Hostelling International San Diego - Affordable Quality Hostels in California
Book A Bed

Groups - Big or Small, HI-San Diego Fits Them All!

HI San Diego……. the best place to stay in San Diego!!!!

At Hostelling International San Diego, we understand the many challenges you face when planning a group trip. That's why we work hard to meet your group's specific needs and budget. As a non-profit association with over 30 years of experience serving groups like yours, here and abroad, we are more than just an affordable place to stay; we can also be your group itinerary and programming partner by helping you arrange:

  • Activities
  • Trip itineraries
  • Meal plans (upon request)
  • Group-leader pre-visits to plan your trip
  • Private rooms for leaders (based on availability)
  • Fast and friendly reservations and welcome orientation upon arrival

Get the Hostelling International San Diego Advantage:

  • Free Hostelling International Group Membership and Members rate.
  • Best Locations in San Diego (Gaslamp Quarter and Point Loma)
  • Alternative Spring Break Programs
  • Friendly and Helpful Staff
  • FUN places to Stay!

Groups Frequently Asked Questions

The staff and volunteers of HI- San Diego work hard to help your group have a great visit to San Diego. Click here for the 10 questions that we answer for groups. If your question is not answered below, please call or email us.

Group Information Form

If you are interested in bringing a group to San Diego, please click here and submit the following information and a group coordinator will reply within 48 hours (Monday through Friday).

Contact a Group Coordinator
We look forward to your visit to Sunny San Diego! Please let us know how we can make your stay at the hostel a fantastic experience.

Laura Kuebel
Programs & Outreach Coordinator
(619) 338-998 ext 14
programs@sandiegohostels.org

More information about Groups:


Group Hostel Options

In San Diego we have amazing hostel facilities. Stay at our famous HI-San Diego Downtown, an urban hostel offering a great metropolitan stay. Located in the heart of the Gaslamp Quarter (16 blocks of entertainment, restaurants, bars and Petco Park), this hostel is close to all the sites and attractions.

However, if your group is looking for something quieter, we also have our cozy HI-San Diego Point Loma, there your organization can relax in our beautiful enclosed courtyard enjoying a barbeque night, sing songs around a fire pit. Book the entire HI-San Diego Point Loma for your group or family reunion (up to 60 beds)

What you can expect from our hostels

  • Assured Quality - all our hostels are inspected regularly and must meet international standards for comfort, security, cleanliness, privacy and welcome.
  • Affordable rates to help make your group's trip possible.
  • A free Hostelling International Group Membership, which entitles your group to many HI member benefits in the USA and in over 60 countries worldwide (for groups more than 10 people)
  • Shared accommodations in separate male and female dormitory-style rooms with 4 -10 beds.
  • Individual bunk beds to ensure each group member's comfort.
  • Separate male and female shower and restroom facilities.
  • Bed linens and towels provided to all group participants.
  • Fully equipped Self-service kitchen
  • Private rooms for group leaders can be reserved based on availability.
  • Friendly, helpful onsite staff.
  • An international, culturally diverse and welcoming atmosphere.

HI Standards

Hostelling International is the only hostel network that offers assured standards. All HI hostels are inspected annually and must meet standards in comfort, security, safety, cleanliness, privacy and welcome. With our hostels your stay is sure to be comfortable, affordable and fun.

Free HI Memberships for Groups

Hostelling International is a non-profit membership organization promoting international understanding and peace though hostelling since 1909. (To maintain our ability to offer low-budget accommodations we charge additional fees to non-members).

However, a FREE Group Membership is available to US groups. A group membership entitles everyone in the group to member rates and benefits as well as access to our group trip advisors. *You must be the group leader of an organized, US based group of 10 or more people in order to apply for a free group membership.

Click here to order your FREE Group Membership today!

back to top   

Group programs

HI-USA, San Diego’s hostels are more than just a place to stay. Meet people from around the world and learn valuable lessons about the local community and environment. Special educational programs are available for organized groups who want to get more from their stay. Partnerships with other local non-profit organizations enable to group to help the community and make a difference in San Diego.

Besides providing an affordable place to stay, we can help arrange individualized programs and activities for your group including:

  • Volunteer Opportunities
  • Service projects or collaborations with other groups and non- profits
  • Alternative Spring Break
  • Museum visits
  • Walking tours (Beaches, Coronado, Balboa Park, Tijuana, etc)
  • Girl Scouts Patches and Programming specially prepared for Girl Scouts.
You can also participate in many of our existing programs and activities.
  • Cultural Kitchens
  • Movie Nights
  • BBQ
  • Campfire

Available upon request, we can organize a series of travel presentations:

  • World Travel 101: [ WT101 Nuts and Bolts] & [WT101 Intercultural Education]
  • Women Traveling Solo
  • Discover the World Patch Program – Girl Scouts
  • Opening Doors, Opening Minds

For more information, contact Laura Kuebel, Programs & Outreach Coordinator .
Phone: (619) 338-9981 ext 14 or Email: programs@sandiegohostels.org

Alternative Spring Break with Hostelling International - San Diego

Are you looking to have an enjoyable and meaningful experience this spring break? Looking to spend a few days in an exciting, vibrant city, without wasting lots of money?

Bring your group to spend an alternative spring break in San Diego with Hostelling International and find a balance between fun and social action. We are offering a package including accommodation at our hostels and a volunteer opportunity for the duration of your stay.

As part of the Alternative Spring Break Program, students perform short-term projects for community agencies, addressing such issues as poverty, racism, hunger, homelessness and the environment. We work with organizations like the Food Bank, St. Vincent De Paul, I Love a Clean San Diego, our local Libraries, among other nonprofits in San Diego. Students will be engaged in working with members of communities with whom you otherwise may have little direct contact. We will tailor your program to the group's specific interests to help you create a potentially life-changing experience that will help develop social awareness and activism.

What makes this Alternative Spring Break package unique is our emphasis on also providing you with the chance to experience Sunny San Diego. We can help you set this up too, often at a discounted rate. You can watch a Padres baseball game, go to Sea World, the famous San Diego Zoo, the beach or our neighbor country Mexico. We will tailor your visit to the interests of your group!

Alternative Spring Break at Hostelling International-San Diego is about working for positive social change in one of North America’s favorite destinations. Experience all the things that make San Diego famous, whlle seeing the city and its people in a meaningful way.

For more details, please click here, fill the form and our group sales department will contact you.

Accommodation

We offer clean, modern coed and separate male/female dormitory-style accommodation (four- to ten-bedded rooms) with private or shared bathrooms in the hallways. Linens, towels, and a housekeeping service are provided free of charge.

Private rooms with and without baths are available for your convenience and also Family Rooms.

Meals

Complementary Self Service breakfast is provided every morning from 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM
Our Hostels have fully equipped kitchens. Breakfast, lunch and dinner can be prepared especially for your group upon request.

Reservation Procedure

Groups must be booked and paid in full, 30 days prior to arrival with a signed contract. To hold a reservation, we require a 50% deposit of the total balance. Payment can be made by credit card (VISA, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover) or with an organizational or bank check drawn on a U.S. bank in U.S. dollars.

Click here to submit a reservation request.

Tours

Exciting sightseeing tours and daily programs are available through the hostel. Your Group is more than welcome to join us to these interesting activities: Balboa Park, Tijuana, Mission and Pacific Beach, Coronado. Check out our weekly calendar of activities. Or let our knowledgeable staff help you design the perfect custom itinerary for your group.

Scout Troops

Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts of all ages are welcome at our hostels. Scouting and hostelling have a long history of mutual support. They are similar in their mission to foster experiential learning and exploration of the world, leading to personal growth and ultimately to a more informed citizenry.

Girl Scouts even have a hostelling badge (Discover the world Patch Program) to work on during their trip!

Visiting San Diego can be an enriching weekend for you troop. San Diego offers a exciting array of activities and attractions. Please let us know which ones are you interest in and we will organize everything for you.

Girl Scout Troop          Girl Scouts

Girl Scouts© Go Hostelling

Hostelling International and Girl Scouts of America have a hostelling patch for your troop to work on during your stay. Our Programs Director will help your troop complete the activities (plus any other itinerary plans you would like to make) and at the end of your stay the scouts will have earned the hostelling patch!

Click here to see the Brochure.
Click here to see the requirements for the “Discover the Word” patch program.

Religious Groups

San Diego is a destination visited by lots of different religious groups; many of them are planning to do some humanitarian work in San Diego or with our neighbor to the south, Mexico. While you visit San Diego we offer not only full itinerary planning, but we can also help you set up service-learning projects and budget recreational and educational events and programs. We are the ideal location for the mix of fun, service, and reflection that your religious or church group is looking for – and we can save you a substantial amount of money. Also our hostels are conveniently located to the most important temples, churches and synagogues. If you need a place to do a retreat, HI-San Diego, Point Loma is the perfect location, you can book the whole hostel (capacity 60 people) and do all your activities in a controlled environment.

School Groups

Classes and clubs from elementary school through college are welcome at our San Diego Hostels. We will help you design an itinerary that is both educational and fun for your class, or help you further explore the interests of your club. Reserve the group kitchen to cook your meals and have meetings and discussions. Our Downtown Hostels is conveniently close to Balboa Park and the San Diego Zoo.

Conferences and Conventions

San Diego is ranked third in conventions and expositions in the USA. HI-San Diego Downtown is located only four blocks form the San Diego Convention Center. Let us know when you make the reservation what conference or convention you will be attending and when and we will make every effort to place you with other attendees. For event organizers looking to guarantee space for attendees, we can offer special rates and will work with you to set up accommodations that fit your needs. Please make a group reservation request and we will be happy to discuss your arrangements.

Orchestras, Bands, and Musical Groups

San Diego is a destination for music of all kinds. We can provide a safe place for you and your instruments, plus we can help arrange performances and even have you play in the hostel for our other guests!

Sports Teams and Clubs

San Diego is the home of the San Diego Padres and the San Diego Chargers and has number of university and college sport teams. Our hostels have SD Padres season tickets available for your group and Petco Park is located at only 3 blocks away.

The Rock and Roll Marathon is the first Sunday of June every year, and the city is overrun with marathoners and their supporters. HI-San Diego, Downtown is located 2 blocks from the course. We bring hostellers to see the races, and we have special in-house events for participants and their supporters. We can arrange transportation to the start line the morning of the race.

To check for the university Schedules and Sports please click on the university below:
University of California San Diego – UCSD http://athletics.ucsd.edu/
San Diego State University – SDSU http://goaztecs.collegesports.com/
University of San Diego – USD http://usdtoreros.collegesports.com/

Fill out the following form to contact the Group Sales Director or make a group information/reservation request below.

back to top   

Group Information Form

Click here for the group information form

back to top   

Frequently Asked Questions

The staff and volunteers of HI-San Diego work hard to make your visit to San Diego GREAT. These are 10 most frequently asked questions for groups. If we have not answered your question, please call or email us.

1. What are hostels?
Our Hostels provide friendly, inexpensive overnight accommodations for travelers of all ages. Guests stay in multi-bedded dorm style, separate gender rooms and receive linens and towels upon check-in (at HI-San Diego we also offer private rooms with or without private bathroom). We offer fully equipped self-service kitchens, dining areas, secure storage and common rooms for relaxing and socializing with other travelers. All Hostelling International hostels assure travelers the utmost in quality standards including cleanliness, security and service. The hostel has no age restrictions. Youth under 18 must be accompanied by adult parent or chaperone

2. What is a group?
Groups of ten people or more can decide to stay in dorm style or private rooms, receive breakfast in the hostel's dining room. Hostel staff and volunteers offer downtown walking tours, itinerary assistance, and special discounts to some attractions as part of our service to groups. For groups less than ten people please contact us.

3. What is included in the breakfast?
For breakfast we provide a make your own pancake breakfast (tea and coffee are available all day)

4. How many beds are in a room?
Our hostels have four to ten bedded dorm rooms. Group members are placed into the rooms based on the size of the group, gender breakdown, and room availability.

5. Will our group members be in rooms by themselves?
If your group has members under the age of 18, no other hostellers will be in the rooms with you, at least one chaperone must stay with them in the room. If everyone in your group is 18 or older, hostel staff makes an effort to keep your group together but cannot guarantee that your group members will be in rooms by themselves.

6. Does the hostel have any private rooms for chaperones and bus drivers?
In our Hostels we do have private rooms, with or without bathrooms, based on availability. Prices vary on season. For up to date rates please click here.

7. What are the hostel's group payment and cancellation policies?
A deposit of 50% of the total amount due is required to secure a reservation. The remaining amount is due two weeks before arrival. Cancellation of your group reservation must be received at least 30 days prior to scheduled arrival to receive refund. Reservations cancelled within 30 days of arrival will forfeit the cost of one night of the group’s reservation equal to the number in group times the rate for one night. Reservations cancelled or reduced by 20% or more, less than 14 days prior to the scheduled arrival, receive no refund. Within 14 days of arrival, reductions of less than 20% of reservation may be made up to 7 days prior to arrival. No refunds will be made for reductions in reservations within 7 days of arrival.

8. If I don't know the exact male/female breakdown, should I make a reservation now?
Yes. Please make your reservation as soon as possible. Make an estimate of the number of males and females in your group. The final breakdown must be confirmed no later than two weeks before arrival when the balance is due.

9. Does our group have to be a member of Hostelling International to stay there?
No. Groups of ten people or more will receive a complimentary HI-USA group membership when you make your reservation.

10. Does the hostel have parking?
HI-San Diego, Downtown does not have its own parking lot, but there are a lot of parking lots available near our hostel. For a detailed map of parking near our hostel, please click here. (Parking downtown can be expensive during baseball season due to our proximity to Petco Park Stadium. We encourage you to consolidate vehicles or arrive by train or bus to help keep the cost of your group's trip down). HI-San Diego, Point Loma is located in a neighborhood with free street parking.

back to top