Name: Rk Hostel
Address: 642 West Hawthorn, San Diego, US

10/10

Exceptional

07 Jun 2026

wilber A

amazing time

Partner

2/10

Poor

24 May 2026

Denise

Poor customer service. Never checked in, no one answered the phone at location. Check in times are only 7-10pm. I was traveling and arriving slightly after 10 and could never get ahold of anyone to talk to between those hours. Had to drive 2.5 hours home at 10pm.

2/10

Poor

19 May 2026

John

I had a late arrival flight to San Diego and earlier in the day left a text message on their webiste to let them know of my late arrival. When i arrive there was a sign that said \"Closed\"and also another sign that said \"for help call this number\". I called 4 or 5 times and got no answer. I ended up with no place to stay, late at night, in a distant city from home

Self

2/10

Poor

09 May 2026

Griffin

I woke up itching and found that I had a squashed a bed bug on my arm. I found another live bed bug crawling on my bed.
I told the staff and they moved me to a different room (which they said didn’t have bed bugs and I wondered why people weren’t already sleeping there?) This seemed to be a common occurrence here and I feel like they may have already known about their bed bug problems.

Self

2/10

Poor

02 May 2026

Anthony

DIRTY

2/10

Poor

10 Apr 2026

Robert

I found a BEDBUG in my sheets.

Self

8/10

Excellent

07 Mar 2026

Mark

I had to wait two hours for the manager to show up. In fairness, I was dropped off at the location two hours early, and the manager explained there was a delay because someone was blocking the trolley tracks, which forced law enforcement to take care of that situation. Otherwise, she was friendly and respectful .

Self

4/10

Poor

17 Feb 2026

Damon

Upon arrival I was double charged 13.75% tax even though I proved to her with my receipt it was included in my hotels.com quote.I contacted hotels.com chat and confirmed it was included in quote (I sent a copy of the hotel bill showing extra 13.75% charge), but they were unable to contact the hostel by phone. I already knew there would be a problem because I tried to contact the property one month earlier, and again one week early by messaging, AND attempted to call by phone one week early and multiple times a day prior.
After returning home I contacted hotels.com by phone about the overcharge. Again I provided receipts by email-they responded later that they were unable to contact the hostel and denied my request.
I normally pre-pay my stays, but I don't think I had that option when booking this one? At a hostel an extra 13.75% wouldn't normally be a big issue, but since I had my own room it was more pricey.
OTHERWISE the property was a bit run-down but clean, NO bed bugs (as some older reviews said), and plenty of free (Mr.) coffee was available to make yourself. If it wasn't for the overcharge, and IMPOSSIBILITY to contact this property, I would stay there again.
Oh, one more thing, the blackout curtain on my street-facing window was 1/2 the window size! Glad I had an eye-mask.

Self

2/10

Poor

11 Feb 2026

Marifel

It’s dirty. The bathroom is so dirty. Please fix the broken windows. I don’t want to recommend this place.

2/10

Poor

24 Jan 2026

Igor

Fleas

2/10

Poor

19 Jan 2026

Daoud

I didn’t make it to San Diego because my flight was canceled

4/10

Poor

30 Dec 2025

brian

No towels to shower. Bathroom not very clean.
It's a place to lay your head at night

Leisure Self

6/10

Pleasant

10 Dec 2025

Joyce

Excellent location. Little Italy nearby.

Partner

2/10

Poor

16 Nov 2025

Jason

Staff was rude and location was hella sketchy.. I had issues getting door dash delivered because they didn't want to meet me at the door.

Self

10/10

Exceptional

24 Oct 2025

ROBERT

I have no pets. Shopping variations are great.

10/10

Exceptional

04 Oct 2025

Carol

Everything was great.

2/10

Poor

29 Aug 2025

Alejandro

N/a

8/10

Excellent

31 Jul 2025

Verified traveler

Nice value for the cost!

The staff were very nice and helpful. Accommodations were good. Shower needed repair but other than that, it was a comfortable stay.

Self

8/10

Excellent

29 Jul 2025

Thac

Shower heat water not working

Leisure Self

4/10

Poor

13 Jul 2025

Bijaya

Good location

2/10

Poor

04 Jul 2025

Verified traveler

One of the worst places I've ever stayed at!

Front desk staff took literally half an hour to check us in! We were just standing around waiting for them to determined the rate for the room we booked online, while they made phone calls to someone else trying to figure it out. Then they ended up charging us WAY more than the online rate we were expecting! No parking available but we got lucky and found a spot on the street. Old, dilapidated building. Shower sprayed all over the bathroom, outside the shower stall. Horrible street noise from constant street traffic and large airplane traffic going right overhead all night long and through the early morning. No building sound proofing. No A/C. Had to keep the windows wide open, no screens on the windows. Noticed a transient sleeping in the hallway when we checked out in the morning.

Friends_and_family Friends

4/10

Poor

30 Jun 2025

Shreya

Slow, wil

6/10

Pleasant

21 May 2025

mark

Only if your desperate

As a hostel, it lacks that certain kindred spirit I find at most every other hostel I’ve stayed in. Mainly, I suspect because it’s in a part of town that has the homeless element ever present. Just my opinion, I probably wouldn’t stay there again if I could make other arrangements. If it was my only option the only way I’d consider it was if it was cheaper than the $50 I paid. More like a $20 a night spot imho

Self

10/10

Exceptional

28 Apr 2025

Lalaine

Very accommodating receptionist and very comfortable beds. Our stay was safe and near to everywhere.

8/10

Excellent

22 Jan 2025

Kevin

Not bad

4/10

Poor

01 Dec 2024

Verified traveler

A fixer upper

I stay in a lot of hostels, so I’m used to so “quirkiness” with the buildings and rooms, unfortunately this wasn’t the case at rk.
Rather than a long story, here were the rougher aspects of my stay:

- different check in times posted at different sites, I wasn’t allowed to check in until 7pm despite being in town since noon. Early check in request must be made a full 24 hours in advance, which seems tough for travelers driving or experiencing variable

- a bowling ball sized hole was in my shower wall
- dark stains on the sheets
-watch resident scale a wall to enter the patio
- room had a constant “rumble” where I could feel a constant shaking. I believe because it is above or below an ac unit or large machine

All in all, when looking at staying here or another cheap motel in the area this was not worth the savings (about $15). It’s a great location, but the building clearly needs some work and the policies for guests are in need of improvement.

Self

8/10

Excellent

03 Nov 2024

Janell

I enjoyed my stay at RK Hostel. Pleasant friendly staff. Affordable prices. It was nice quite and very peaceful. The room that I was in had beautiful paintings with good colour scheme. I enjoyed the fresh night breeze and opened windows. I look forward to staying again! Good job staff!

Leisure Self

6/10

Pleasant

23 Sep 2024

Lee

You get what you pay for. The cleanliness is good but its the condition of the building that isnt which, especially in California, is an expensive thing for someone to pay for when the money they make is 30$ a night per bed. Bring shower shoes, the windows dont close, the bathroom door, at least the one in my room, is hard to close. Again, for what you pay for, this all isnt that bad.

Leisure Self

2/10

Poor

22 Sep 2024

Danzell

I seen cockroaches in my room on more than one instant I got bit by them around my elbows as well as the side of my butt. Outside of that the location seemed a little sketchy

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

17 Sep 2024

Chris

I really liked that it had a community living room area, even though the tv (or rather the cable) wasn’t working. That area was nice and spacious. It had good size windows for natural lighting. One downside was that only one ceiling fan had a spot for a light bulb but there was no bulb and no other spots for lights in that area. I really like the community coffee pot. My friend and I donated some extra stuff that we had to the coffee area. The room that we were in was really big. It was clean and the beds were made and presentable. Clean sheets and blankets are always a great thing. I really enjoyed the two little couches. Super comfortable and cute. I really loved the HUGE shower. That thing was awesome. I liked the big round nozzle, it made it so the water would get all over you and not just concentrated in one spot. I didn’t like how, for some reason, only one bathroom downstairs worked. If one person was in the only working downstairs bathroom, and someone in a wheelchair or crutches or even elderly, they had to possibly wait a while until the other person got done. And sometimes with elderly they have a hard time holding onto their bowles. And I think that the hostel should provide maybe some hand sanitizer. Yeah I understand that they don’t want to put a bar of soap in there cuz of the spreading of bacteria or what have you. But a hand sanitizer would be very useful. All in all it was a great place to stay and I would definitely come back.

Business_and_leisure Family

2/10

Poor

27 Aug 2024

William

There was nobody there!

Business_and_leisure Self

2/10

Poor

24 Aug 2024

Nathaniel

I'm pretty sure it was a crack house.

Business_and_leisure Self

4/10

Poor

22 Aug 2024

Javier

First and last time at a hostel

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

16 Aug 2024

michael

Got the single bed room. It was comfortable and was perfect for an overnight stay in San Diego. Extremely close to the airport.

Self

6/10

Pleasant

28 Jul 2024

Faustino

The bed was not comfortable, I found it hard to sleep

2/10

Poor

27 Jul 2024

ALejandro

Muy mal servicio no tiene luz en el baño tampoco tienen luz los contactos electrónicos

Business Friends

10/10

Exceptional

11 Jul 2024

Seth

Great location

Business Self

4/10

Poor

10 Jul 2024

Joanna

The host is terrible, he is not available, the check in process sucks, the check out process is non existent
I had to leave early before my check out and the office person was not there, they never answered my phone call or my email.

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

08 Jul 2024

Seth

Great location

Business Self

10/10

Exceptional

08 Jul 2024

Seth

Great location

Business Self

10/10

Exceptional

05 Jul 2024

Seth

Excellent location

Business Self

8/10

Excellent

01 Jul 2024

Eric

All good

Family

2/10

Poor

29 Jun 2024

Linus

Don’t repeat my mistake

The other reviews already talk about the bed bugs. I thought to myself “it surely was just isolated incidents” and “it can’t be that bad”. But it really is, the bed bug bites were bit annoying, but what’s even more annoying is that now after my trip I’ll have to spend hours to properly disinfect and treat all my belongings in order to not spread the pest to my own home. All I can do is hope that that’ll be enough. Don’t repeat my mistake and stay away from this place.

Business

2/10

Poor

16 Jun 2024

Paige

Horrible experience and really messed up my travels... booked online and took a uber here from the airport with my luggage and there was no one at the front desk/ check in !!!! Actually- there was no one in the whole building !! Walked through the property saying \"hello??\" And nothing . . All doors left open for all the crazy homeless around there who were out front screaming and fighting to get in !! (Extremely unsafe and unsettling) anyway- the check in isnt until 7 (way too late) and i waited there well past an hour, calling, texting, trying to find someone to help me check in and nothing !! Extremely rude and inconvenient to someone like myself who had been traveling all day and in the sun with my luggage (not to mention i have stage 4 heart failure) and just want to get to your room and shower and nap and then end up having your budget messed up and a really awful experience all around... this place waisted my time and money and i do not appreciate that nor do i recommend this place to anyone

Business_and_leisure Self

2/10

Poor

31 Jul 2023

James

The Staff at RK Hostel is Fantastic

So actually I didn't end up staying at RK Hostel. Hotels.com completely misrepresented the room that I had reserved; their photo showed a basic hotel room with two beds side by side, and they said \"one room, two beds.\" But when I arrived it was a bunk bed and I was staying with someone else who I didn't know.

I was shocked and sort of gobsmacked. The hotel staff was amazing. I talked to Rita at RK Hostel at 10pm on Wednesday night, explained my situation and she told me they understood that it was not my fault and they would waive the fee completely. She could not have been nicer.

Staying in a room with strangers was not for me, but I have to say, every single person on staff that I met was nicer than the last, and so I wanted to make sure I left a review to say so.

Business

2/10

Poor

22 Jul 2023

Rodrigo

Worst hostel ever

The hostel is in terrible conditions.
It’s nothing but dirty and greasy in all common areas, there are dirty alcohol glasses and food laying around everywhere, the bathroom are smelling and the sink looks yellow

When I showed up after opening time, the manager took an hour and a half to get there because he “had a bad night”

They gave me a room that had a literally hole in the wall and has dirty floors. Because of my questions, they gave me another room that has dirty bedsheets.
They asked me to leave my stuff (since it’s now my room) and that they would take care of it.

When I came back,i was almost jumped outside the establishment by 2 large men lurking on the entrance.

I used my keys to get in and someone’s stuff was already there. My bags disappeared

I found them on the trash, empty.
I left the hostel and gave asked for a refund and a reconstitution of my things to hotels.com

They have NOT helped.

Self

6/10

Pleasant

15 Jun 2023

John

No towels for free

The place is pretty run down. I'm glad my wife was not with me. She would not have stayed. I did not notice on the website there are no towels in the room and you have to bring your own or ask for them at $10/each.

Business

2/10

Poor

06 Jun 2023

Max

I just felt unsafe in many ways. Being completely honest might as well just go to a shelter

Leisure Self

2/10

Poor

02 Jun 2023

Laura

The bed pillow and/or comfortor had a smell, the sheets were stained, I ended up with a rash or bug bites on neck, arms, and back. The room itself had a bad smell (maybe paint). The shower area had a bad smell. All soap dispensers empty, towels are rented, there are no hair dryers 'available on request', the listing on Expedia is misleading, the price is misleading (there's a reason they want you to pay at the property). Definitely not a place for women. For better or worse, the location is decent but I could not stay again.

Leisure Self

8/10

Excellent

29 Apr 2023

Veronica

Couldn’t find more showers. Property was bigger than I thought.

Business

10/10

Exceptional

04 Apr 2023

Inga

Joe at the front desk was very friendly and accommodating. Smells like smoke on the property and hear some loud music.

Business Self

6/10

Pleasant

31 Dec 2022

Kevin

Ok

Leisure Family

2/10

Poor

02 Dec 2022

Phill

The owner met us at the front desk and charged us a higher price than what we agreed to on expedia.com. There were no fresh towels in our room. The room was unsafe as both outside fire escapes were barricaded. The property is unsafe and should be condemned. The price of rooms are overpriced for what you get. The entire property should be delisted from expedia.com

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

21 Nov 2022

James

I really liked the ambiance and atmosphere

Business_and_leisure Pet

10/10

Exceptional

12 Nov 2022

Jose

good

Leisure Self

8/10

Excellent

26 Oct 2022

ron

Very good price and location

Leisure Self

2/10

Poor

26 Oct 2022

Michael

BED BUGS, didnt even stay there for over 6 hours cause of the cleaniness, total dump

Leisure

2/10

Poor

23 Oct 2022

Richard

Bedbugs. Up the yang.

Bedbugs.
That’s all I have to say.
I checked in at 10:00pm and by 1:00am I took a shower and left to sleep in the car.
Guy up front was nice. Sadly, right on the airplane path. Not worth the small savings.
So many bedbugs.

Self

10/10

Exceptional

20 Oct 2022

Quentin

Great area safe f and right in the n middle so there's options when it comes to sit seeing

Business Self

10/10

Exceptional

26 Sep 2022

Tenesha

Awesomeness

No air conditioning in my room unfortunately but the scenery was great

Business

4/10

Poor

17 Aug 2022

Verified traveler

You pay for what you get!

This Hostel is very unsanitary, and a health hazard. Toilet was clogged, and a line for the one shower for 20 people...no towels provided by staff so make sure to bring your own. Blankets aren't ever washed, so be weary of using those, along with the filthy pillows.

Business

2/10

Poor

14 Aug 2022

Deane

Bed bugs

Leisure Self

4/10

Poor

07 Aug 2022

ELIZABETH

Empezando no se como se podia pasar al check in salio un homelesss y pasamos no habia nadie las personas estaban fumando olor a mariguana y no me pude quedar Muy feo No lo recomiendo..

Business Partner

2/10

Poor

19 Jul 2022

William

The place is falling apart the stove doesn't work now please to cook there was never a breakfast or any staff on duty in the over night time several medical emergency happened twice why staying there and know staff around to give information to the fire department or the ambulance crew . This is also in fest with bed bugs and they a have only one shower and the rest for that is because the floor is falling thought so forth everyone there there only two bathrooms and only one shower

Business Self

10/10

Exceptional

27 Jun 2022

Jeffrey

Loving the new staff and changes , this place is in a great area .

Business Self

6/10

Pleasant

08 Apr 2022

Dolores

First time @ hostel

Interesting, not sure if i'd stay here again. Hostel never got back to me about the questions I had.

Self

2/10

Poor

11 Jan 2022

Ricky

this place SUCKS STAY AWAY!!!!!!

STAY AWAY FROM THIS HELL HOLE!! Got there at 7 pm for THEIR check in time - which already the latest check-in EVER! Some dude looks like a Mexican gang banger asks me - do i have a reservation - yes i said he goes out of the room half hour later some drugged up dude shows up gets behind the reservation desk tells me he has no reservation for me and they don't do business with hotels.com - bs - hour later say's he has no bed for me - by now it's nearly 9 oclock - BS!!!!!

Self

2/10

Poor

28 Nov 2021

Timothy

No wifi. No laundry. They got bedbugs. worst one yet. No cups, coffee, sugar

Business_and_leisure Self

2/10

Poor

06 Sep 2021

Sheila

Just go somewhere else

It was a Saturday night and all of the hotels were between 2 and 3 hundred dollars and found this hostel. Check in is at 7pm! There are no exceptions! The male who i stumbled upon there at 6pm made me scared as all hell. Then i read other reviews on google and i got even more scared! I never went back! I stayed at the airport the whole night until my flight took off at 10:25am.

Self

2/10

Poor

28 Jul 2021

Verified traveler

I got there at 11pm to check in and no one was to be found. There were other folks also there to check in and no one was available to check any one in. We were all standing around feeling stupid. I left, went one block down and stayed at the Embassy hotel which had a full room with two beds and cost only 6.00 more than this hostel.

Leisure Family

2/10

Poor

27 Jul 2021

Verified traveler

El recepcionista a mi ingreso, no se esforzó por ekterme, yo hablo español, yo sin embargo intentr hablarle en Inglés, pero sentí

8/10

Excellent

24 Jul 2021

Verified traveler

liked that staff were helpful and kind.There is a 250 meters away.Only downside is that there is always the sound of landing airplanes.

Business Self

10/10

Exceptional

30 Jun 2021

Verified traveler

This is a wonderful, very clean Hostel. Terrific staff

Business_and_leisure Self

4/10

Poor

23 May 2021

Verified traveler

I do not recommend this location for youngsters. You get what you pay for.

Business_and_leisure Self

2/10

Poor

28 Mar 2021

Verified traveler

Made a reservation and manager never came or called back. Still waiting

Leisure Self

4/10

Poor

01 Nov 2020

Rich

the room was hot and the AC was not good !!!! was put in a small room that was not very secured and later it was tried to put another customer in there !!!

Business Self

10/10

Exceptional

23 Jun 2020

Ami

Very clean...no problems at all

Loved it...so needed and great location. Disabled access..
. thank God. Very clean and staff kind and helpful. Enjoyed my time with the other guests and time to myself. Highly recommended.

Self

6/10

Pleasant

23 Jun 2020

Christina

chaos

i came to early so i waited to check in for 45 and by the time i was ready to check in the front desk attendant left. chaotic and unreliable

Self

10/10

Exceptional

22 Jun 2020

Ricky

laid back place

definitely a chill and laid back place that's central to all the attractions in san diego.

Business

8/10

Excellent

24 Feb 2020

nicholas

Chilling at rk

Just need a place to stay for a bit.

Self

4/10

Poor

23 Feb 2020

Jon

Expedia does not mention that they are CLOSED from noon-6 every day. A general bad vib among patrons, slowest check-in ever, rooms smell quite bad, even for dorm rooms. Generally clean and low price, however

2/10

Poor

25 Jan 2020

Verified traveler

This place is a homeless shelter representing itself as a bed and breakfast. I was put in a dorm with men that are obviously homeless with homeless behavior of entitlement, territorial and violence. I was awaken out my sleep twice by one of these guys claiming was talking in my sleep and told I had to go somewhere else. He threatened me with violence. Had he done so I would have sued Travelocity into the millions for having this place on your list of sites and I would have sued this place out of business!!!!!!!

Business Self

10/10

Exceptional

27 Oct 2019

Verified traveler

I like it the place was close to restaurants and bars the building was clean and nice

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

30 Sep 2019

Verified traveler

Had a great experience here. Staff was friendly and helpful. Rooms were clean and overall good general cleanliness of the location

Self

6/10

Pleasant

29 Sep 2019

Verified traveler

Location is pretty good, but rooms are small and not well vented.

Business Self

4/10

Poor

10 Sep 2019

Lespierres

Horrible place to stay at

The check in was supposed to be 3-10pm. I arrived st 4pm, no clerk, i stayed outside for 15 minutes until another guest arrived to let me in. The clerk didn't show up until after 6pm.

Self

10/10

Exceptional

08 Sep 2019

Andrew

Awesome stay

Awesome place very friendly and willingness to accommodate your needs for your stay. Very great prices. Only drawback is the front desk hours.

6/10

Pleasant

29 Aug 2019

Verified traveler

the fridge and kitchen area are only open for half a day

Leisure Self

8/10

Excellent

27 Aug 2019

Kenya

Well my stay was relaxing and I was able to. Get alot done. During my stay àt the RK Hostel.

Self

4/10

Poor

16 Aug 2019

Junji

No air conditioner and can not close window

Window is not close and noise is so heavy (aircraft and auto mobile and screaming of someone).
I can not sleep.

2/10

Poor

09 Aug 2019

Verified traveler

Beware

Scabies, bed bugs, rarely cleaned, rude staff that’s rarely there, not safe, people fighting all the time

2/10

Poor

05 Aug 2019

Matthew

Crackhead hotel

Do not stay here unless you are trying to smoke meth with your buddies in peace. You would have the same experience if you went to the liquor store and bought 2 tall cans of King Cobra, then went to an underpass and traded a bum for their tent for the night. This place is such a bedbug infested, tweaker dwelling dump. I tried to get a hold of some for 2 days to return my key and cancel my second night. I didn't even stay there one night because when I showed up to sleep, the roommate was huffing paint. I had to sleep in my truck because I was unable to contact the owner. I still have yet to hear back and it's 3 days later. I just threw the key behind the counter after showing up 3 different times and leaving 3 messages. DO NOT STAY HERE!!!

10/10

Exceptional

23 Jul 2019

JoJotheChimp

I really like the RK HOSTEL. The staff at the hostel are great! They make sure we always have a great time and everything is always very clean, especially the showers and bathrooms! Great coffee!

Business

6/10

Pleasant

30 Jun 2019

Verified traveler

Great location, & great price close to downtown and airport

Business_and_leisure Self

2/10

Poor

17 Jun 2019

Sharon

Bed bug place

It was horrible the first day I booked no one came to the door I sat for a hour called nobody answered they called me back at 7:45 p.m after I checked into another hostel the next day I went there it was very dirty the kitchen stinked so bad the refrigerator had rotten food & the room was filthy I opened a drawer to put my things in & it had bags of discarded food then I got bit up by bed bugs I changed beds & eaten up really bad it was horrible I told the staff who knew of the major infestation they did nothing I wrote them asking for a refund I called asking for a refund they ignored me I had to contact my bank it was horrible they have no security cameras they kept leaving the front door open it’s the worst hostel in San Diego don’t go there

2/10

Poor

26 May 2019

Michael

I arrived at approximately 8:30 pm at which point it took the one staff member on duty over 30 minutes to get me checked in with two guests ahead of me. And on top of that, no clean towels were available. Awful experience.

Friends_and_family Family

2/10

Poor

02 May 2019

camille

They were closed when I got there, so I had to pay for another hotel 65.00 ... not happy!

8/10

Excellent

17 Apr 2019

Murray

Trying some thg hinges new

It was a good experience, I had never stayed at a hostel before. Staff was friendly, room was clean along with the restrooms,shower area,TV room etc. Location was real good as I had to get to the airport the next morning.

Family

2/10

Poor

24 Mar 2019

Willie

Bedbugs

Bedbugs, not very clean, nasty guess!! Poor property upkeep

2/10

Poor

11 Feb 2019

Verified traveler

NIGHTMARE HOSTEL

This was the worst stay I've ever had in my life. Room was cold, I got the room as it read for a single person and my room was rented on the last day to a stranger I did not know, the owner is never in the property, she is a drug user, just awful. Place is freezing so you need a space heater, you need to spend $70+ to get a true single and THERE'S NO HEAT OR AIR, the price changes day to day, just ridiculous. I wouldn't stay here for free