Los Angeles · USA
Banana Bungalow West Hollywood
Bed bug reports
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Confirmed Booking.com
The walls were very thin so you could hear everything. The people there were really loud and noisy. The beds were a bit dirty. Luckily no bed bugs. The people staying there were a bit odd. Some people were eating in the room at 3am.
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Confirmed Hostelworld
3 lockers to 6 beds? Slept with my luggage I didn’t feel safe. Place was so run down. Hot as hell even if it had central a/c. One staff member was nice. That’s what’s making up for the stars. Literally that’s it. Way over priced. Flys in fridge. Food I had went bad. Nervous the bunks had bedbugs. Even the “clean” towel given to me looked dirty. 1 bathroom to 6 females and it was so gross. Never ever again.
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Confirmed Hostelworld
This was advertised as a party hostel, but isn't. It's an old hospital repurposed into a hostel, which is completely fine, but you can tell by the sterile lighting and smell. Check in was easy enough and staff were good, but parking on the premises felt unsafe. The lift wasn't working & there were no internal locks on the doors, which didn't fill us with confidence leaving our stuff. It was clean, but we read many reports of bed-bugs in the rooms close to us, and it scared us enough to leave.
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Confirmed Google Maps
It's a homeless shelter in disguise with non existent management or professional staff. The Roaches running around was a downer and some rooms Bedbugs issues.
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Confirmed Google Maps
I would avoid this place. Great geographic location if you can get over the BED BUGS!! The girl that checked me in was nice the room was cheap and the hostel itself isn’t terribly set up but when I noticed bed bugs in my bunk bed I brought it up to the front desk person Michael and he immediately responded aggressively accusing me of lying. After bringing him to the room (201) and showing him the actual bugs he proceeded to deny that this never happens (although I highly doubt it) and was doing everything possible to deny responsibility or refunding me. I was persistent to wait and get ahold of a manager it took a couple hours eventually got my money back for the second night.
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Confirmed Google Maps
I stayed here about 2 weeks ago for a night and I got bed bugs. Whoever cleans this place needs to get fired
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Confirmed Google Maps
DO NOT STAY HERE WORSE PLACE EVER ! Staff is very rude breakfast included means only cereal and bread facility in general is very very dirty ! Also got bit by bed bugs when I told the front desk about it she said well I’ve never got any complaints about that room before as if I was lying even showed her my bites they charged my friend a room after telling him it was free for the night ended up being a lie to get more money out of us over all this is the worst hotel I’ve ever stayed at don’t waste your money here !!!! BUG INFESTED RUDE STAFF DIRTY FACILITY
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Confirmed Google Maps
Very fun hostel that parties every night with beautiful international women. But... BEWARE OF BED BUGS! Back in 2011, stayed here for a week and was EATEN ALIVE.
HostelPunk native reviews
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Vibe Analysis
Banana Bungalow West Hollywood is a budget-heavy base in a useful part of LA, close to West Hollywood, Melrose, Fairfax/La Brea, Sunset, buses, and a practical jump toward Hollywood. The strongest upside is location, with a social setup built around common spaces, a courtyard, and regular evening programming. Open mic karaoke, BBQ or pizza nights, themed evenings, pool billiards, table tennis, and big lounge areas give the place more built-in interaction than a plain crash pad. The atmosphere can be friendly and lively, but it also tilts messy and chaotic at night, especially when parties, drinking, smoke, and noise spill into rooms and halls. Rooms are basic and worn. Cleanliness is a real gamble: dirty bathrooms, hair in showers, stained bedding or mattresses, cockroaches, musty smells, smoke or weed odor, clogged showers, weak water pressure, thin walls, limited outlets, small lockers, and poor storage all show up as recurring problems. Air conditioning can be weak, unavailable, centrally controlled, or off overnight, which matters during hot LA weather. Staff experiences swing hard. There are friendly and helpful moments, including housekeeping getting called out positively, but check-in, policies, extra charges, room assignments, and front desk attitude can also be frustrating. This is best treated as a cheap, social, rough-around-the-edges option for a short LA stop, not a polished hostel.
Signals to check
- Cleanliness and maintenance can be poor, including dirty bathrooms, cockroaches, stained bedding, smells, and worn rooms.
- Noise can be heavy from parties, street traffic, thin walls, and late-night hallway activity.
- Safety and comfort are serious concerns for solo women and anyone sensitive to chaotic dorm dynamics.
- Breakfast is basic and often disappointing.
- Parking may cost extra, can be tight, and may not suit every car.
- Air conditioning and room temperature control can be unreliable.
- Storage is limited, with small lockers or little secure luggage space in dorms.