ITH San Francisco Pacific Tradewinds Backpacker Hostel — Hotel in San Francisco

I stayed at ITH SF as a female solo traveller. I stayed in the six bed female dorms. The staff were beyond accommodating and friendly and the amenities and sociality of this hostel made it a highly enjoyable and recommendable stay. 9.5/10. (TLDR: Sociality 10/10, Beds 10/10, Storage 9/10, Kitchen: 9.5/10, Bathrooms, 8.5/10, Location 9/10 + note there are stairs with no elevator.)

There’s an activity on every night with ample community space considering it’s a smaller hostel. This includes Karaoke, Trivia (a highlight), Taco Tuesday, BBQ on the rooftop, Global Language hour and more. The community is great!

Another significant plus is the beds are very comfortable and they all have curtains for privacy. They had spaces under beds for storage aswell as drawers to add toiletries or anything you want to grab quickly. They have locks available to buy or rent.

Food wise, there’s breakfast 8-10 every morning, with coffee, tea, bread/toast, spreads including butter, jam/jelly, and peanut butter, eggs to cook up however you’d like, and fruit. There’s also ample food storage space in the kitchen and they provide name labels you can use for storing food.

Something to note, this is not a disability accessible hostel. there are four or five flights of stairs (not too steep but definitely something to consider) with no elevator. The staff are very aware of this and there are little spots to rest along the way up, and generally will help with bags when you arrive!

Additionally, there are a few showers on each main floor, one private and the rest cubicle type. there are a couple of hooks but not much shelf space at all. (I recommend bringing a bag or something to out the clothes you want to get changed into to hang on one of the hooks.) There are shower curtains to cover the hooks so your clothes and towel don’t get wet though. A plus: there are hair dryers and straighteners etc. available at the reception!

The location is great about five minutes to a BART station, close to (but not in a super busy part of) Chinatown, and generally less than a 10 minute walk to MUNI light rail and bus stops, with the closest being less than a minute walk.

As a female solo traveller I felt safe and welcomed in a home away from home.The staff were so supportive and welcoming and ready to help with anything you needed or even for a chat. I highly recommend ITH San...

I've never been in a hostel and was scared at first but trust me, by being in this hostel you will have the best time of your life, I mean it! It has the same features as a hotel but with steroids! They offer: Free breakfast (banana, sandwich with peanut butter and jelly, eggs, and more) from 8:00am to 10:00am Free activities where you will get to meet other travelers from all around the world. Activities vary per day, for example, they have Taco Tuesday where they offer tacos at dinner, Friday rooftop BBQ where you will get to see an awesome view and at the same time have dinner and talk with other travelers, or Sunday Movie night. Other activities you may be interested is that sometimes the staff invite people to join them to have a picnic at a park, go to events happening at day, go to bars or meet other hostels' travelers, and more! Free tips/advices about what shuttle there are in SF, change currency, places to go, and more! You will be able to store your food in a fridge, use the microwave and stove, they even provide plates and cups. Have showers and a private shower. Offer other material you may need such as towels, hair dryer, and more!

But wait, there's more: All people are very respectful towards you. During my time there I NEVER experienced any kind of discrimination, stealing, fights, harassment or anything. Travelers and the staff are RESPECTFUL towards your culture, nationality, and others. Even if you experienced any issues with your roommates just talk to the staff and they will be glad to help such as changing rooms or look for another solution, don't hesitate to contact them. I got to meet many people from around the world, which was very fun. On the first floor there is a restaurant that closes at 9:00pm (very rare considering that SF restaurants closes at 5:00pm or 6:00pm)

PERFECT LOCATION! The hostel is in chinatown and every touristic thing its on walkable distance, you will be able to get to the bay, pier 39, chinatown, downtown, lombard street in just less than 20 or even 10 minutes walking, how crazy is that?

Being here is for sure one of the best experiences I have ever had on my life!

I will highly recommend this place to my...

Oh man, this is by far my best ever hostel experience! The best location, the best staff, the best comfort, the best roommates, they have it all. Apart from the usual things like cleanliness, amenities and all where the hostel checks all marks, there were a few things I was concerned about before booking - = I've 3 bags will it be comfortable or not. While I was staying only 2 - 5 beds out of 8 in my room were occupied, so there was plenty of room for me. Even when full it has huge lockers that can have your backpacks inside and you can keep your trolley bag besides your bed. = There are too many stairs. The quiet dorm is on the third floor (second floor for me as I am used to having the ground floor as floor zero back home) which wasn't too many stairs at all. There are also chairs placed on every floor in case you need a breather before heading up. = Being an introvert will I be able to talk to people and spend good time in the city since I know no one there. A great aspect of this hostel is that most of the staff are volunteers and they are world travelers themselves. Which brings about a totally different perspective and it makes it so easier to have conversations with them. = What do I do in the city The hostel folks have so many interesting activities planned for each day of the week, that you'll definitely find something to do. They have an answer to almost all your touristy queries. = I'm traveling in Thanksgiving week and I don't have friends here. What would I do? The hostel manager (who's a gem of a person himself) and the staff arranged an amazing Thanksgiving dinner for us all. Made me feel like I was sitting among friends that I've known for so long and made my stay memorable. If people at the hostel are reading this, thank you so much for all that you do! Hoping to run into you amazing folks someday...