INTERNATIONAL STUDENT CENTER

My friends and I checked out immediately after our first night. We could not stay even one more night due to the lack of privacy in co-ed rooms, inadequate bathrooms/WCs for 10-bed dorms, and poor security for personal belongings.

The mixed-gender 10-bed room on the 3rd floor was excruciatingly hot even with the ceiling fan, so my friend couldnt sleep at all. The 10-bed dorm on the 2nd floor smelled absolutely horrible- worse than any cheap hostel we’ve been to all over the world. The employee Kabir noticed right away then opened a window and sprayed febreeze, but it smelled just as bad that night.

The stench wasn’t caused by guests who happen to have smelly body odor- it was caused by the bathroom floors being practically flooded. Guests who wore their socks into the bathroom rather than shower shoes got soaking wet socks and no way to dry them out. There was only one toilet for each 10-bed room (up to TEN PEOPLE sharing ONE TOILET). The 2 showers were in the same room as the toilet so you couldnt go pee/poop if someone was in the shower.
Although I have stayed in co-ed hostels as a woman traveler before, due to the bathroom situation here I felt uncomfortable and waited over an hour until all the men were done. At least there was a mirror in the bedroom so people could brush their hair, put on makeup, etc.

There’s no elevator/lift, so even if you book the nicer rooms on the fourth floor, you have to haul your suitcase up 3 flights of stairs. The upstairs wifi was extremely slow so you’d have to go downstairs to look something up. The personal lockers in the room were very small. You could fit a purse and expensive electronics like laptops and tablet, but suitcases, duffel bags, and large backpacks had to be shoved underneath the bunk bed on the dirty floor.

We arrived in the morning, so we needed to store our luggage until 3pm check-in. They just put our bags in plain sight on the first floor.

A few low-cost upgrades would greatly improve the guest experience. Here are my recommendations:
- Put bath mats in front of each shower to prevent soaking wet bathroom floors.
- Purchase a bulk supply of cheap plastic flip-flops so guests can purchase shower shoes to prevent the spread of bacteria (athlete’s foot) and the smell of dirty wet socks.
- Offer at least one bedroom option for women-only.
- Hang curtains/privacy screens around each bed.
- Replace the lockers/cubbies in each room with much larger ones, and/or add some heavy-duty shelving to keep luggage off the floor.
- Mount some extension cords on the walls so that top bunks can charge their devices, and consider adding individual lamps and fans.
- For a higher-investment upgrade, add at least 4 more sinks and toilets, and ensure there are private entries to each shower.

I was pleased with the employees, although I suspect they were understaffed.
It seems Kabir was the only worker with whom we interacted. He was very courteous, always inquired if we felt comfortable, and tried his absolute best to improve our situation. We asked for a refund (at least partial) for the second night, citing the unsanitary bathroom floor and lack of privacy. Kabir called management to try to advocate for us, but ultimately they denied our reasonable request.

The building is a charming historic brownstone in Upper West Side, only half a block from Central Park and around the corner from the nearest Subway station (86th St stop on blue “C” train & orange “B” train) so it’s very walkable. The building is not labeled as a hostel from the outside, so you ring the doorbell, call the phone number, or use a room key to enter: it’s quite safe from the street.

The 70-year-old nonprofit housed there (Association of the World Travel Exchange) has a wonderful mission, and the space would probably work somewhat well for people who already know each other. However, it’s currently inadequate as a hostel open to the public for vacation accommodations.

I think that this space is very poorly suited for a hostel. The dorms, each which housed 12 people, were only equipped with one toilet and one or two showers. Also, the shower and the toilet were in the same room, so if one person was showering, someone else would have to wait until they were done with their shower to use the toilet. This caused a back-up of folks trying to get ready in the morning. Check-out is at 10, and I was up at 7:30 or so with barely a chance to brush my teeth and put my contacts in. In addition to being unhygienic, the lack of necessities could very easily cause a schedule disruption for guests. I found sleeping in the room incredibly hot and humid, even with the fan on, and the lockable cubby could only fit small bags. Curtain around the sides of the bunks are a cheap and easy way to improve privacy, which I greatly recommend. The upper bunks did not have outlets or extension cords reaching up from the ground level outlet.
The ground floor of the building was explained to us as an art gallery, which is great if that’s what you’re looking for! However, I think if you’re going to be a gallery, then be a gallery, and if you’re going to be a hostel, then be a hostel and do it well.
I’m right in the middle of their age range (18-30) and I’ve stayed at hostels in the US as well as Mexico and South America, so I don’t believe this is a “me” issue.
I hope this is helpful, and if you’re okay with these conditions then I say go for it! I just wish someone would’ve made the bathroom situation clear before I booked.

Came here on holiday with my cousin for a few days and it was perfect. Great location, really welcoming and helpful staff, nice common areas, clean and comfortable rooms. Didn't spend much time there as we were out visiting most of the time but it was the perfect fit for our visit.

ISC was my second home during the trip. Thankfully to the hostel’s stuff, I felt myself like in a TV series Friends. They were very kind and friendly, always ready to help and to recommend where to go.
I also would like to highlight that all tge bathrooms, dorm rooms and common space were extremely clean. Kitchen was very convenient in use
My roommates were polite and we stayed in our room with pleasure.
The location of the hostel is perfect for tourism, it’s very quiet, safe area, close to the main museums and subway.
Thank you for ISC for all the conditions and new friends

horrible experience. terrible staff.