Generator Hostel London

This buzzing hostel offers small shared and private rooms, but plenty of fun-loving character in the modern public spaces that offer a very social vibe.

The Generator Hostel feels more like a cross between a lively nightlife spot and a hostel. With a broad menu of organized activities, a prime location in the student hub of University College London, and ample common spaces, the Generator has a definitive social vibe. (In other words, “Generator is a party, and the party don’t stop.”) While a recent makeover has done much to update the communal areas of the Generator hostel, planning restrictions means that the rooms have had to be left untouched and complaints about size still are valid.

Private rooms, available for one to six people, can be on the spacious side but are spare, furnished with metal bunk beds and sometimes a chair or small desk. Dorms sleep between four and 12 people and tend to feel rather cramped. There are female-only options for dorm rooms. All rooms are equipped with a sink and lockers (be sure to bring your own padlock).

The shared bathrooms are clean and well equipped to handle a huge number of guests. Note, though, that they don’t provide a ton of privacy. The stall showers are blocked off by curtains (not doors), and there’s no secure place to stow your dry belongings. Towels are provided for guests of single or double private rooms. All other guests can rent towels for an additional (if pricey) fee.

The Generator’s has an enormous lounge tastefully done up with a café area offering food and drink throughout the day. There is also an equally vast (and equally bright), dining area, which serves up breakfast (for an additional charge) as well as relatively inexpensive dinner options. Then there is the nightclub, with its glow of neon lights, flow of cheap drinks, and even a model London bus that doubles as a DJ booth. The bar’s packed calendar of nightly events includes everything from quiz nights to “blind date” and “karaoke nights,” plus some extra-special themed parties.

To maintain its party-people reputation, the Generator Hostel also includes a walking tour and free welcome drink in the room rate (plus as many hangovers as you can handle). Wi-Fi is free in the public areas and there are a few Internet stations available for an additional charge.

Location

The Generator Hostel is nothing if not well located, within a five-minute walk of the Russell Square Tube station, and very near the British Library and British Museum, with Covent Garden and Piccadilly Circus not too much farther afield.