When we booked this, we knew it was cheap, but this shouldn't be allowed operate as a hotel( haha yea right, more like a dirty bed in a dirty room) ....we arrived to a sticky door handle, and I knew it was going to go downhill. The receptionist literally could not give a toss about us or anything practically threw a key at us.
We went down an elevator that looked 80 years old. Opened the door of our 'room' . We ordered a triple. There were three beds squeezed into it. No space for suitcases, could barely open the bathroom door, which, well let's just say, if you can wash your hair before you arrive to do your trip, it's probably a good idea. Sat on my bed enough time to read one email and already spotted a huge cockroach, an earwig and a few more creepy crawlers. I understand this is cheap, but there is cheap and then there is VILE! NEVER EVER STAY HERE!!!! EVER!!!!!! You have been warned!

Some of the other reviews here say they paid $20. Well, for that price, I'd stay almost anywhere. And, if you're down with staying at a hostel, at least they give you a private room, which is a definite step up from most hostels.

But, as a hotel, this place fails, hard. It's pretty clean, I guess, but I fell hard for the deceptions presented in the website. I guess when people say that "historic building" is code for "falling apart old structure," I should listen. My naive reading of the website gave me the impression it was going to be some kind of quaint red-brick B&B sort of place, but miraculously at a much more affordable price. Instead, I get a full-on, no doubt about it, youth hostel. The website says they've repainted the walls and recarpeted the floors - whoop-de-doo. The place still looks, and feels, in sore need of being torn down altogether and replaced with a newer, shinier, sleeker, nicer building.

They fail to mention that the wi-fi is only available in the lobby, that the rooms don't have private bath/shower or toilet, that no shampoo or soap or amenities of that sort are provided at all... I know $65 is pretty cheap as hotels go, but I paid that last week for a stupid corporate-chain airport hotel, and got a proper hotel experience - wifi in the room, private bath/shower with all the tiny bottles and other basic hotel amenities, a spotlessly clean room, a huge, super comfy hotel bed... I am checking out of the Allen Lee as soon as I can, and going somewhere else.

When I arrived they made me to pay more money that the amount that Hostel-world said in my booking. The service at the desk was not friendly at all. The WIFI signal was no strong enough to reach my room, so I had to go to the reception area to get into Internet. I can live with that but turns out that at midnight they made me leave the reception area due to some simple excuse! There were small cockroaches in my room as well as hairs in the towels. The bed´s sheets had a awful old yellow color. The only good thing? Location was wonderful. I´m afraid even that don´t save this place.

I have mixed feelings about reviewing this place because it served it's purpose for me- it was by far the cheapest 'hostel' in DC... BY FAR. I was on a tight budget and couldn't pay close to 40 bucks a night for the other hostel in the city. I was a bit puzzled that it was listed as a hostel because it is clearly a hotel but I confirmed with them that it is and I rocked up at 8 at night in a slightly sketchy area with nothing more than a Subway stop and a Subway restaurant nearby and found the place. It is a dump to be honest- I won't skirt around that but nonetheless I was going to pay less than 20 bucks a night in one of the dearest cities in America and I didn't expect much so I didn't care.

The room was...hmmm, adequate apart from the 4 beds cramped into a fairly small place and the window which had an ill-fitted air conditioner and so had a huge gap letting the crisp -7 degree air in. It had a bed, cleanish sheets, extra blankets, WIFI and even a TV. Not bad really once I'd stuffed up the leaky window with a spare blanked before I died of hypothermia in the night! The shower and bathroom was fine with free soaps and shampoo. Housekeeping came round every morning without fail. Next morning- breakfast time and a surprisingly decent spread of all-you-can-eat bagels, toast, muffins, jam, nutella, honey, coffee, tea, juice and fruit (a luxury in hostels). Couldn't complain at all for the price.

The staff- not the best but they did move me to another room with no fuss when another guest in the dorm was being very abusive and unpleasant. The wifi was hopeless at times but good at others. They had computers you could use in the lobby.

Overall it is ok for the price if you don't care too much for luxury and just want a cheap place to stay in DC right next to the Lincoln Memorial. I stayed for 9 nights and it was fine- can't complain for 20 bucks a night. I wouldn't recommend paying any more than that though to be honest!

Plus points- price, excellent location, breakfast, hotel luxuries for a hostel price

Negatives- I would have caught hypothermia without the blanket, rooms are VERY basic, it isn't really a hostel but whatever..., if I'd paid 40 bucks a night I'd feel very ripped off.