Beijing Drum Tower Youth Hostel

Went 10 years ago so review may be irrelevant but the one thing it has going for it is location! It's clean, well managed and had a good atmosphere. Really enjoyed my stay but acknowledge things may have changed.

The service provided at this hostel was a high standard. The room was clean and well tended. You are given clean bedding and towels on arrival and the towels can be changed for fresh as often as you choose. I stayed in a private loft room. One negative I would say is the bed is high up, as is the hot air and the AC is directly below the bed so the air never circulated to the sleeping area so it was always quite warm.
The staff were reluctantly helpful to give directions and advice.
I booked a tour of the wall through the hostel and come the morning of my trip I waited for a driver that never showed up. This was my last day in Beijing so it meant I couldn't go and see the wall, one of my main reasons for going to Beijing. This did ruin my trip for me, but the hostel were determined to compensate me in some way and were very apologetic. One thing I would say is, don't use them for tours as the company they use is clearly incompetent.
If you are allergic to cats, this hostel also isn't for you. There are cats living in the lobby. They are well cared for and mostly locked in large cages but my bedding did have a small wiff of cat so if you're allergic, this might be promblematic for you.
The location is fantastic, it's very near metro lines 2 and 8 and you're in a good location to just wander around and check out some good bars and restaurants.

Pros:
— Hot water showers.
— Quiet.
— Staff was willing to communicate via Google Translate and answer questions.
— Super close to Metro Station (location was great)
— Safe.
— Fairly clean (bathroom could get some extra loving)
— Hot water maker.
— Reliable AC.
— Internet available.
— No smoking.
Cons.
— I chose to stay in a hostel because you get a different experience, but this felt more like a hotel experience than a hostel experience. Examples:
— No kitchen to use.
— Laundry was super expensive.
— Staff didn't speak much English so getting local knowledge was hard (usually this is the biggest perk to staying in a hostel)
— No elevator — which generally isn't a big deal to me, but it got tiresome.
-Directions weren't clear. I ended up having to get a Chinese person to call and translate for me.