City House New Orleans — Hotel in New Orleans

TLDR: You can't enter the building on check-in day prior to 3pm, there actually is no private bathroom/shower to go with the private rooms (although it is advertised as such on the website), staff were there but weren't there bc you didn't know who they were (no uniform/name tag), there were issues with toilet/shower functionality and lack of cleanliness, and a constant urine smell upon entry to building.

I arrived prior to official check-in time. I knew that I was early but wanted to wait in the lobby/common areas until 3pm or whenever the room was ready. While outside on the street, I called the hostel being that I could not enter the building due to the door having a security code. On the call I received a lot push back from the staff member about "check-in" being at 3pm, and as a result I was denied entry. PLEASE NOTE: "Check-in" at this hostel refers to your initial entry into the building on your arrival day. At the time this review was written neither of the sites explicitly state that you cannot enter the building prior to 3pm check-in time. I've worked in hostels abroad and I currently work in hotels: not being able to even enter the property doors until the check-in time is UNHEARD of and speaks volumes about their value of hospitality.

If the hostel was on Bourbon or one of the more active FQ streets, it would be easier to stop in a next-door restaurant/cafe and wait. However, this hostel is located between industrial buildings and parking garages/lots on Burgundy Street. You would have to walk a few minutes to get to the closest restaurant/cafe. On the call the staff member tried to think of places I could walk to and wait. I wasn't going anywhere, and after a bit of back and forth, I was finally granted entry into the building. The entry-room prior to taking the elevator/stairs up to the hostel smelled like urine (and smelled that way during my entire stay). While inside, I waited until 3pm then used my codes to enter the main common area of the hostel (through another pin-secured doorway). It was mentioned that they don't allow people into the building prior to 3pm check-in due to safety reasons, but when I arrived my ID wasn't checked nor was my original payment method confirmed.

The initial booking confirmation email I received, which had a ton of other FAQs, did NOT explicitly state you cannot enter the building prior to the 3pm check-in time (I attached photos). The first time I saw any mention of the "no-entry prior to 3pm" rule was in the email I received ONE hour prior to 3pm check-in time. This email has your door entry pin code, but the pin code still does NOT go into effect until 3pm on the dot. So, if you are arriving prior to 3pm and have luggage and/or are arriving when weather is rainy/cold, you need to make sure you plan accordingly.

My other issue is that on the website the booking states that the private rooms have a private, detached shower/toilet (accessible only with your pin number). Even in the email I received an hour prior to check-in it mentions that I have a private bathroom (I attached a photo). When given the tour at the 3pm check-in, I was told that all the private bathrooms are now public to all hostel guests. Some showers/toilets were dirty, and I had to pre-check them to make sure the water drained/flushed properly. At times I had to let the shower run at least 5-10 minutes because the water was cold. I could tell that they weren't being cleaned daily also.

Pros: the bed in the private room was very comfortable and the sheets were soft (the hostel needs to make sure to wash and/or replace the mattress protector often though bc it was dirty when I stripped the bed at the end of stay). The room had an AC, space heater, and a private mini-fridge. Nightly you get a free beer during...

Given NOLA's reputation in general, City House Hostel is a party-like hostel (but without the loud music) with happy hour and guided walking tours of the area.

It occupies the second floor, which was commercial office space, of an indoor parking structure, with the main entrance locked by a PIN operated lock, which is emailed and texted to the arriving guest.

Once you get past the outer door, there is an elevator which brings you to the second floor foyer and a double door, with another PIN lock. Using the same PIN, beyond these doors is the lounge and office, where the host will check you in.

The lounge is large and spacious and can easily accommodate 30, 40 even 60 persons. A full kitchen (two stoves, two microwaves, double sink) lines the wall Large island countertops and bar tables/stools provide plenty of eating areas. The pool and foosball table provides plenty of entertainment for socializing.

The Wifi TV alcove is large with two sectional sofa in the alcove, there is seating for about a dozen people. There is also a quiet area, beyond the lounge, with multiple work stations set up for digital nomads. Individual lockers are also available.

The bathrooms are co-ed, with shared sinks but private shower rooms.

As for the rooms themselves, I stayed in both a private and dorm room. Being in a busy city, the outside world is pretty noisy, ear plugs are highly recommended as the hotel to the south is pretty noisy and they start early.

The private room contains a microwave, fridge, and guest are allowed, however the dorm rooms do not allow food or guests.

For most of the dorm rooms, there are no privacy curtains, which makes it difficult when someone walks in late at night and flips on the light. As such an eye mask is recommended. Some of the smaller four-person rooms do have individual privacy curtains. Privacy curtains are a must for a hostel to have a 5 star, room rating, would also block the air conditioning and allow for individual control of their environment as the AC is set at 70F to maintain air quality.

There are also a few battery powers puck lights lying around if one wanted to read in bed, though everyone should have a flashlight app on their phone, to minimize intrusion. The dorms are co-ed.

The hostel is mopped daily, the bathrooms are sanitized every day, and the kitchen is well maintained.

Overall, this is one of the more interesting and fun hostels I've been in and I'm happy to have called it my home for the week I stayed.

Shout out to the hosts, who have increased the value of my stay greatly, as I continue onwards with my travels. Max, Ana, Anthony, Strat, and Persephone.

Non metered, street side parking is available directly outside the hostel, on the south side of the street, along the rear of The Saint Hotel. Though hotel employees will fill those spaces early around 6AM, after they leave, there are about half dozen, parking spaces scattered between the exit driveways. If there are no spaces available, simply park inside the lot below the hostel and check back in the evening.

Overall a great place to stay, with a festive environment and interesting hosts. However the lack of privacy curtains and dimmable room lights make the dorm rooms "acceptable" with a three star review from me, which is resolved by providing ear plugs and eye masks.

While here, I've encountered and made friends with others from England, France, Japan, Canada, Mexico and of course the US. Local law prevents Louisianans from staying and this is enforced with IDs...

Proceed with caution when making reservations with this hostel during special events! My review is long. Overall, I experienced poor planning, management, and communication, which resulted in me being charged for my reservation despite not staying at the hostel. I should have wrote this review a long time ago.

On 10/20/17, I made a reservation for 3 people for 7/5/18-7/9/18 (Essence Music Festival) total $227.36. This was about 9 months in advance!

On 5/15/18, the hostel emailed guests with reservations during Essence Fest to let us know that we would be charged in advance “per their special events policy”. The email also said “If your credit card is declined, we will try to reach out to you to give you notice and provide 24 hours to provide updated credit card information. Any reservation that is unable to be confirmed with full payment will be cancelled after the 24 hour grace period.”

Within 2 weeks of receiving the email, I still had not been charged for the reservation. I called the hostel, but they were not able to tell me when I would be charged.

On 6/13/18 (almost a month later), I received an email from the hostel stating that my reservation had been cancelled and my debit card was charged $174.85 on my reservation (balance being $52.51). An hour later I called the hostel to have them charge me for the balance on my reservation and reverse the cancellation. I was told that I could not be charged the balance on my reservation at that time, because someone else booked my room online while my reservation was cancelled and the entire hostel was booked. The employee I spoke with told me to call back and speak with the manager Craig to see what he could do about my situation. I was also told that this same situation happened to several other customers that booked during the same weekend. What happened to my reservation should not have happened, the hostel said that if there were any issues, guests would have a 24hour grace period. Obviously that did not happen.

On 6/16/18, I called the hostel and requested to speak directly with the manager Craig, however I was told that he was not there. The employee that I spoke with told me that my reservation was still cancelled at that time and the entire hostel was booked during the time I needed to stay there. The employee also told me that the hostel does not offer refunds per their special events policy.

Between 6/16 and 6/19 I still had not received a response from my emails to the hostel and the manager still had not contacted me regarding my cancellation. My reservation was less than 3 weeks away.

On 6/20/18 I received an email from the hostel stating that my card was charged for the balance on my reservation. Unfortunately, I cancelled my flight and other reservations on 6/16/18, because I thought that I did not have an accommodation for the event.

I was never able to speak to management about the situation. I don’t know what happened to the other guests that also experienced this. I just don’t want this to happen to anyone else. If I would have been able to speak to management about my reservation, I would have still be able to attend Essence Fest. I lost money on this reservation, my airfare, and my...