Generator Hostel Dublin

Located in the up and coming Smithfield neighborhood Dublin, I selected the Generator Hostel because of its great reviews and reasonable pricing. This was my first time staying in a hostel and I expected and overall no-frills experience. However, I was still left disappointed even with low expectations. The Generator has a very club-like feel with spacious bars, neon lighting, and trendy fixtures. The lobby and ground floor is the best feature of the Generator with a breakfast cafe, bar, internet computers, pool tables, and vending areas. As told by the staff, the Generator property is less than one year old. However the property feels much older and unkempt. There are floorboards loose throughout the property and the fixtures are worn. The guests room are where the property really shows wear. The location is was also a sticking point for me. On the positive side, it is close to the Luas tram stop, the Jameson Distillery, and some restaurants in Smithfield Square. However as far as most City Centre attractions, shops, and restaurants, it is about a 1.5 km walk to nearly everything. We stayed in a private room with an en suite bath. It was a room with two bunk beds to sleep four guests but we had it for just the two of us. The bunk beds were surprisingly comfortable with cozy linens and individual lighting for each cove. Other than the cozy beds, there were few positive notes about the guest rooms. The bathroom was by far the worst feature of the Generator. There was ZERO counter space to place any items down. The towels had to be retrieved from the front desk, even in the private rooms. No wash cloths were provided. there was also only two hooks to hang towels in the very bare bathroom. The shower was tiny and the tile was filthy. There was visible mold up the walls of the shower tiles. The floor of the shower was stainless steel which felt cold and dirty. The shower faucet was fussy and water pressure was weak. The water temperature was unpredictable and generally cold. I understand that this is a hostel but there was no place to set down items, not even a cabinet and certainly no closet to hang your clothes up. The staff at the Generator was somewhat friendly although guests are basically treated as numbers, not guests. You have to request just about every amenity from the front desk which let long waits at the counter. The staff essentially did the minimum job possible and was barely helpful most of the time. The did have laundry units available for guest use although it was very steep at 7 Euros per use. The daily breakfast was much more reasonable at 4 Euros. Overall, I wouldn't recommend staying at the Generator Hostel. Unless you favor a very-budget, no frills experience, the Generator Hostel is mostly a hassle. Our stay was not very comfortable and the location is inconvenient to most City Centre attractions.

Simple, clean Twin ensuite room for a great price. Friendly place and good location. Couldn't get better for the price we paid..

I stayed at the Generator hostel in Dublin with some mates from London. It seems alright until the night time. We could not get a wink of sleep from something banging all night long! If you require sleep steer clear of this place!

very nice place, friendly helpful and modern. The reception desk I found is not overly friendly and a bit too casual but asides from that I would highly reccommend this place to stay. People who wear the passes around their necks are not staff - they are guests who choose to wear their passes around their necks. Be careful with that.