish there were bigger common areas. My coworkers and I took up most of the kitchen space. And then more people came in and it felt tight. Each floor has its' own bathrooms and kitchens. The bathroom I used came with complementary shampoo and conditioner. The kitchen had plates and bowls. The first flow has a stove top while the third floor had a range with an oven. Each floor had its own fridge. The second floor has a microwave and a toaster. If you want to cook, you can use the first or third floor kitchens. If you want to bake or broil, you use the third floor kitchen. I recall every room has four tier lockers but you need to supply your own lock. The homestel does sell locks for $10. The other residents were respectful and kept mostly to themselves. If you need an affordable place to lay your head and do not mind other people, I would suggest this place.

This is a well run, perfectly comfortable Hostel that specializes in elegant community living. The Hostel has squeezed bathrooms into all corners, the porches and kitchens and lounge are airy, light, and, whether a desk in a lounge, in a six bed room dorm, on a porch, there's always a congenial spot available to fire up the laptop and do a bit of business.And, I really hate to decrease availability, but the price is unbeatable.But, as everywhere, it is the superb, professional staff that ensures you will enjoy Boston, and always remember this little gem of a shared inn.Oh, and you will meet Marathon Runners, artists, scientists, and just a lot of fascinating world travelers.Michael Sol PollensAuthor, The Murders of Anonymity and The Miracle on Adams Street, and Three More Tales of Unrest.

The management absolutely does not care about whether guests are infected with COVID-19 in the hostel. I made the booking and then tested positive for COVID-19, so I immediately requested cancellation due to this exceptional circumstance, but the hostel rejected my appeal twice. Fortunately I tested negative before I came. But just imagine if a guest tested positive and still have to stay here because he or she doesn't want to waste the money already paid!When I arrived at about 8:30 PM, half an hour before their 9pm check-in deadline, I saw an envelope pasted next to the main entrance with my name on it. It contained a piece of paper with the passcodes to the main entrance and my room door. While there was a CCTV camera at the main entrance, I feel that this is a very irresponsible practice endangering the lives and safety of guests. Was the staff lazy? Even before checking out, I have not met a single staff member of this hostel.There was unpleasant odour similar to that of a humid bathing towel in a poorly ventilated room immediately after walking in from the main entrance, more so in the bedroom crammed with one bunk bed and two single beds. No lockers in the room so everyone had to put their stuffs on the floor - all over the place. I wonder if they actually changed the bedsheet, pillowcase and blanket when I checked in. The new pillowcase and blanket on the bed had groin hair and long hair.Filthy toilet bowl in the bigger bathroom - faeces stains on the reverse side of the toilet seat and they were there for at least a day. Staff certainly don't clean the facilities often. The other bathroom is so tiny that you have to carefully make your way in and sit down on the toilet bowl. No shampoo or body wash provided so you have to buy your own in the convenience store nearby.On the second night the police and ambulance came to the room next to the one I stayed in, because a female guest apparently had some trouble. On the third night, I was using the bathroom when another male guest knocked on the door multiple times, claiming that he left something in there but I didn't know what he was talking about.The guy who slept on the upper deck of my bunk bed always came back to the room at around 1 AM and simply climbed up the ladder with his shoes on.Booked three nights but decided to simply leave in the middle of the third night because this is absolutely the worst hostel I ever stayed in, and I decided that enough is enough.