The Urban Hotel San Francisco

Great location! The hotel is what it is--minimalist and very old. This is a value stay, and you should think of it more as a hostel with a private bedroom and shared bathroom. The rooms were clean for what they are, but the hotel is old and smelled a bit musty. Staff was excellent! At night there is only a single pane of glass between your bed and all the street noise. I had an outward street-facing room and it was not quiet by any means.

The room is clean. The staff are friendly. It’s centrally located, so it’s great for walking to shops.

Great for the price. The room and the bathrooms were clean. Street-level windows can be a little loud, and I had an outlet with exposed wires. It feels a little weird having to be let in every time. I'd stay again. The location is great.

I wanted a nice, budget hotel that was better than average and this was it. I got a room with a single bed with attached bath. The room is very small, there is no closet, and the queen-size bed and armoire take up half of the floor space. There's no dresser and the one table is also small so you quickly run out of places to put things. The bathroom is surprisingly large though with no shelves and lacking handy towel racks. That said, the staff was attentive and helpful, the building felt very secure, and through worn in places, was neat and clean. The hotel location is right across the entrance to China Town on Grant St. Being San Francisco, there are plenty of coffee shops, eateries, and mini-markets a short walk in any direction. It's a ten-minute stroll to Embarcadero Plaza or Union Square. Despite the horror stories on the news about San Francisco, the neighborhood appeared pretty tame, lots of cops and armed security everywhere, hardly any homeless, and frankly, looked less sketchy than my hometown of Denver. So yes, this was a good choice for a hotel.

The shower was cold. A guest was yelling for help into the hallway because her light burned out. The room was so-so. It was not quiet… I could hear people in the next room. Arrival staff were friendly but the checkout staff was interested in her own cell phone screen. Neighborhood is GREAT! This is comparative… I often stay in budget hotels in SF and I can’t figure out how the ratings are so high.