HI New Orleans Hostel

Honestly, people were worried about me staying at a hostel, but this was my first solo trip and it felt like the perfect moment to finally experience one. I took a chance and booked HI New Orleans, and I am glad I did. I stayed in a 6-person room and everyone was friendly and respectful. Each bed has its own locker, and you can fit a full checked bag inside, which was very convenient. If you are assigned a top bunk, just be prepared to lift about 50 pounds to get your luggage up there. The guest desk staff were very kind and helpful, which made me feel comfortable right away. One thing to note is that the doors are extremely loud, and some guests are not very considerate and tend to slam them, which can be annoying if you are a light sleeper. The bathrooms are shared with the entire floor, but each one is individual, so definitely bring flip flops. Location-wise, this hostel is very convenient. It is right on Canal Street, close to restaurants and the casino, and not too far from the port if you are cruising. Overall, I would stay here again if I am traveling solo. It was a solid first hostel experience and a great option for solo travelers looking for a central location in New Orleans.

Giving 3 star because the front dest lady was rude and didn’t even listen what I was saying/asking she just keeps telling what she thinks is correct, Manager Mark was able to jump in and help me out. usually staff at hostels are very friendly to tourist never had this before little frustrated so giving 3 star, but can be definitely a good place and must visit place to stay. i can say best hostel in NOLA

I had an amazing experience at HI Hostel New Orleans! The property felt super secure, which gave me peace of mind during my stay. Everything was spotless — from the rooms to the common areas — and the atmosphere was comfortable and welcoming. The dorms were surprisingly spacious, and the beds were cozy, making it easy to rest after a long day exploring the city. The location is great, with Canal Street just a short walk away. While the area can feel a bit sketchy at night, as long as you stay aware of your surroundings, it’s totally fine — I never had any issues. For the price and the quality of the stay, this hostel is absolutely worth it. I’d highly recommend it to anyone visiting New Orleans!

I had a great time at this hostel. It's in a great location. It's very close to the french quarter and bus stops. The staff is incredibly welcoming. I wish there were group events and tours. Other HI hostel locations have really fun events. The only issue I had was with dorm and kitchen. The room I stayed in was hot and stuffy. My bed was directly under an A/C unit covered in black mold. It made me sick during my stay. The guest fridges and pantry need attention. The pantry has a fruit fly infestation.

I stayed here from Jan 2nd - Jan 15th. I was also here for a few nights last spring/summer. Throughout my life I have stayed in dozens of hostels all over the world, at varying price-points. This one is easily in the top three. It was easy to make friends (had a fabulous, home-cooked, gourmet meal one night), it was easy to find a nook for some alone time, easy to take a few work calls…this hostel had everything I needed and honestly has elements I would want in my own home. Hannah and Nicole have been there both times I have stayed and they have both been consistently great. (I did miss Clayton). Great stuff: The New Orleans location has a large kitchen with several cooktops, tons of fridge space, tons of cupboards for dry storage, lots of places to sit and eat. There is a cozy "tv" room, a great downstairs common area with couches, a pool table, and a small work station. There are water refill stations on every floor, bathrooms on every floor except the kitchen level. Everything is always clean. So clean. Built-in custom bunk beds with lights, shelves, outlets in the bunk, curtains on beds, two (!) pillows and a proper, comfy duvet. Towels are included in your stay. Top bunks are open to the ceiling so bring your eyemask. Each room has three communal sources of light: overheads, "nightlight," and a window. In my all-female dorm we kept the nightlight on at all times, opened the window blind early in the mornings, and saved the overheads for late mornings. Each bunk has an assigned locker and two assigned hooks. The hooks can be difficult to find but they are all labeled with bed numbers. Entry to the hostel, dorm room, and lockers are all controlled by your assigned keycard. If you have any issues, you can call the front desk from phones on each floor. They are located by the elevator (there is an elevator as well). The bathrooms here are private, full baths. Showers have decent water pressure and get nice and hot. Everything gets cleaned and restocked twice a day, including the stack of fresh bathmats to use with each shower. Some complaints: We had some issues with a few bathrooms having handsoap but not shampoo or body wash, or vice versa. This last bunk I stayed in didn't have working outlets (I used the one in the locker), and another person had a light that was out by her bed (they gave her a replacement light). The kitchen is very loud with an exhaust that is always running, but I don't think there is much they can do about that; I wore earplugs (hostel provides them for free). I missed the free breakfast from last Spring but well, we all know what apocalyptic h*ll we're living in in 2026 so these are minor complaints. With such a large hostel with so many amenities I think it can be hard to keep up with all of these tiny details, but just let them know and they will try to fix it asap. Oh, some rooms have a soft-close on the doors! The 8 bed does not and can get very loud if you’re not careful. Staff: The staff is great. New Orleans is a...special...city and the location is right in the thick of things. I was constantly impressed by the staff's poise while running such a big hostel in crazy NOLA. I watched Hannah deal with a difficult checkin with grace and good humor, then Nicole come in and back Hannah up with her polished professionalism. I think these two are the perfect, front desk pair. Hannah gave great recommendations for king cake and Mardi Gras parades, with Nicole being the more serious one making sure I had fresh towels, taxi to the airport, and other practical necessities. Nicole and another staff member, Henny also had to deal with a difficult guest which they did with little impact on the rest of us. Hannah and Nicole both helped me with my endless extensions and made it so easy for me to be comfortable there. Thanks very much to Hannah, Nicole, Christian, Henny, Kira and many others whose names I didn't get because my brain was at capacity for new names (manager was also great). Really great team doing an A+ job of running this massive hostel.

Great location, great service. Loved how much activity there was inside the lobby, like the pool table, books and an open sketchbook for everyone! Kitchen was great, very well maintained and clean. Vibes 10/10, will definitely come again. Inside restrooms doors a bit heavy and hard to close, but pretty clean. The bed was too soft, but that's just my taste. Can be a bit noisy even at night.

Good hostel nice location, helpful staff, great location near the French Quarter. It was clean. I found the beds very comfortable. Perfect for a low key comfortable stay without much headache loved that they offered pizza to guest also! I’d say some other Hostels might be better for meeting people though i wouldn’t say here would be impossible I’d definitely recommend !