The Planet Traveler

I absolutely love this place! If anyone is around downtown Toronto and needs a place to stay… Come here!!!
This place is so nice. It’s a hostel and it totally feels like a college dorm setting. My friend is going to a make up school here so we decided to stay here. Apparently Canadian residents cannot stay here. Only people from out of the country or a different providence in Canada. So everyone here is from some really cool and interesting places.
So they have bunk beds here and they have a room where you share with 5 people including yourself, or you can get a private room– but it’s a little more expensive. But seriously the price here is definitely so much better than getting a hotel. And you meet lots of new people if you feel like being social. They have a roof top by the way… And the view is just absolutely beautiful and amazing. I can’t even begin to explain. This place is right in the middle of downtown so you can see everything and you are right in the middle of everything.
They have so many different places to eat and cute little stores/​shops.
The staff and people are really friendly here. They have a kitchen area downstairs where you can cook and also a refrigerator. They also have a laundry room. The security is upscale here. You have to have a card key to get into anything so you feel super safe. Also each room has their own bathroom so it’s nice. And also a bathroom in the hallway.
This place is absolutely clean as well. They keep this place so clean. And the bedsheets, pillow cover, and towels are cleaned every morning. Oh they also do provide you with a towel. Also people leave toiletries behind so they keep them downstairs in case you forget yours! So it’s really nice. Also they do have a main room downstairs with a tv and several Mac computers for your leisure. And they also have wifi here… But it’s not that great… It goes in and out, I think because a lot of people are using it. But I loved my stay here and I can’t wait to come back!!!

This is by far one of the cleanest and most modern hostels I’ve ever stayed in. The front desk staff is helpful and friendly and there until midnight everyday. It is affordable, and if you have your car with you, there are 4 spots offered for the hostel at $ 8 per day, which is an amazing price for parking in Toronto!
They have a great continental breakfast that is from 7 am — 1 pm, and they have a good spread of different breakfast items. There’s a large fridge and stove top that is accessible to all guests for personal use. The lobby offers multiple and plentiful seating and table areas, and even two old school private phone booths you can use to have private conversations in. There is a community board with events in the hostel and around the city. They have plenty of maps, touristy tips, board games, and other reading material.
There is a rooftop deck which offers amazing and beautiful views of downtown Toronto. A great photo op. There is plenty of patio seating, tables, and benches there as well. There is also an indoor bar, TV, and seating area on the upper deck as well.
I love that they do community parties, outings, BBQ, and a lot of other fun things to get to know your neighbors. Hostels are an amazing place to meet people from all around the world.
A couple of drawbacks: the rooms are super cramped and no AC. I know it’s a hostel, but maybe reconfiguring room layouts would help maximize the space issues. The wifi only works in the lobby and upper deck, so you can’t get any wifi in your room. They said they’re working on expanding their network strength, but no definitive deadline for when that may be. It would be nice to sit in the comfort of your own space and privacy sometimes to get things done.
Overall I would definitely recommend this place to anyone! I would definitely come back here.

Me and a friend shared a private room at PT last October and had an amazing time. It was our first time in Toronto and found PT on Hostel World where it has great reviews. Now I can see why. The staff, location, rooms and atmosphere are all wonderful and lends itself so well to ingratiating you into the city. The staff seem to be made up of ex-​guests and are largely international so there’s a great community vibe. The facilities are great too with a large, clean and creative common area and kitchen. The team put on loads of events and get togethers so there’re always opportunities to make friends and be busy. The location is easy to find and as the city is so walkable, you’re never far from anywhere. Good nightlife and restaurant options too, I very much recommend the nearby Mothers Dumplings for dinner and Aunties and Uncles (try their grilled cheese) for brunch. Major bonus points for the free bagels and Saturday night BBQ. My only wish is for a lift but otherwise 5* easily! Take me back!

This was my first time staying in a hostel, and it was a truly pleasant surprise. It was less like a hotel, and less like what I expected from a no-​frills hostel, and more like staying at a funky, modern commune. It’s even committed to green principles!
Yes, it was stairs instead of a mirrored elevator, and it was a shared dorm room instead of a private suite, but it was also lockers with chargers built in so you could charge your stuff without worrying about it, board games to play with new friends, and a rooftop bar where you could bring your own alcohol and hang out enjoying the view. Staff are all very friendly and happy to chat with you if they’re not busy. I had a million questions. Then we went upstairs to enjoy that bar, which was great.
That led to something of a slow morning the next day. Imagine how thrilled we were to see a help-​yourself style breakfast was available till 1in the afternoon! Life saver!
It was much more stylish and modern than I was expecting, service and facilities were great, and I’ll happily stay there again when I’m back in Toronto.

Great hostel — clean, perfect location, breakfast every morning, and rooftop deck with an amazing view.
The private rooms are small but plenty of space if you keep your bags under the beds, the bathrooms are clean, and we always were able to use the shower without conflicts with other guests in the wing occupying the space.
There is a laundry room for $ 2 per wash and $ 2 per dry, a place to store your luggage after you check out so you can still walk around the city and come back for your bags later.
The common room is open from 7am — 12a, [& there’s free popcorn!], microwaves and fridges for any leftovers while you’re visiting to store and reheat later. The person at reception will print any tickets or boarding passes that you need, and there are computers for use as well.
Overall, a very positive experience.

Planet Traveler was a pleasant place to stay. One warning: be prepared to walk up (multiple) flights of stairs (which can be very tedious after a day of walking around).
The staff, when available, was friendly and happy to answer any questions. Common areas were clean, and offered computers, TV, board games, books, and more. They host events such as movie night. Bed rooms were strictly that, with no tables/​shelves. Each had a locker room and bathroom associated with it. Breakfast was offered from 7/​8am to 1pm every day.
The age range of patrons was diverse. Most people stuck to themselves, and respected others. There were the occasional few that were rowdy/​made it difficult to sleep at night by repeatedly slamming doors/​lockers.
My biggest complaints: Customer Service and temperatures.
Common areas/​sleeping quarters were very warm. Temperatures in the rooms were set on a timer and could not be adjusted. 77 Degrees Fahrenheit is not a comfortable sleeping temperature. If they didn’t close the rooftop at midnight, people would probably sleep outside to escape the heat/​nightly sweat-​fest.
Customer Service was rough in some cases. Upon arrival the doors were locked. My boyfriend and I rang the doorbell several times and no one answered. We got lunch, and returned an hour later. Again we rang the doorbell, knocked, and we called the office — no one answered. Eventually we got in because someone ran down the stairs. We then proceeded to wait at the front desk for someone to show up.
As long as you don’t need anything, this place is great. Even checking out was a longer process than necessary as the desk was empty. As noted, they do not give receipts and do not expect help between midnight and 7 or 8am.

One of the best hostels I have stayed at!
Hostel: Clean and modern. The lobby/​common lounge is nice– MAC computers were available for public use. Seamless check-​in. Rooms were clean and modern. Bathrooms were cleaned everyday. Complimentary breakfast. Staff was wonderful.
Rooftop: Direct view of the CN Tower, and there was a complimentary hamburger dinner for all of the guests on the rooftop, which was wonderful. I spoke with the owner of the hostel (while he was grilling patties), and he was genuine and showed a lot of passion for hostels. I would only recommend this hostel to my closest friends and family.

This hostel is a real nice one. The staff is nice and helpful, the wifi is good. And the location! I know everyone says, but the location matters the matters the most. Right around the corner from Kensingtonmarket. Badly, there is a fire station right around the corner, but that shall be no problem. The community areas are nice and clean and I like them. And: Public transportation is right in front of the door. The coolest thing they have to offer is a rooftop bar and patio. They’ve got solar panels on the roof, so I think they’re pretty green.

When we travel to Toronto we stay at hostels. I was with my twenty year old daughter and this time we stayed at The Planet Traveler which is located on College right next to Kensington Market. Planet Traveler is a «green» facility, I believe it is the only green hostel in North America. It is very clean and modern.
We had a private room with a shared bathroom. The beds were very comfortable. I had three complaints about the room; there was no table, shelf or desk to put your bags on, no trash can and the wifi was hit or miss. In the common areas the wifi worked great! We had to put our suitcases on the floor and it was pretty messy after a day or two. You can not beat the price or accommodations. Our room was about 80.00 per night (including tax), it was on the public transportation line so there was no need to have a car.
The common spaces were very comfortable, The view from the rooftop is lounge is incredible. The kitchen was well-​stocked and looked awesome! Breakfast was served from 7 to 1! I can not count how many times I have missed out on a breakfast while traveling because I did not want to get out of bed.
The staff is very friendly and helpful. I spoke with Anthony, the owner several times and I could tell that it is his goal to meet the needs of all his guests. Most of the guests were college aged kids but there were a few of us that had been around the sun a few more times. I did not feel out of place. I highly recommend Planet Traveler.

Planet Traveler was my first hostel experience, and would pleasantly go back again.
The location is a bit far if you’re coming in from greyhound etc, especially if you have luggage. We decided to walk, but I would suggest taking transit. However, the location gives you the ability to access many parts of the area’s sights such as Kensington Market, China Town, University of Toronto and a short train ride to Eaton Centre.
I chose a mix dorm for myself and my boyfriend, we both decided one getting a a bed per person. I believe the total come out to $ 29 USD per night, which is quite a steal that included breakfast and free wifi with three apple computers in the lobby (Although, the wifi wasn’t good. They certainly need to work on that). Sheets, towels and pillowcases were complimentary as well as breakfast that included coffee, bagels, toast, cereal and bananas.
When I thought of mixed dorm, I thought of… Co-​ed, except when I arrived, I was the only female in the room which made me feel quite uncomfortable and made sure that my boyfriend slept at the same time with me. Only once did I go to bed earlier. On the second night, I decided to use the bath towels that were given to us and use them as barriers between the people sleeping on either sides of me. I had no problems storing my belongings, as they offer lockers within the dorms that is separate from the sleeping area in which you may access by portable key. I thought this was quite nice since, as aforementioned, this was my first hostel experience.
I got a feeling that the majority of the people staying at this hostel did rent out beds for months at a time and lived there for a bit. It gave off a bit of a clique-​y vibe, but definitely a demographic for crowds between the ages of 23 – 30.
Overall, I enjoyed the stay, however one of the cons is that 90% of the area is closed past 9 pm, so be prepared to walk at least 7 – 10 blocks to find nightlife.

Amazing hostel, everything was perfect! Good location, very good ambiance, staff was helpful and gave us great advice on where to eat and go out. Saturday night BBQ is an an excellent way to meet other backpackers and was very fun.
Plus the hostel is eco-​friendly and offers breakfast until 1PM, this place is a perfect base camp to visit Toronto

The Planet Traveler is *almost* a model hostel: very nice and clean facilities, a basic breakfast to start the day (available until 1pm!), an orderly kitchen, free phone (local calls) and computer usage, plus fantastic social spaces.
The private room we rented was as one would expect a hostel room to be; a rather small room with moderately uncomfortable bunk beds (double bed on bottom, twin on top). Could have been improved by having a cubby, closet, desk and/​or a trash can. Internet did not have a strong enough signal to work in the room. The bathroom was shared amongst 4 rooms (up to 12 people, I think), which was worrisome, but was never much of a problem during our stay, except for the tiny trash can in the bathroom being the only one in the area for up to 12 people. Shower was decent.
The main problem I have with The Planet Traveler is related to communication and accessibility of staff. I made my reservation by phone, which was fine. I received my confirmation via email, and it was missing one day of parking. I emailed back to ask about the parking and to make sure I could have a spot for the entire duration of my stay. Received no reply. Called a couple of times on the afternoon of our arrival — no answer. No opportunity to leave a voicemail; there was an automated message saying it had not been set up. Hrm, had me wondering if we even had a place to stay! Never got through by phone, so just showed up and hoped for the best… Rang the doorbell, waited, rang again… and again… and again… ended up having to knock on the window which luckily is in view of the front desk. A staff member promptly ran up and let me in, and told me the doorbell didn’t always work…
Staff interaction was great when they are available. After midnight (in addition to various times during the day, apparently), there is no one on duty, and no number to call in case of an emergency. I think that for such a large building (often full of young partying people), there should at least be a direct line to reach a manager. I would have been really upset by this if the bathroom flooded, my magnetic key stopped working or if someone was vomiting in my dorm bed. Not having staff after midnight also opens up the doors for guests to bring whomever they want inside.
Nevertheless, I would probably stay here again with fingers crossed that all goes well.

Really clean and moderately comfortable. My first experience in a hostel, and very positive.
In particular, there are a lot of young guys and girls, and the atmosphere is really friendly and welcoming.

So much to love about the hostel you forgive the shortcomings
–Great location. Close to a super hip and trendy neighborhood (Kensington market), A fantastic China town with delicious eats all over, and public transportation right outside. Bixie (rental) bike stations right outside along with scooter rentals down the street, hostel will also rent you a bike for $ 20 for the day. Budget car rental one block away as well.
–Everything for the most part is very clean. Place gets vacuumed everyday, along with bathrooms. Speaking of bathrooms, there are one in every room, along wjth a public on every floor, and 2 in each common area, very handy.
— Young staff is really helpful and friendly. These aren’t corporate trained machines like a hotel would have, they’re travelers just like you who live, work, and play in the city of Toronto. Made it really easy to relax
— beautiful spacious rooftop lounge with indoor and outdoor seatings and gorgeous views of the Toronto skyline. Plasma screen and bar with a fridge as well (although the bar is byob). On Saturday nights it’s free BBQ night (burgers) and honestly rivals in atmosphere any one of torontos roof top bars, current and former residents mingle, eat, and drink the night away, had a great time on both of my stays here and think it’s one of the best Percs of the hostel. They also show movies on a big projection screen on Mondays and serve free popcorn and honestly was also alot of fun. My only complaint would be to bring in more lounge chairs to sit and soak up some sun, could boost an already amazing feature to the next level.
–Free breakfast. About 10 different cereals, banannas, bunch of different breads, bagels, jelly, and peanut butter and milk. They keep it constantly stocked and refreshed so even if you sleep in you’ll have everything waiting for you. Loved how the staff came every few mins to make sure milk was full and everything was tidy. Great time to also mingle, check emails, etc.
–free wifi but think this is the biggest shortcoming. It needs to handle the load of people they get. People coming from all over the world, looking for jobs, apartments, etc. Maybe looking to get a 5 min Skype Convo with someone from home, whatever. Wifi is just so painfully slow at peak hours, and the range makes it spotty in the rooms, which means you will always have to go downstairs to check emails, Facebook, etc.

I’ve got a problem: this was my first hostel experience, and I am utterly convinced that no other hostel will even manage to approach my experience here.
For the price and experience, I’d easily take this place over any hotel in the area. The rooms are clean, everybody is incredibly friendly, and it’s smack-​dab in the middle of Toronto. They run events all the time, breakfast comes free, their lockers have power outlets (BRILLIANT!).
I can gush more, but I won’t bother. This place is overwhelmingly good in every single way I would judge a hostel. If you’re a 20-​something planning on staying in Toronto, book here. You won’t regret it.
Please be forewarned that the lobby closes at midnight, so checking in after is impossible.

incredibly clean with conveniences like lockers in your room with power outlets and a rooftop self serve bar\fridge. Populated by travelers in their 20s and a few in their 30s. Like any hostel it involves sleeping in the same room with strangers, but it’s also a chance to meet people from other countries. Isn’t that why you’re traveling in the first place?

I wrote a review of this on my blog complete with super cool awesome pictures by moi. Please feel free to check the detailed review there. I may echo a few of my points here. I do a bit of travel writing and review hotels and hostels, so I wanted to give a note on this one (is it weird for a local to review a hostel? It was kind of fun!) Here’s the link to my review with pictures:
VIBE
Located on College, just past Augusta on the brink of Kesington Market, this is one of the best locations and stays in the city. Don’t think for a second that this hostel is a bunch of eighteen year olds having sex in a dorm room. It’s not. Many of the travelers here are in their twenties and thirties; many from Europe (Germany, France, Switzerland); Japan and Oz. Though I did meet a lovely Canadian here as well. When you look around the lobby, it’s a bit of a Mac Nation in there. Everyone is on their lap top. That said, that’s true for most cafes and common areas in the world. The people here I struck conversation with were really great and I felt like if I stayed longer, I could have made a few friends. And that is the goal of owner Anthony Arts (who really did such a kick ass job on creating the hostel travelers wanted). As I said on my blog, the cut outs of Canadiana on the walls are reminiscient of an ipod ad; the benches and couch really do bring people together and the top deck patio offers one of the BEST views of the CN Tower in the city. Who would have thunk?! Plus, free popcorn! FREE POPCORN! Bestill my heart. I won’t repeat the information on the previous comments (they’re pretty slam dunk minus the midnight reports… not sure about that).
SLEEP
I had a private room and it’s a STEAL at $ 80 a night. For the amenities and the social aspect, this trumps a three star hotel room. Plus, you’re right in Kensington Market, one of my favourite neighbourhoods in the city. The private room areas are sectioned into pods. So for instance, I will open the door and there are four other separate rooms to go into. They all share one bathroom. And I will add that the cleanliness of the hostel is impeccable. I saw the staff clean the bathroom twice in one day. Plus, the staff share all duties (from front desk to clean up). An annoyance is that you have to bring down all of your linens upon check out, which may cause for a repeat trip. It’s not fun if you’re four flights up.
THE BEDS: the private room does have a bunk bed — one bigger double bed on the bottom and a twin sized bed on the top. You can get free wi-​fi in the room (though because of use, it was spotty around the peak time of 6 – 8 p.m.). There are three outlets as well (rejoice!). The beds are über comfortable and clean; I really did spend a lot of time in the room which was refreshing after a long weekend trip.
ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY POINTS
I really like how this hostel is keeping up with the times. Anthony ensures that the hostel is kept up to its environmentally friendly standards. As stated on their website, the hostel has geothermal heat transfer, photovoltaic electricity, waste water heat reclamation and solar thermal hot water. There are solar panels on the roof of the hostel as well. What does it all mean? It means that the warm water in your shower is from the sun and that LED lighting throughout the whole hostel is run on the same amount of energy that it takes to run a hairdryer. And if you’re having a party, it’s all about the glass cups (no plastic here please). Pretty cool stuff!
OBLIGATORY CATCHY REMARK
The one hostel in Toronto that every traveler on the planet needs to know about. This one is definitely at the top of his game.

I’ve stayed at a lot of hostels, all over the place, and this is by far the coolest and best hostel I’ve ever stayed at. Recently renovated, all the rooms are very clean and bright. I shared a private room with my mom and we had bunk beds with a full mattress on the bottom and twin on top. Two words: MEMORY FOAM. My back was in heaven. It was a bit noisy on the weekends, so bring earplugs. The bathroom could have been cleaner, but compared to other places I’ve stayed it was really nice overall.
They are a green hostel, so let me explain what that means in this context. All their energy is self-​generated and maintained. They use geothermal, solar thermal, solar photovoltaic, and heat capture technologies for all their energy consumption and output. There are also no napkins or paper towels anywhere, just hand towels that are reused and washed. You can even go into their «boiler room» of sorts where the energy is sorted out across the building.
Some perks:
*Centrally located and close to awesome hangouts and bars. Right around the corner from Kensington. 10 – 15 min walk to the Subway and Chinatown.
*Free breakfast every morning. Bananas, bagels (peanut butter, jam, or butter options), cereal. Don’t try to store anything in either of their 2 fridges though; they’re always packed!
*Free BBQ for all guests at 7pm on Saturdays. By far the most fun aspect of your experience at Planet Traveler. If you’re going to stay there, make sure your trip lasts through a Saturday night. I met so many awesome people and we all went out that night after the BBQ and partied together.
*3 Mac computers downstairs in the lobby, free to use, and a flat screen TV.
Some annoyances:
*They only have 4 parking spaces and they charge $ 5 a day. Make sure you don’t park anywhere else in that back alley or you will be towed!
*Can’t check in or use the downstairs lobby after midnight.
*Check out is a bit of a hassle because you have to bring down all
your linens and there’s no elevator.
Overall this place rules and I will definitely stay there again!

I want to give Planet Traveller a bad review, because I had a particularly bad experience with them. The root of the problem is that Planet Traveler’s front desk and front door closes at Midnight — and this isn’t advertised anywhere that we could find. So when a bad string of traffic on I-​79 and the QEW left us about 4 hours behind on our travel schedule we arrived to find the locked door, the phone number went straight to voicemail, and no 24-​hour emergency contact. The worst part about this was since our phones didn’t operate in Canada, we couldn’t have even told them we were coming late if we wanted to — and since they only cater to non-​toronto residents, I’m sure this is a common occurrence.
We wound up entertaining ourselves the whole night, but it definitely wasn’t our plan, and worst of all when we arrived utterly exhausted from our 10 hour drive and 6 hour tour-​de-​Toronto (After going to work at 5am), they still made us pay for the night that we couldn’t utilize because they closed. No one was energized enough to fight them on it, and we already knew all of the other hostels were booked, so we gave in.
How could this place recover from a story like that? It’s clean, comfortable, modern, and friendly. At no point was the staff ever rude to us, the computers had free internet, and you could get free wifi in the bottom area. There was a full kitchen, with breakfast (bagels, jams, etc) served every morning until 1 and checkout isn’t until noon. The bathroom was tastefully decorated, the shower was warm and well-​pressurized. The rooms were modern, full of natural light, with comfortable beds and above all spotless. The doors were all controlled by RFID cards, so no awkward keys to carry around, and the parking was $ 5/​day. To top it all off, the night we were actually there, they had a free BBQ on the roof and all guests were invited to attend — most stopping by after going to the liquor store around the corner.
Beyond the rough experience, this place was a treat to stay at, and I would come back in a heartbeat, with better travel arrangements in place, or some email communication of a plan-​b before booking. The area it is in is nice, very vibrant during the day and there is a streetcar right outside. Be sure to check out the roof, the views are stunning.
To recap: Get there before midnight or you’re screwed

Whaaaaaaaaaat. The Planet Traveler is by far the one of the best hostels I’ve ever stayed in. Where do I even begin?
Friendly staff with great recommendations on things to do, brand new mac computers in the commons, bagel/​cereal/​banana breakfast until 1 PM (I repeat, breakfast until one. o’clock. in the afternoon.), telephone booths with free local calls, laundry facilities, plenty of space for people to hang out, a rooftop deck/​bar area with an amazing view, lockers that come with keys and OUTLETS in the lockers (ah yes, charge, my darling computer, while I safely put you away.), pristine en suite bathrooms, EXTREMELY comfortable beds that are already made (some hostel require that you make the beds), AND that’s not even the best part of it:
It’s a green hostel too! They have all reusable energy. You can look up all the details on their website.
This hostel provides very complete set of amenities, ultra clean and comfortable, and is allthewhile affordable. 30 dollars a night is a STEAL for what you get here.
How is it possible that so many wonderful things have been crammed into one building? I’m perplexed at how but oh so happy. There is absolutely no other hostel anyone should have any business checking out other than the Planet Traveler.