DC Lofty

The staff are just simply amazing. The atmosphere and environment of the DC Loft is magnificent as to the clients who are also staying there. This was my first hostel and i am happy to say that it was an amazing experience! Thanks Josh, Danielle, and Tom!

The conditions of this place must improve, namely the water temperature/​pressure in the showers and heating of the building in colder seasons.
What make this place exceptional though is the service. Lex and company were very hospitable and personable during my stay. When there were issues, they acted quickly and made my stay enjoyable. I liked that they scheduled regular events to involve everyone in the hostel with 30 guests or less. Overall, the price makes a short stay worth it. Give it a shot.

Given the price, this was an okay place to stay. I felt safe, the sheets were clean, and the bed was fine to sleep on. If you aren’t picky, then go ahead and stay here, but if you can stay somewhere else for around the same price, I would go there instead. Some things to consider
1) I found it very loud. There didn’t have quiet hours so I was woken up while I was there. There was an air vent by my head and all of the house’s sounds went right into my ear. But with earplugs it was okay.
2) The shower was pretty lame. It would be hot (only when you turned on the sink faucet, I don’t understand why but a sign told us to do so) for a maybe a minute then get really cold.
3) They had nice individual lights by the bed that I liked.

Fxxx

Just, yes. I’ve stayed in hostels in Eastern Europe and Montréal, and this is one of the best hostels I’ve stayed in. My walls were purple. I watched a Korean drama show with three fellow hostel-​stayers, reading the subtitles, and waiting for my coffee to brew.

I stayed here for three days for an anti-​war gathering (18 March 2015– 21 March 2015) and loved the place. Very clean, nice warm showers. Although it doesn’t look fancy from the outside, the inside is well-​decorated and has good ambiance. I enjoyed the bunk beds and the temperature of the dorm. Free wifi and computer access. There are two common areas with comfy couches, games, and tvs where you can either watch 100s of channels or watch shows on Hulu, On Demand, etc. I love the decent sized kitchen area with plenty of storage space, microwave, and stove to cook your own meals (they also offer free coffee and tea, though I’m not much a caffeine drinker.) Pro-​tip: the DC Supermarket is down just one block past N street, so you can pack light and buy some nice meals there for cheap. The location was also about a 25 minute walk from the White House, which was very convenient for me. The hostel is extremely affordable, especially considering all it offers. All the staff members I interacted with were very friendly & helpful. I liked all my roommates and it was fun meeting people from Taiwan, Germany, Japan, China, and England (I suppose your mileage may vary.) I would definitely stay here again and recommend it to friends staying in DC.

Actually, the best part of my stay in DC. The staff was friendly and the room was clean. The bathroom was small but at least it had hot showers, which was great considering that I couldn’t take one in the previous hostel!
The hostel is just 15 minutes walking from the White House and is in a lovely neighborhood, and you have a supermarket just 1 block far, which is very useful!

Okay, I stayed here from 10÷10−10÷14, so I left today. First of all, the outside looks okay. When I first arrived at 11 am they allowed me to do an early check in as far as dropping my suitcase in a room that is somewhat secured. The guy that checked me was okay. .He didn’t give me a tour or anything basically pointed in the direction of everything. When I came back at 5pm I did my official check in. A lady checked me in… she didn’t give a tour either. My bed was in the basement. When I first saw it, I thought that it was going to be renovated as they claimed some upgrades. I was wrong. I had a top bunk… There were no outlets or lamps near my bed. When I requested another bed she said they were all booked. The bunks are not comfortable. First of all, if you’re going to have bunk beds make sure you have either a box spring or the board so you don’t feel every wire… mattresses are about 3 – 4 inches thin. Bathroom in the basement is hideous. A tiny toilet and sink, no mirror or paper towels or soap to wash your hands. Showers in a separate tiny room… DON’T TAKE A SHOWER IN THE EVENINGS. NO HOT WATER. I was there 4 days and did not get clean towels at least offered. The common areas were nice but when I tried to watch the premier of the Walking dead. .the staff guy said he was watching the whole baseball game! First of all, he shouldn’t be allowed to watch TV in the common areas because he Is not a paying customer… if he wanted to watch the game, he should have went to a sports bar. So I thought this was unprofessional. The basement rooms and bathroom all smell of mildew. You never put rugs in a basement. .I hung a gain softener in the window to keep it fresh. .they do have great wi fi, close to metro and grocery store. All in all this place was not as great compared to the Hostelling International which is right down the road on 11^th… HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. This place is okay for a night or two but no more..

I stayed 3 nights at this hostel (04÷29−09÷01). If you can help it, stay at Hostelling International down the street. The only reason I stayed here is because I needed to make this reservation at the last moment and my original choice (Hostelling International) only had private rooms available ($ 120/​night).
When I reached the hostel, I was asked to take my shoes off, which I was fine with considering that there was supposed to be a homely feeling here. However, forgetting that the slippers that they offered felt like they going to fall off at any given moment, the bin that they’re kept in is enclosed, keeping the smells from other shoes within the shoe bin and creating a lovely (sarcasm) aroma every time you open it. I kept my shoes with me in my room.
When I went to check in, I was told that the room that I had reserved for three nights would not be available for every night. This would be perfectly okay if it had showed that when I reserved on
, but it didn’t. Furthermore, when I moved out of the room to relocate after the first night, I found out that it wouldn’t be ready until 3:00 or 4:00 PM; I had been told previously that I would be able to move into the new room as soon as possible.
The biggest problems that I had were in the new room. Other than there were a few flies in there, someone had left a «present» in the toilet. I found out the toilet was broken (which there was evidence that it had been like that for some time). The person that was managing couldn’t fix it, and told me that no one would be available until Tuesday (after I was gone). Then later that day, the power went out in half the room. I asked what happened and he told me that DC was having power outages. However, I could clearly see that there was power everywhere else in the hostel. Because of this, neither me nor my roommate could use the AC. We had to sleep in the living room, which did have AC.
It wasn’t the worst that could happen, but it’s best to choose another place.

So I’m on my 3^rd morning in at DC lofty Washington DC and I’ve got mixed feelings; I was just woken up to the maid coming in opening all the blinds to see (not appreciated if you’ve been drinking the night before). And then a guy who works here burst in and they started chatting in Spanish loudly to each other! I don’t mind guests talking in the room at any time because they have paid for a room, this was at half ten in the morning, I don’t expect to be woken up and then kept up by staff!!!
The hostel itself is an odd one, the room is pretty nice and is cleaned daily, however ALL the beds I have seen have stains on. The facilities are modern and accessible, the kitchen is nice but there are ALOT of flys about.
The no shoes rule… I thought was a joke when I first entered is madness and means downstairs smells like feet (seriously Lofty, if you persist on your rule, invest in some air fresheners for the front doors.) Also, the AC was so bad in my room on the 2^nd floor making the nights sleep ruined.
On to staff: with the exception of one tall white guy they have been quite rude and ambivalent towards customers. I have seem them check people in, not give a tour just say «wander around and explore the hostel yourself, the room is up the stairs blah blah blah». Similarly I have seen staff walking around with shoes on which makes me question how serious they are about this rule…
I would stay here again because it’s a great location and fairly decent price. But after 2 days the smell really gets to you.

Unfriendly staff. When got there to check in, the guy checking me seemed bothered that I wanted to check in. I even paid for parking in their parking lot, only to be told the next day I wasn’t allowed to park there (they forgot I had paid for parking).
It seems there’s no airconditioning in the dorms, so it’s hot, damp and a bit smelly in the room and the heat makes it hard to sleep.
The hostel is located in a nice part of the city, and has a nice kitchen and TV/​computer lounge.
I would recommend going to one of the other hostels in DC.

This hostel is located near the Logan Circle area of the city. It is in two row houses/​brownstones. The sign for the hostel is a banner hanging from one of the buildings so keep an eye out and pay attention to the house numbers so you can find it. Might be a bit of a challenge at night. The two buildings are connected inside so you do not have to go outside to get from building to building. Like many hostels I have stayed in, it is a bit careworn but clean. There is a kitchen available for use and refrigerators to put your food in.
I stayed in a four bed mixed dorm on the ground floor with a bathroom in the room. Again, the room was clean and had plenty of outlets and a power strip for charging devices.
Based on other reviewers complaints about the showers, I specifically decided to test mine. I turned the hot water on first and let it run until hot, then turned on the cold water. The controls are VERY sensitive so make small adjustments to get the temperature you like. I took a twelve minunte shower and other than a couple of split second moments, I had hot water the entire time.
The.main thing I would mention is that there is no air conditioning. I stayed in late May and it the full summer heat hadn’t kicked in yet. We opened the windows at night and things cooled down overnight. Some may not want to do this as you will get some noise from the street, but this is what worked in my room. A fan would have made things much more bearable.
All in all I would stay here again. For $ 35.00 or so dollars per night in DC, you won’t get much cheaper. Please remember that hotel tax (of 14%) is added to your total and IS NOT included in the stated price. This is how hotels/​hostels/​lodgings do it in the United States.

The negatives: The place is soooo dingy inside, and I don’t understand why you have to leave your shoes at the entrance. I also don’t understand why the first floor is freezing cold, and my second floor room was like a sauna. They also charge u extra if you check-​in after 10pm. I had a lower bunk, and the mattress above me had a massive stain that I had to stare at in the mornings. Is it really that hard to steam these things, or clean them? I felt like I needed to take a shower after setting foot in there. The positive: it’s in a nice neighborhood. I give it 1 star for having 4 walls and a roof. The 2^nd one is for having a bed and minimal amenities.

I stayed here 4 nights during the Cherry Blossom weekend. It is recently remodeled (new fixtures in kitchen, bathroom) but there’s a lot of little quirks some of which have been mentioned by other reviewers: the basement bathroom/​sink did not have a mirror in it or a light switch, no towel or dryer to dry off hands), unpainted patch of drywall in basement room. If you’re somewhat picky, they can add up very quickly. On the plus side, my room in the basement level had plenty of outlets for charging electronics, including ones bedside, a bedside reading light and lockers (bring your own lock).
The location for me was great and the highlight of the DC Lofty; just a 5 – 10 minute walk to the 7^th Ave subway stop at the Convention Center. I only interacted with the staff twice (I spent most of my time outside the hostel) and both instances (checking-​in and double-​checking my reservation before I arrived) were fine and satisfactory.
I had no problems with ambient temperature or the shower; it was warm water both times that I used it with the only towel that I received. I didn’t use the kitchen or any of their other amenities (other than free wifi) but the hostel was generally clean and kitchen appliances looked to be new.
I would recommend the place if you’re looking for a hostel in the neighborhood and aren’t extremely discerning with amenities. I thought it was a good deal for $ 39/​night, taxes included, considering the other pricier options (airbnb, hotels).

By no means a great place to stay… Showers were persistently cold and the staff were somewhat elusive.

This place is dingy. It’s in a nice neighborhood, looks nice on the outside. But on the inside is a different story. If you’re looking for somewhere to lay your head, this place might satisfy you. If you’re looking for an enjoyable experience, keep looking. The biggest plus for me was that is was located near metros, buses, logan circle, etc.

This place was awesome, i cant stress how great this place was. The staff (D and P) were very helpful and accommodating while my friend and i stayed there. They informed us of nearby bar areas, food spots and tourist spots. I have and would recommend this hostel to all of my friends back in NY. We enjoyed the living room talks with the other hostel people and their nationalities ranged from France to Eygpt. Place was always clean with 3d tvs and fast internet to enjoy when planning the next event. I will definitely be returning before the summer ends

DC Lofty is a really cool hostel with some cool amenities, friendly service, and a good location just around the corner from the Convention Center.
The building is actually two apartment buildings side-​by-​side. On the first floor of one is the common kitchen and in the other is the common living/​recreation space, meaning that if you want to go from one to another, you have to go outside, down the stairs and then back up the stairs and into the other building. You’ll also want to bring your slippers along for the trip. They have shoe racks for you to remove your «street shoes» as you enter the building and they supply you were a pair of basic slippers to wear outside. The living area and kitchen space did have really nice, modern appliances and computers available to use free of charge. Both the doors the hostel and to each individual suite are protected by a key code lock, which is really handy for security and not having to carry a key around, though, if you’re a Neville Longbottom-​type, this might be more a curse than a blessing.
The suite I was in had a few random quirks. I didn’t see any recycling bins, meaning I ended up carrying my empty bottle around until I went out, so I could earn my karma point. Also, in the bathroom, the hot water knob was on the right of the faucet and the cold was on the left. Admittedly, faucet knob placement is not something I tend to think a lot about, but it’s always really surprising when they’re off. That being said, having an in-​suite bathroom only shared by the half dozen of us in the room was really nice and saved me from having to find my slippers and trudge down the hall in the middle of the night. Also, having reading lights and outlets next to every bed (top bunk and bottom bunk) was nice both for not having to hunt for an outlet as well as being able to keep my electronics in sight even when I was sleeping.

I love this Place!!!
Unfortunately, I wore out my welcome with Too Much Joy (alcohol was involved), but as soon as I repair that relationship, I will be a loyal customer once again!!!
I got some money in my pocket, and it has DC Lofty’s name on it!!!
Top 3 Reasons to stay at DC Lofty:
1) Friendliest Staff in DC
2) Great Kitchen (we cook together!) and Community of Residents
3) Very clean (ignore the bed bugs rating — if DC Lofty ever had that problem, they certainly don’t have it NOW!)
Love,
Brotha G

Terrible place. Safety is an issue and people will eat your food. A homeless guy slept on my bed. When I talked to the staff member about it, they just told me that he comes in often and that he won’t be invited anymore. I saw him again later in the week.
I would just spend the extra cash to stay at another place so you won’t be afraid of random people sleeping in your bed.