Samesun Hollywood — Restaurant in Los Angeles

I really enjoyed my stay here. Sometimes with hostels it can either be really good or really bad and I was pleasantly surprised with Samesun. . It’s big and clean and has all the bells and whistles. There’s a ton of artwork that is worked into the design of the space so you can easily see graffiti labels on the walls. . I booked a one night stay in an all female four (4) bedroom dorm and only encountered one of three women with whom I was to share the room. They give you a towel for free upon checking in and there’s a $10 fee to do laundry for two hours and a $5 fee to stow your luggage if need be. You can find a locker in your room for easy storage and they have changing rooms in the restrooms which are designated for both men and women, thankfully! For the common areas, they have a huge kitchen with several refrigerators, an electric stove and a communal dining table. There’s a lounge too with bar seating, a pool table, benches and chairs. You can also find several water filter stations in the building. . There are quiet hours from midnight to 7am which at that time the lounge and kitchen are closed so make sure to eat dinner prior to then. Lastly, they offer a free breakfast from 7am to 9am. I deducted one start because Hollywood can be loud and sketchy at night, but I had no issues. As for parking, it’s either paid in a garage or street parking. I was blessed to find free street parking on Hawthorne street which is a short walk from the hostel. I highly recommended and would stay again. . Update: I work in LA often and travel down from the 3 hours or more to do so. I have a ride that is picking me up the day after I was due to check out of Samesun this weekend, but the host/receptionist at the front desk today (a young gentleman with glasses and locs) told me I need proof of ongoing travel leaving Los Angeles in order to stay there. Which I don’t have because again, a friend is picking me up post check out. He essentially gave me an ultimatum to book ongoing travel in order to check in or cancel my reservation. Mind you, this was not the procedure when I checked in last week. So, I was stuck in Hollywood with no reservation for the next two days because the hosts here are inconsistent with carrying out their policies. Just because I don’t have a plane or bus or train ticket doesn’t mean I’m not leaving the city after I check out. And it’s not like they are scanning the travel ticket or asking for the reservation numbers for the travel to put it on the reservation, so it’s really unnecessary. .

Come to find out, per their policy, if I'm a local USA traveler I could use an out of state driver's license to check in, (which I have) but he conveniently left...

I actually didn't get to stay. The receptionist Jose decided he didn't like me when I said I didn't see the policy about showing a plane ticket. I went to get him the information he was requesting and he kept coming at me saying "he didn't like my energy and he didn't think I could get along with other hostellers" all of this despite I had stopped engaging with him and was trying to get the information he had requested. He then refused to check me in and canceled my reservation. I was dumb founded at the way I was treated. I've been to 23 different countries( many of them multiple times) and have stayed in hostels, home stays, villages, and hotels and never experienced what I endured that day upon check in. A hossteller who saw the interaction came up to me and asked if I was okay when I was outside trying to get my bearings on what transpired. I called back a little later to try to reason with him and he tried to tell me "I tried checking you in but you kept taking" when in fact I wasn't the one talking I was trying to get him the reservation that he wanted to begin with then before hanging up on me told me "to figure it out" I spoke with the manager, was very nice and personal, and they said they would investigate it and look at the cameras but didn't ask fot any contact information regarding a follow up.

I was at no time loud, belligerent, or rude. I asked where was that on the website since I obviously missed it and he apparently felt that was enough to cancel my reservation and not try to work with me when I called back.

No matter how great of a location the hostel is in, and it's really in a great location, nobody should be trated that way for asking a question about a policy.

Hopefully people coming to this country for the first time aren't treated this way. But with as comfortable as he was doing that, I'm sure this wasn't his first time and I doubt it will be the last.

Update: the GM I spoke to responded to this review with inaccurate information. Guests saw how I was being treated by the front desk and came out to ask if I was okay. It obviously wasn't me. I was also in the process of getting the information the desk had requested and at no time did Jose acknowledge me when I told him I was getting the requested information. He was pointing to the information when I was in my phone getting the information. I was not agressive or rude. In fact when I called back Jose was the one who was aggressive and rude by telling me to figure it out...

Outstanding location. All common areas locked shut between midnight and 7am so the only place to be awake in the building is on the 2 benches in the hallway. The only common areas (kitchen and lounge) are indoors so one feels confined. The male bathroom has cleaning ladies walking through it without warning 24 hours a day. Toilet doors and showers do not have Occupied / Vacant locks so people will constantly be shoving the door while you’re using any toilet or shower, and you will need to do this as well to find out if they’re vacant. Rooms have inadequate ventilation and smell like body odour at all times. Blankets provided are thinner and provide less coverage than an old towel. Threats that your belongings will be discarded if left overnight are posted in every room of the building to ensure you never feel at home. The building and sheets are clean. The bathroom basins are designed in such a way that they gather endless dripping puddles, so your toiletries and the clothes you are wearing will be covered in water whenever you brush your teeth or hair. 50% of the staff are warm and welcoming. The viewing areas for the Academy Awards red carpet are restricted to a few front rooms (from which you are booted on the day to make way for the media who will pay more), the luggage room (with one caged window that allows 2-3 people to watch from the ultimate viewpoint), and massively obscured views from the lounge and kitchen, which have fire escape balconies that would be perfect except for the warning signs that threaten a $150 fine for using. Breakfast is provided for those early enough to wake up and take everything for themselves, and activities on the noticeboard have been canceled on the two times I signed up. An extremely central location to store your bags and sleep if you don’t care about...