London has a well-earned reputation for being one of the most expensive cities in the world to visit, but travel influencer Ralph Smith, who has built a following of 63,000 on Instagram by consistently proving that reputation wrong, has done it again. In one of his latest posts, Smith documented his stay at a budget hostel right in the heart of the city, paying just around $12 for a single night. The video quickly racked up more than 7,600 likes and sparked a lively debate in the comments about whether budget travel in London is genuinely worth it.
Smith filmed himself arriving outside the Smart Hyde Park Inn, a hostel located in the Bayswater neighborhood of west London. “Right here in central London, a night costs $12. Guys, let’s go inside and see what we get,” he said directly to camera. On his way in, he stopped to chat with another guest who was already staying there, and the review was straightforwardly positive. The fellow traveler described the hostel as “really good” and “very clean,” and mentioned he had paid around $13 for his own bed.
After checking in at the front desk and receiving a fresh, clean bedsheet from staff, Smith made his way to the dormitory room. The space held nine beds in total, with each guest allocated a bunk, a personal locker for valuables, a power outlet, and a reading light above the bed. Smith noted that the mattress was “not the softest” but concluded it was “not bad at all” for the price. He also pointed out the air conditioning unit in the room, which he described as “really pleasant and cooling” given the heat outside, though he flagged that it might struggle to keep the room comfortable through the night. “The only thing I would change is that it’s very hot in here. They have AC, but I think at night this room is going to get incredibly hot,” he noted.
The shared facilities earned a broadly decent review. The bathroom was described as “very clean,” the toilet passed without issue, and while the shower had “seen better days,” Smith acknowledged he had encountered far worse elsewhere. The shared kitchen offered enough equipment that cooking would technically be possible, though he delivered that verdict with a knowing look and the observation that most guests probably would not bother. Overall, his conclusion was measured but clear: he would return if he was in a pinch. “It’s not dirty, it’s not creepy, it doesn’t smell, and the staff are really friendly,” he said. He also highlighted the weekly rate as a genuine bargain for anyone needing an extended stay in London at around $88 per week.
The comments section reflected the split reaction that budget travel content tends to generate. Some viewers were genuinely enthusiastic, with one writing “It looks so lovely” and another saying they would stay there for several weeks while relocating to London. Others appreciated the neighborhood itself, pointing out that Bayswater is well-placed near restaurants, cafes, shops, and just minutes from Hyde Park. On the other side of the debate, some commenters were firm about their limits. “I’m too posh to ever stay in a hostel and share a room with nine strangers. I wouldn’t be able to sleep because I’m a light sleeper,” one viewer wrote. It is also worth noting that the hostel is age-restricted, accepting only guests between 16 and 45, and that while Smith paid around $12, the property’s official listings show prices starting from approximately $18 per night.
The hostel model as we know it today has its roots in the early twentieth century, when German educator Richard Schirrmann opened what is widely considered the world’s first youth hostel in 1914 with the goal of making outdoor travel affordable for young people. The concept spread rapidly across Europe and eventually worldwide, giving rise to organizations like Hostelling International, which now operates thousands of properties across more than 90 countries. London, as one of the world’s most visited cities and consistently ranked among the priciest for accommodation, has a particularly active budget hostel scene that caters to the millions of younger travelers who visit each year. The Bayswater area where the Smart Hyde Park Inn is located sits on the northern edge of Hyde Park, one of the largest and most iconic green spaces in London, and offers easy access to both central attractions and the city’s underground network.
Would you stay in a nine-bed hostel dorm to save money on a London trip, or is shared accommodation a dealbreaker for you? Share your thoughts in the comments.
