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American Hotel Hostel, Seattle’s premier hostel, which is conveniently located at the historic American Hotel in the International District of downtown Seattle. Renovated in 2009, common rooms, discounts to Seattle attractions, grocery store (one-block away), kitchen (self-serve), laundry, & library/game room.
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
Since I was traveling solo this place fit the bill. I decided to choose the four bedroom dorm and it tuned out I was the only occupant. As others have wrote the location is within easy walking distance of the Chinatown int district train station so taking the light rail from SeaTac was easy. It is located on the outskirts of Chinatown so that’s a plus if you want to eat Chinese food plenty of choices nearby. It was easy to load my orca card with a day pass and get around by bus/train from this location. The rooms are barebones, but I like the fact a small lamp and electrical outlet and small fan was on the wall by my bed. I never did figure out the heater, but each bed came with a lightweight wool blanket so I was warm enuf.
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Date of stay: April 2021Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Nice place to get a single room at hostel prices. Bed was comfortable, room was clean, which is honestly all you hope for in a room of this price. A few issues- it was a warm time here, no AC which is usual for Seattle, but to create ventilation, both exterior and interior above door windows needed to be cracked. My room opened onto the hall light so I could be cool or darkish but not both, which made it hard to sleep. There weren't many people there when I was but for a fully booked hostel, I question having 4 showers to an entire floor of guests, two of them then cutting off access to the two single occupant toilets. Staff was friendly and helpful, kitchen well equipped. The only other important thing to mention is the area. Very central, easy to use transit, but some of the streets nearby are occupied by a lot of people who are living on the streets. I would not feel safe going some of the nearby streets at night as a solo female traveler, other streets feel fine. Overall a great place when you just need a convenient bed and a good kitchen.
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Date of stay: July 2021Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I was visiting Seattle with a friend of mine, staying only for 1 night, and this place was exactly what we needed: close to the train station, walkable distance to all major sights in town, affordable, breakfast included, clean. It is also located in Chinatown, which means there's plenty of cheap and delicious Chinese restaurants around. We also booked beds in a dorm and were upgraded to a private double, as well as allowed to check in super early - very positive experience!
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Date of stay: December 2019Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I stayed here in September 2019. They had my reservation for a private room mixed up with a dorm room and walked in on someone while thinking my room was private. They were accommodating and made the adjustment without any issue.
For a hostel the rooms are basic. My private room had a twin bunk bed, small desk and chair, a few coat hooks and a window. It was very basic but that's all I needed. I found the bedsheets to be threadbare but that didn't affect my sleeping.
The washrooms and shower were tidy and clean. The kitchen area was welcoming. Don't forget a sharpie or some tags to label/date any foodstuffs you buy. There is an Asian grocery that is nearly across the street. A small pub/bar on the corner.
This location is close to public transit and if you are attending a Seahawks game or concert at the WaMu Theatre, both are within walking distance of 10 minutes.
Although the rooms could use a freshen up, I recommend staying at this location.
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Date of stay: May 2021
Value
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Service
Room Tip:Rent a private room if you can afford it and if one is available.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I stayed here two nights in December 2019 and once in 2018 and found it a good place with cheerful staff. The breakfast offers toast, bagels with cream cheese, cereal, fruit, coffee, etc. There’s a guest kitchen and free coffee 24 hours. The location is especially good. It’s a few minutes walk from an LRT station, a short walk from the Amtrak station and maybe 10 minutes’ walk to the Greyhound station. It’s also close to Pioneer Square and downtown. There’s an Asian shopping centre one street over that has a food court and an Asian supermarket that sells hot and cold meals and also a smallish selection of Western food, like packaged deli meats and cheeses. The duvets are a bit tattered (why don’t American and Canadian hostels and hotels use European-style sleepsacks?) but a very good place all around.
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Date of stay: December 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I've stayed in many HI hostels and I like this one. It is clean and quiet. Good security. Great location, as it's 0.2 mile or less from both the light rail and Amtrak stations and a short walk from the waterfront. It is in an old, quaint hotel and does have a couple downsides associated with old, quaint places: the bathrooms are small which makes showering tricky and I can imagine the rooms would be stuffy in the summer time (though nice in April). But overall a pretty good place.
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Date of stay: April 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
After careful personal consideration, an e-mail from the hostel (I assume), and being accused of “having an agenda”, I have reflected on my initial review. I am as my name suggests a very well travelled young man, to over 25 Hostelling Internationals in Canada and America, as well as countless in Asia, Africa, Europe and Oceania. I also had the privilege of being a repeat customer of the Seattle HI in its original location near Pikes Place Market. I fell in love with Seattle whilst staying at that hostel – the location was superb, and it had a certain charm about it. Note this I love this city, used to support the Supersonics and have some of my fondest memories from Seattle itself. The reflected review will not be a judgement on the city but the NEW hostel - I have no agenda but to tell the facts of our experience and lastly I will not be bullied into lying about a bad experience.
In July 2010, I took my sister, cousin and girlfriend to Seattle from Vancouver; we range from 21-32 years old. On this trip we had already stayed in an HI in Tofino which was a superb experience. I was aware that the HI had moved to a new location, and was quite excited to see where it was and how it faired against the old one. Upon arrival we were greeted by a staff member who wasn’t very approachable or friendly, to our group it looked like she was either very tired or VERY bored. We had booked a Private Room, which I assumed would be more than just a dorm (as it is in San Fran, Vancouver, Tofino etc…). But it was just a 4 bed dorm – granted that is a private room when there are 4 of you – so I accepted that. In my initial review I was extremely disappointed and angry at the hostel so marked it with all 0’s, upon reflection, the price ($110 was quite good for 4 people), and it wasn’t messy in any way. But that is where the “positives stop”. The room was very small, dingy and smelt a little from god knows what! The beds were extremely uncomfortable (and yes I know it’s not the Ritz)! But I have slept very well in dorms and bunk beds for 10+ years and these were awful. The toilet that was nearest to our room during the first evening of our stay flooded and the flood took over a great deal of the carpet, seeping into our room and when reported to the staff, they left it for about 20 minutes before attempting to remove the water with a vacuum (at around 8am!) Very considerate! I went to enquire about the busses and how to get into the city I was met with again a member of staff who was more interested in chatting to another member of staff about the previous nights drinking than anything else. I don’t expect the customer service of an expensive hotel but some common courtesy would’ve been lovely.
The real torment of this place is the location – it is dreadful! Just one block away from where the Wah Mee massacre occurred in 1983 (Seattle’s worst ever murder site). Yes it is right next to the bus station but this is not a nice bus station! As I walked passed it with the girls, they got hassled 4 times just for being female, and a cop on duty said to me “a lot of crazies around here so be careful”. That came from a Seattle city Police Officer. We also witnessed in our two day stay, Prostitutes walking up and down the area, a man battering the floor shouting at the hostel window and swearing profusely, a guy sitting on the street openly injecting himself, that is on top of the countless homeless, poor and drunks that every city has (again I realise that all cities have these problems and I feel for a lot of the homeless). I also googled “crime in Seattle” and the Central District which is right next to the International District is deemed as the worst but to me that says it all! As an experienced traveller and a guy of some size – I felt very unsafe and would definitely not have ventured out at night around this area. On top of the awful area it is also a good 20 minute walk to town and 30-45 minutes to the major attractions (Ducks, Space Needle, Pikes Place Market and EMP/Sci Fi Museum which by the way are all awesome!). Why they moved this hostel and got rid of the old staff is beyond me… My family all got such a bad impression of Seattle from the hostel and location that they will not return anytime soon – of which I am very disappointed – as I used to love that hostel.
This is an honest thought out independent review from a very well travelled person who was visiting what used to the home of my favourite hostel in all of the USA Unfortunately I will never return to HI Seattle, but will return to Seattle I would not recommend this hostel at all – and would still insist you all visit Seattle – just visit a much safer area.
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Date of stay: July 2010
Value
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Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hostelling International Seattle at American Hotel
OK, writing this from the perspective of a stranded traveler rather than a touring trekker. Got stuck at SeaTac Airport due to several weather related cancellations and needed a place to camp for a rainy Thurs night in February. Found HI on the internet, looked at the pictures, read the reviews, noted the prices and said what the heck. I needed to be back at the airport by 8:30 the next morning. Didn’t need a 4 star hotel for the few hours I was going to be there, so it was worth a shot.
Location is great, one block from the LINK light rail system. Also convenient to Pioneer Square, Downtown and SoDo districts. Location plus 10 points.
The building was obviously many things through the years, including an old hotel. The Website declares recent renovations but restoration was not much of it. Appears mostly functional improvements. The Website pictures were a little brighter than the actual.
The accommodations were sparse as expected, but serviceable and clean. Only saw the 4-bed / 2-bunks ‘dorm’ room which was VERY small. Luckily, not busy so got a 4-bed room to myself. It would seem very confining for 4 unrelated folks with different interests on different schedules functioning in this space. Security comes to mind, but what was the previous closet area is now configured as 4 locker units with padlocks provided at the desk. They are large enough to accommodate a couple of carry-on bags and personal items. Heat seemed fine but did wonder about hot summer nights after noticing each bunk had a little miniature fan above the head. Each bed did have a reading light and power source for charging cords. It was quiet due low occupancy but did hear movement up and down the hallway, doors shutting, and in the bathrooms (down the hall). The Website offers several room choices from the 4-bed / 2-bunks dorm room to single rooms with private baths.
A major feature is the large complete kitchen setup and large dining area for all to use. Noticed folks preparing complete meals. Also, there are honor system cubby hole cabinets for storing personal groceries and other items. Breakfast as provided was more than adequate if you didn’t have your own groceries. Another plus 10 pts.
So, all in all, it was perfect for my situation. Any port in a storm and this was a pretty darn good one. Although probably not being the typical guest, there did seem to be a varied mix of people and did not feel out of place nor infringing on anyone’s special turf. The younger folks might disagree. :) Felt secure, things were clean, staff very polite and helpful, and saved a bunch of money to have a nice dinner in Pioneer Square. Giving 4 stars based on what it is and price. Would stay again. Well done management and staff!
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Date of stay: February 2017
Rooms
Cleanliness
Service
Trip type: Travelled solo
Room Tip:Room at end of hall was away from stairs with less traffic and near a bath.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Larry L, General Manager at American Hotel Hostel
Responded Mar 2, 2017
Many thanks for your detailed review. Our building is designated a historic property so, it needs to be kept as close to original design as possible. We certainly appreciate your keen observations. Thanks for staying with us and we wish you the safest of travels.
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Having traveled to Seattle via Amtrak, this HI hostel is well situated, just a short 5-minute walk from the station and very close to the football & baseball stadiums. However, while this location is convenient, it's also in a rather unsavory part of town; somewhere that you wouldn't really want to walk at night by yourself.
The hostel is quite big -- a former hotel with several floors and lots of rooms. Our family stayed in a private room with four bunks; I particularly liked the little fans, reading lights, and power sockets at each bunk for charging your phone etc. The building is older but has been refurbished pretty well, and it's pretty clean throughout. The staff were helpful and the hostel is right at the edge of the free transit zone downtown.
The location is convenient and the price is good, but I suspect there are better places to stay if you want to stay for several nights and tour the city sights
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Date of stay: August 2011
Value
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Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I stayed here for a week in July as part of a group of teachers studying at a National Endowment for the Humanities seminar held at the nearby Wing Luke Museum. First the good: The location was great with easy access to airport train, Sounder trains and bus stops. The International District has amazing dining, and the Wing Luke is a must-see museum. Both sports stadiums are within walking distance, and I took advantage of a Mariners game and a Sounders match. There was easy access to coffee shops and convenient marts.
I had a private room without a bathroom, which although bare-bones (It is a hostel, after all) was clean and comfortable. I had a sink so that I didn't have to run to the public restrooms just to brush my teeth or wash my face. The bed was comfortable, and there was ample storage in the lockers (bring your own lock). The hostel had free wi-fi in rooms, which was a help to those of us studying at the seminar. The bathrooms were very clean, and I never had to wait for a shower. The staff was competent and friendly, and the building had a nice kitchen/eating area, a library and a couple of TV lounges. Laundry facilities and bag storage were also available. There was free breakfast every morning, but I honestly only took advantage of it once because I have to eat gluten-free and usually chose to get my own food so I knew exactly what was in it. The hostel has a commitment to recycling and being eco-friendly, which was admirable.
The not-so-good: The hostel has no air conditioning, and we happened to be in Seattle during a summer heatwave (90+ degree temps). My room was around the corner, at the end of one of the smaller halls off the main cross hall on the second floor. Therefore, I was getting no cross-breeze into my room. Additionally, since I was on the second floor and on a spur hallway, my window opened up onto a first-floor roof area, further limiting my breeze. The windows have no screens, so I felt uneasy as a single female traveler leaving my window open wide at night where someone from the alley could easily climb onto that roof area and into my room, as could anyone climb out another room and walk over into mine.
Also, people from other rooms had ungraciously thrown their trash and empty food containers out on that roof, which attracted flies and other bugs. (I will say that the staff eventually cleaned that up after a couple of days.) Additionally, two nights I was inundated with mosquitoes because of the window having no screens. Between that and not getting any cross-breeze with my transom open above the door to the hall, my room was unbearably hot a few of the nights, to the point I had trouble sleeping. The little fan installed by the bed was almost useless. I even contemplated buying a bigger fan at a drugstore and leaving at the hostel when the week was over. The teachers who were staying in rooms located on the long cross hall of each floor didn't have this issue. They were getting a nice cross breeze. When I would leave my room and walk down and around the corner to the main hall, the temperature drop was noticeable. So, your comfort depends on where your room is located. Also, the last night I was there, a large group of college students traveling together took over many of the vacated rooms on my floor. They ignored the posted quiet hours signs. Four gentlemen in the room across from me were very drunk and obnoxiously loud, screaming and laughing well after midnight, and I eventually got up and went downstairs to the desk to ask the clerk to tell the to be quiet. He was extremely helpful and said he had already received other complaints, too. He came upstairs, knocked on their door, and told them to please observe quiet hours. They did settle down after that, which was nice since we had to be up and going at 7 a.m. each day for the seminar.
Bottom line: If you're looking for cheap accommodations in a great location and don't mind "roughing it" a bit, this is a good spot. It's especially great if you're not looking to spend much time in your room and will be sightseeing most of the day. However, I wouldn't recommend it for more than a few nights. After about three nights, I was ready for my own bathroom, a television, and screens on my windows.
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Date of stay: July 2014
Rooms
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled solo
Room Tip:Ask to be on the main cross hall on your floor. Those rooms are cooler because of the cross...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from AHManagement, General Manager at American Hotel Hostel
Responded Aug 7, 2014
Thank your for your detailed account of a weeks stay at HI Seattle. The rooms can get warm during the very limited days of hot weather in the Northwest. I also have a room facing south. I find if I open my transom and street side window, I get a decent cross breeze. A cool shower at night before bed also helps. Thanks again for your kind comments. Cheers!
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Marietta, Georgia, United States141 contributions229 helpful votes
I am in my low 50s and had no problem there. They primarily use double bunk beds there in their rooms. If you feel uncomfortable or unable to clumb into a top bunk ask them to get you a lower bunk. The room I had was plenty big enough to move around with other people in it.
Hostels sometimes have private rooms but I would not know if the Seattle hostel has them or not. That is another option if they do but undestand it will be more expensive than a dorm room.
Almost everyone takes the stairs between floors. If I recall there is an elevator but not sure. By almost everyone taking the stairs the elevator will be more available
The hostel is in a 4 or 5 story building. The main floor of the hostel is on the 2nd floor where reception/kitchen/laundry/dinning/etc are located.
Think of a hostel like a dorm room in college that hast instead of 2 but 6 people and double bunk bed. I prefer these hostels over hotel in most instances not only because they are cheaper but they have full kitchens you can use to make your own meals and store in the refrig as well as self-laundry. You will never find that in a hotel and I have yet to see a hotel that can guarantee your clothes be cleaned in two hours for typically $8 per wash/dry load.
I hope this answers your question.
Hi Mary,
Thanks so much for reaching out. We do have shower soap provided in all of our showers, and we also sell shampoo and conditioner at the front desk for 1 USD each.
I hope this information helps!
Cheers,
The hostel does not have on site parking. All of the street parking around it is metered with a two hour limit. The good news is that you can park on the street after six pm and before 8am for free and there are usually spaces. Across the street is a pay parking lot. Sorry
There are more places to choose from in the Seattle area.
PRICE RANGE
C$194 - C$218 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
FORMERLY KNOWN AS
American Hotel
LOCATION
United StatesWashingtonSeattleInternational District
NUMBER OF ROOMS
90
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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American Hotel Hostel - UPDATED Prices, Reviews & Photos
Frequently Asked Questions about American Hotel Hostel
Which popular attractions are close to American Hotel Hostel?
Nearby attractions include Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park (0.4 km), Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience (0.3 km), and Uwajimaya (0.2 km).
