Hostel On 3rd

STAY AWAY FROM THIS PLACE. JAMES IS AN ABSOLUTE LIAR AND THE HOSTEL IS AWFUL!
I have submitted a Better Business Bureau complaint with regards to this so the details are available, but I am completely blown away by what a despicable human being James turned out to be.
I stayed at this hostel on December 31^st, and when checking in, made the unfortunate mistake of prepaying for three nights in cash. I did not sign any contract, he did not even mention there was a no-​refund policy (thank God I was mindful enough to ask for a paper check for the amount). It turned out to be SO INHUMANELY COLD to sleep there: I had to wear all my sweaters (I am not kidding), a wool scarf and my wool overcoat to even survive. The cloths they call «blankets» are laughable, I took three and it did not help in the least.
In the morning he wasn’t there, of course, to resolve this. So I tried to get a refund from the receptionist, since over the phone James had told me that if I had to change I’d be able to cancel with no problem. This is when they hand me the «no refund» policy.
I came back in person to talk to James, since he initially gave an impression of a friendly guy, and explained to him how inhumanely cold it was and that I was forced to seek accommodations elsewhere, and if he would be kind enough to refund me the two remaining nights ($ 50) since I was sure he’d understand my budget limitations. He pulled my leg for two days pretending to not be able to reach his «manager Amy» who made all the money decisions (does she even exist?). After two days of him dodging my patient calls to resolve it, he finally told me they would not be refunding the money but that I could maybe stay for two nights in the future when it’s not busy. Ha.
AND on the BBB site he called me a liar and a manipulator. Lol. That I was trying to get a «few dollars back». Very good, James, you must judge others based on your own qualities. Charging people money to sleep in inhumane conditions and then lying your way out of it must be a great business and ethical practice indeed.
Shame on you.

My room smelled like cat food. The floors were dirty, and i found bits of dry cat food under the chair and bed (room not cleaned?). The internet didn’t work, and when i asked about it the desk clerk was rude, lazy and unhelpful. Not worth the price. They sneak in extra charges at check in, like a deposit that wasn’t explained on the Expedia page — you even need to ‘rent’ a towel. The bathrooms are tiny and poorly lit, the showers were so dark and scummy that i wouldn’t use them.

Would definitely recommend staying here if you can book with James! I had to book last minute for Comic Con and he was extremely accommodating with our difficult schedule. On top of that, he definitely cares about his guests and wants to make sure they are enjoying themselves. It was no problem keeping in contact with him throughout the day when we needed anything. The charge was very reasonable and the facilities were clean and well taken care of. Please note that cash is better because there is a credit card fee, and there is a refundable deposit per guest.
The hostel features a shared kitchen area that’s open 24 hours, with separate showers and restroom stalls outside of the room. Our room (the dormitory style) also had its own sink, mirror cabinet, ceiling fan, floor fan, closet, and bookshelf. The fans were definitely a must in the scalding California summer heat!

We originally booked our beds with James and he was amazing with his knowledge around the hostel. Over the phone, he gave us information in regards to parking, Ralphs, and the facility. He is very amazing and is willing to go beyond to provide premium customer service.

Friendly staff, nice amenities for the price and great location in the gas lamp area! It’s tough to find parking though, and the lobby closes relatively early. Would recommend it to anyone traveling on a budget to San Diego.

We stayed there for few days, the place looks pretty good, the employees was so helpful and so gentle and they put attention about our personal issues. The location it’s perfect cause it’s actually in the the centre and close to restaurants, pub and discothèque. The kitchen is fully furnished and is open always. The bathroom was so clean and was an important thing, especially when you live with others people. We don’t give to them 5 stars just cause the wifi wasn’t work so good but many time they said that they are to fixing. In general our experience here was great and for sure if we’ll come in san diego we’ll enjoy it again. We thanks to say thanks to the owner, he is a very kind person.

5 stars for hospitality– Super helpful & friendly staff.
4 stars for walkable location– Plenty of drinking & dining establishments in the area including shopping (7eleven saved my life, only other 24hr. store that had a charger for my phone!)
3 stars for amenities– you get what you’re paying for in that regard.
3 stars for rules

Lobby hours posted as 12:00 am to 6:00 am for closure. Lobby is closed, it’s almost 7:00 am which means there’s there’s 1 less bathroom, no towel service and no one at front desk. The cleaning staff was no help.

THIS PLACE IS SHADY! After I booked through
and paid my deposit of $ 122.00 and got my reservation confirmation telling me I owed $ 880 on arrival which includes tax, I received an email from them saying that was NOT a reservation and that I needed to sign a contract and pay half right now by credit card over the phone (two weeks before arrival) plus extra tax at 12.5% and they raised the rate by over $ 100! When I emailed them my confirmation from HostelWorld complete with total amount owed and my confirmation number, they called me back and said they are refusing me service and canceling my reservation unless I pay the new amount and half upfront. Also, before I found out about all this I asked about the free WIFI they advertise and they said it only works in the kitchen, not in the rooms! If you want a hostel in San Diego go to USA Hostels, MUCH better.

I’m in town for a conference but I arrived at 11pm and couldn’t see the sense of spending $ 150+ for a hotel downtown just to sleep and take a shower. I’ll be in a hotel for the rest of the week except the night before I go home and I think I’m going to opt to pay +150 for a hotel rather than a second night here. I’m not impressed. I don’t think it is clean at all. I think the website is misleading. It’s definitely much quieter than hostelling international. I was in a 4 bed female dorm. The room was large but only one set of outlets and no reading lights! Just one big light in the middle. The room was so stuffy and hot but the window did not have a screen and there was no outlet to plug in the fan. The bathrooms were very dirty and in the morning be ready to wait at least 30 minutes.

The staff is really friendly and there is a nice quiet lounge. It was located conveniently near the convention center, which was where I was heading. However, I did find the bathrooms to be a little dirty and my four person female dorm was a bit cramped. However, aside from this I would still stay here again because of the convenience.

I loved this hostel. It is by far one of the most social and welcoming hostels I’ve been to and the price is definitely right! The location is great for night life, and not too far from the beaches either.
The rooms are clean and one of the showers is gigantic.
i think in general the atmosphere won me over, would recommend this place a thousand times over.
–Erin from Austin

I had the opportunity to stay at this fantastic hostel for about five days while I visited San Diego. James, Chris and the rest of the staff are friendly, and courteous. Their location is in the heart of downtown, 10min cab ride from the airport, and close proximity to trolley. Highly recommend staying at hostel on 3^rd when you visit San Diego!

This hostel is awesome! Nice rooms, clean, good space and cheap! For $ 25 you can stay in the heart of San Diego… and go walking for a few minutes to the night clubs!
Manager and staff very friendly!!!

My first time ever staying in a hostel and I liked it. I would stay here again.

I have never been compelled to write either a positive or a negative review before in my entire life, but there is a first for everything.
This is a long review, if you want the quick version here it is:
Utterly incompetent and extremely rude manager Amy
Very nice but completely incapable front desk worker James
Zero security, back door to rooms is wide open
Broken showers
Broken doors
Reservations are not secure, they will mess them up and they will kick you out as they wish
No blankets when needed
Hostel on 3^rd is in a great location… but it is run by a group of the most incompetent individuals I have ever interacted with. I am convinced that a group of middle schoolers have better management skills and logistical thinking capabilities than the managerial staff here. I attempted to make a reservation over the phone for myself and a friend who would be arriving two days after me. Logically, I needed one bed for two nights, and then two beds for the remainder of the week. You would think that I asked the man on the phone to perform the impossible for the amount of time it took for me to explain what I needed. The simplest of requests turned into THREE phone calls over the course of the week from him, clarifying what I wanted. Every time he called, he was still wrong. Finally he seemed to get it right, and allegedly had it set up in their computer system… alas, I was mistaken. When I called to verify my reservation a week before my trip began, he had placed me in the system for two beds on the night I would be there alone, and one bed for the remainder of the stay (when my friend and I would both be staying).
At this point, I really should have given up hope. But I persevered, and explained again what I needed. They said they were not sure if it could be done, but would have a manager call me as soon as possible.
The manager Amy called me shortly after and attempted for rectify the situation. Again, it was as if I were asking these people to perform magic. She asked me who I was working with on the phone, and when I said his name (James) she proceeded to LIE and tell me that no one named James works here. It was a lie, as you can see from previous reviews there is in fact a James who works there… a very sweet man but incredibly incompetent.
But I digress. Amy first attempted to charge me for changing the reservation. I had to explain that I was not changing the reservation, I was trying to fix the mistake that was made by her staff. Then she had the audacity to say that because I was changing from two beds down to one for the first nights, they would not be able to find someone to take those beds and I would have to pay the difference. Are you serious!!! I refused to incur the cost of their mistake, and in the end she agreed and set up my reservation correctly.
I arrived at the hostel and checked in, but the room was not ready and he asked me to wait about thirty minutes before I could take my stuff upstairs. FOUR HOURS LATER I was taken upstairs to find that half of the showers were out of order with no attempts to fix them being made, doors with their handles falling off, zero clean blankets available, and an «emergency exit only» door that was wide open with no lock to prevent strangers from entering the portion of the hostel with the bedrooms. Security? I think not.
But wait… there is more.
Three nights into my stay while i was out to dinner I received a phone call from the manager Amy, who proceeded to tell me that they were giving my bed to someone else. As you can imagine I was shocked– all of my belongings were still in the room, I had not broken any rules, I had paid the deposit fee, why were they kicking me out? Turns out th reservation was STILL not in the system right and they claimed I had an outstanding balance on the room. To condense the story, the finances were worked out and I stayed for the duration of the week, but I will absolutely not go back.
As a side note, it turns out when I booked the rooms they were $ 25 a night, and when the individuals running the hostel learned that there was a very high demand for rooms they bumped the price up to $ 40 a night. So, I have a strong suspicion that Amy was hoping that I actually would leave when she called and threatened me because she wanted to replace me with someone who would bring them more money.
In conclusion, this place has left me with zero desire to ever return.

Very good hostel and location ! The room was quite big and clean.

Really enjoyed my stay at the hostel last April/​May. The style of the hostel is very welcoming and the design is interesting and modern. I loved the cleanliness of the rooms and bathrooms and kitchen area. Free breakfast was also very helpful in the mornings as you plan out your day. I will be visiting this hostel again in the future.

In general, AWESOME place to stay.
Here are some reviews by parts of the experience I had staying here!
Front Desk
James at the front desk is respectful, helpful, and he points out the main local conveniences nearby. (24hr grocery/​household goods store around the corner «Ralph’s,» VERY convenient.) Amy is friendly and helpful too. She pointed out to me inexpensive food place nearby when I arrived.
Cost
Their competitive rates are the best in the downtown area for all the hostels. They include tax, and NO additional charges! I personally called all the downtown hostels and only one other place matched their rate: Lucky D’s hostel. I liked James’ attitude so I went with Hostel On 3^rd.
Deposit
A $ 10.00 refundable deposit is returned to you when you return the physical metal room key and no-​charge optional towel, if you got one at checkin. Don’t lose the key.
Room & Beds
The room was clean and had a nice open window with view looking out to the front of the street. The twin mattress was very comfortable to me; no weird lumps or springs in your back or anything that would cause discomfort. The bunk bed was a bit squeaky, I wanted to oil it lol.
I slept well. The 3 Florida guys I shared the dorm with were cool and respectful. In fact, everyone I met during my stay was cool.
Bathrooms
I used 2 of their bathrooms in the dorms & rooms section upstairs: a little one and a big one. The big one I used is spacious with a classy interior décor. The little bathroom’s shower I think needs to be redone to a white/​light color instead of dark.
Kitchen & Free Breakfast
Nice long, clean kitchen.
You can make your own pancakes and there’s good cereal! I had a big bowl of cocoa puffs mixed with Cheerios and cinnamon pancakes– they hit the spot! :)
Downstairs/​Game room/​Pool Table/​Internet Computer/​Big Screen Flat panel TV (55−60″) /​Seating/​Stage/​Working Desk/​BBQ Area (Outside)/Stereo w/​Aux input.
Downstairs is COOL. It has a relaxing feel with lots of things to do and space to relax or sit down. It also has a small library with some board games.
Internet
Besides the internet computer downstairs, there are 2 secure internet wireless networks through out the property.
Overall
Awesome place, convenient location, comfortable, and GOOD people! I’d definitely stay here again!

I had great service ! Clean rooms, Bathooms galore, and calling it a continual breakfast would be an understatement ! And top notch security too! I am definitely going back