Compton Place, off 37 Tavistock Place, London WC1H 9SE Tube Russell Square, Kings Cross St Pancras Train Kings Cross, St Pancras, Euston Tel (020) 7388 7666 Websitewww.generatorhostels.com/london/
BUG Review
The Generator is a huge hostel with over 800 beds. It has a modern industrial décor and very extensive common areas with lots of TVs. There's also Internet access, a restaurant and a bar with activities like drinking games, karaoke, quiz nights and pool competitions. However there are no kitchen facilities other than a microwave and toaster in the corner of one of the common rooms and some parts of the hostel, including many of the dorm rooms, are a bit run down.
Price Dorm bed £10-17 Single room £40 Twin room £47
Prices include breakfast Prices are in British pounds and are inclusive of all taxes.
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Generator London is awesome, cool place to start OST, April 11, 2005
Reviewer:
James McMillan
( fishcatdogbird@hotmail.com)
from Melbourne, Australia
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Maintenance
(5)
Cleanliness
(5)
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(5)
Atmosphere
(5)
I have been to the Generator two times now and i cant believe that some of these negative comments are coming from people who have stayed at the same place. I have stayed in over 30 hostels around Europe and this one still takes the cake EASILY, its craps all over many!!!The dorms are cool you get lockers (bring your own lock) breakfast is free and is good you can take as much as you like, i sometimes took more bread and made a sandwhich for lunch etc. The staff were awesome, you can tell a good place whe you speak to the staff and they started off as backpackers and work there and have been for years, when i was there in Jan 2005 one staff member was leaving after working there for like 10 or 11 years. The showers arent always hot in the hours of 10to 11am but if you wait 15min the water is boiling hot, i think out of the 15 showers i have had there 2 were cold, all the rest were like home. The bar is awesome, cheap drinks, pool, some nights are themed, always packed, with same amount of guys and GIRLS. Girls should feel no problems being in the bar. There are all types of drinks Absenth etc it really was fun. The dorms are quire i have stayed in a dorm in the basement and could never hear the music or base like the other reviewers and i have also stayed in a twin room (when had more money) on 4th floor and it was also cool. All dorms/rooms that i saw also had a sink in there as well with mirrow. Good security there is a security guard at the door all night, cameras in the halls and entrance etc and there are locks which need PIN on all dorm doors. Seiorsly stay here in London, its not the place that everyone will love, if its your first hostel experience you may be shocked, but there are no better in EUROPE or AUS of Fiji that i have ever seen!!!!!! Be serious its not a hotel or motel its a YOUTH HOSTEL for young people, who want CHEAP accomodation and a fun night. I hope this helps many of you make up your minds. Tschus JamesPS I have never worked for the Generator in London or Belin, but i almost did (fall into the generator trap) but am still travelling, now in Stockholm :)
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(Review ID: 2612)
Never Again. Ever., April 2, 2005
Reviewer:
Peter Odlaug
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(1)
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(1)
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(1)
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(1)
If you're the type of person who's soul purpose it is is to get drunk and party, by all means come to this place.A former police barricks, the Generator is large, cramped, overcrowded and noisy. How noisy you ask? I could hear the music in the bar on the 4th floor very clearly. Even with earplugs.The rooms are outragiously cramped and gave me a couple anxiety attacks untill I adapted. The beds are not very comfortable and the windows are only single pained so you can hear all the traffic outside.The bathrooms are decent but I found no hot water in the showers which have a weak water pressure.The food served is ok. It can be a bit of a hit or miss. The best thing is the movies shown every day at 4pm on a large screen.If you're a party person, there's always something happening in the bar and always "something" showing up on the hallway floors the next morning.The staff are friendly and helpful for the most part. The laundry is affordable but the dryers are almost worthless with at least 3 times needed to get clothes "dry".
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(Review ID: 2613)
worth the price, December 23, 2004
Reviewer:
Hicadoola
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n/a
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Maintenance
(4)
Cleanliness
(4)
Facilities
(4)
Atmosphere
(4)
upon arriving at the generator, my friend and i were immediately greeted by some weird kid in hawaiian-decor...this was the start of what we thought was going to be a horrible stay. We disliked the city, the people, the place, the roommates and we wanted to die/leave. We had booked 8 nights and we were seriously considering leaving and maybe going to Bath or Brighton instead, but something happened after the first couple of days and i'm not sure what, but the Generator wound up being the best out of maybe 10 hostels we stayed at through our 6 week trip. Yeah, everything is cheesy about the place, but it keeps people from getting stuffy. The rooms were generally clean, as were the bathrooms (remarkably so for how many people use them!) and the people who not only lived but worked there just seemed to get more and more pleasant and helpful. We were in an 8-bedded-mixed dorm and got along swimmingly with everyone in it, and wound up missing quite a few of them upon our departure! The bar is pretty cheap, the atmosphere is pretty light, and it's just overall an overall friendly place. It's in a really convenient and great location; the tube is a short walk away. There are lots of laundry places and drinking places, and if you are looking for cheap food, a street away (forgot the name), had really yum, personal sized pizza with a drink and 2 toppings for something like 2.50 pounds. The internet in the hostel is really expensive but good for emergencies, and the shop downstairs with travel stuff was convenient for when yer too lazy to go to Tesco's or something. We met a lot of really nice and cool people there, and for the money, we both think that this hostel is definitely worth it. It's modern and helpful and accomodating, and tacky in that so-tacky-it's-fun way. I suppose.
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(Review ID: 2614)
Quite good, November 18, 2004
Reviewer:
chell
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Maintenance
(4)
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(4)
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(4)
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(4)
First of all, hostelling in London is still an expensive affair. It's tricky to get ANY kind of accomodation below 15 quid a night, and the food is costly still even if you self-cater. So really you're running an uphill battle no matter what.Now about the Generator... I have to say that I am always content whenever I stay there. It's huge, first of all, but this really gives you a lot of choice as to what kind of room you want to stay in. Generally, I stay in the largest dorm rooms, usually mixed, because I travel alone and I have such a tight budget. These rooms are quite big, have lockers to fit all your packs and bags, and are pretty secure considering there is a code on each dorm door to get it. Not that I would suggest leaving stuff laying around, but as long as you are careful enough with your belongings, they'll be untouched. The beds are comfortable, clean and you get a towel for free.The bathrooms vary in size depending on where you are in the building, but are all pretty clean. There are definitely enough showers for all 800 beds. Generally, there is enough hot water too. But let's face it. If you sleep in until 10, just think that about 788 people have showered before you, so your shower might be a little less than hot. Let's be reasonable. :)The breakfast is pretty good. There are about 6-7 different kinds of cereal, milk (granted), toast with condiments, sugary juice, tea and powdered coffee all for free. Some will argue that breakfasts in hostels is a ripoff, considering it usually means a 2 pound increase included in the room price, and I would tend to agree. But the fare they provide here is pretty decent, so I cannot complain.As for the odds and ends: They have a laundry (decent price), internet (too expensive, but at least it's there for emergencies), phones, maps, luggage storage, toaster and microwave for self catering, and a bar with reasonably cheap drinks. It's in a really great location, close enough to Russell Square tube. Russell sq. is a nice neighborhood, pretty quiet, but with lots of suprettes (there's a tesco for you bargain shoppers), laundrettes, internet cafes, pubs, hotels, etc... Pretty ideal.Oh, and the hostel workers are all pretty nice, patient, and will answer your questions whenever they can
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(Review ID: 2615)
Fun & wild, November 1, 2004
Reviewer:
Tawcan
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n/a
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Maintenance
(4)
Cleanliness
(4)
Facilities
(4)
Atmosphere
(4)
The hostel is very close to the King's Cross & Russels tube stops so it's very easy to get around. The hostel is pretty big so it can be a bit crazy at the entrance/check-in desk area from time to time. The dorm room was ok although it seemed a little bit dirty. There were a lot of old timers, people who had lived in the hostels for more than 1 month due to various reasons. They were very friendly and helpful in terms of showing you around. The washrooms were relatively clean. The all you can eat breakfast was good, consisted of cereal, toasts, juice, and cofee.
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(Review ID: 2616)
not bad, cheap enough, November 1, 2004
Reviewer:
esn
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Maintenance
(3)
Cleanliness
(3)
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(3)
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(3)
This place wasn't too bad. It had a nice location near the tube. The dorms could have been a little cleaner, I didn't see them clean it all all in our 4 nights there. The bathrooms were nice and clean though. The breakfast wasn't too good, but it was free, so who am I to complain? Just don't buy breakfast from there. It isn't any better. Overall it wasn't too bad, but I think I would search around for a nicer place next time, just to try something else.
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(Review ID: 2617)
very fun, in central london, clean by hostel standards, June 22, 2004
Reviewer:
iselynjen
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Maintenance
(5)
Cleanliness
(5)
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(5)
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(5)
this hostel is huge so there are also lots of people to meet, and the bar is pretty fun as well and not too expensivethe rooms were fairly clean and the bathrooms were the best out of all the hostels i visitedit is in central london so of course location-wise it is pretty convenientthis was one of my favorite hostels and very cheap too, i would recommend staying there!
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(Review ID: 2618)
Poor maintenance, May 28, 2004
Reviewer:
kel79
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(1)
Cleanliness
(1)
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(1)
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We booked a twin room but were given a triple during our stay in May 2004. Fully aware that this was a hostel and not five-star accommodation, I still expected that a little care would be taken in the upkeep of the property. The blinds in our room were filthy and broken and thus couldn't be closed, convenient with the sun setting late at night. The breakfast, whilst ok in itself, was spoiled by staff members who smoke, drank and commandeered the TV (at 7am). On our third day there all the men's showers were out of order and no explanation was offered why or for how long. Very pleased to leave!
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(Review ID: 2619)
Huge , crowded, milti-national, crazy, May 22, 2004
Reviewer:
Hosternestein
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(4)
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(4)
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(4)
I've stayed in Generator for more than two weks in July-August 2004.Generally its a good place for hanging out. A big bar, inexpensive beer, 1 pound during happy hour and slightly more after, huge crowd of people from all over the world. Merry party place!The reception staff wasnt too friendly, but moderate. The rooms're OK if not for some stinky personalities, but I guess its common for all the hostels. There is laundry, canteen, lockers and safes. But no safes will protect your money if you "lend" them to strangers...from Burkina Faso..:)In short, if you come to London to have kicking time - its your place, if you want silence and privacy-its not...But then again, who comes to London for silence..:)
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(Review ID: 2620)
great location, excellent facilities, May 20, 2004
Reviewer:
schuylercampbell
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Maintenance
(4)
Cleanliness
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(4)
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(4)
the location couldn't be better, the breakfast is good, some of the staff are really cool, but the atmosphere is a bit dull for such a large hostel and there were far too many other Americans. Also, some of the staff are extremely stupid and have never used computers. However, this is a good, clean, safe place and the bar is really cheap by London standards. If only there'd been more girls...
