The shared room at The Freehand was overall ok. I had expected to share the room with people mostly around my age group 20-30. About half of the individuals in the room were about that age, and the other half were well above it. While people were respectful and quiet, it was not a hostel experience like you might expect. Generally, the older individuals stayed in the room much more and used it like a hotel.
I had expected I may have the room to myself a few times as I visited in the off-season, but there was not a single point during my almost week long stay where there was not someone else in the room. If you need to be alone, this is not the room to stay in.
The Freehand has a great location and is seen as a place to be by locals (especially the roof-top). People are friendly and open for chats and interactions.
The entirety of the hotel has a strong smell of weed, but so does most of LA. The room did got cleaned daily (mainly bathroom and shower), but the carpets did seem somewhat dirty.
If I was to go again, I would spend a bit more and have an individual room.