I don't know why this place is #2. My husband and I booked in at a local B&B and my brother had made a reservation here. I went in with my brother to check it out, and he decided to forgo the money he paid and bunked with my husband and I instead. Here's what I noticed:

1. Hoarder. Have you ever watched that TV show, Hoarders? Have you ever seen a hoarder who lives in a clean home? Enough said. Frank is clearly a hoarder. You can see this the minute you drive by his place, and its confirmed when you walk through the house. Yikes.

2. The place where you sleep is in Frank's dark garage. It's a bare mattress and there is a deep freeze in the middle of the room. Double yikes.

All in all, this is not a true "hostel". It's a room in a guys' dirty garage, at the back of his dirty house. People considering staying here should consider pooling their money and staying elsewhere.

The owner's wife passed away in 2010 and he is having problems managing the hostel on his own since he has a job as well. It is truly a home hostel and we were pleased that we were trusted to stay in it and tried to help by tidying up. The hostel is centrally located. We were pleased that there was no curfew so we could make lunch and eat at the hostel dining table away from the tourists downtown. The owner generally answers his email but is hard to reach by telephone. He is struggling to stay open this year. Hopefully he can find some help managing the hostel and be able to keep it open. We loved Skagway!

I have now visited ALL 50 US States. ALASKA ROCKS! When I travel I seek out Hostels and unfortunately a lot of them have a bunch of rowdy college kids that drink. Not so here, Nancy & Frank (No relation to the Sinatra's, hehehe!) run a beautiful house hostel. I met people from Australia, Israel, UK and of course the token dog Misty and Max the cat. Max is independent but friendly and Misty is loveable. Their 2 girls are sweet and polite/ My dorm room was quiet clean and WARM! No one after 11 PM made any noise. Nancy & Frank are two of the kindest people I have met. Their house is lovely and the flowers outside beautiful. No one was rude to me at all, they were quite friendly and I highly advise anyone visiting Skagway to stay HERE, instead of an overpriced motel. Brave. All this coming from one that worekd public relations for The Trump Organization in the past.

In my opinion, travelers are VERY lucky to have this accommodation option in the breathtaking town of Skagway (the only other budget option right in town, is camping in the RV parks). I chanced upon the Skagway Home Hostel years ago as a solo traveler exploring the Inside Passage and have stayed there repeatedly over the years. I would recommend it highly and have even taken my mother there (she was very impressed with the gardens and Nancy's antiques and collectables lining the windows).

On my first visit, I planned to stay a night or two, and ended up there for over 2 weeks! The owners 'took me under their wing' so to speak, finding me a place to stay, as they were at capacity. I helped with various chores around the hostel (when everyone helps a bit in this way, I think it allows for a family -run hostel to stay open. After all, things can quickly run down in a centennial home with so many guests ...and it takes a long time to get items replaced in remote areas such as this. There is certainly no 'Rona' around the corner.) I sometimes took part in the meals, which was a very nice option for a solo traveler!!. Over those weeks, I got to know the hosts more and more and have only the utmost respect for them.
I would caution new guests against comparing this hostel to others, or expecting a standard hostel experience. True to its name, this is a HOME hostel and the hosts share almost every part of their antique home with their guests. I don't think they keep the hostel running as a money venture (they are nearing retirement and have other jobs as well)...I think they truly care about providing a budget option for visitors to Skagway and believe in the principles of a hostel (sharing in different cultures and providing a safe, clean and pleasant place to stay).
I am quite shocked by some of the comments I have read on here...and would only like to remind guests that you are indeed staying in someone's home with this hostel...not unlike a 'posada' in Latin America. I still feel grateful that the hosts keep it running year after year! THANKS FRANK & NANCY!