STAY SMART | SAN FRANCISCO | HOTELS
San Francisco hotels for less than $200 a night
Thirteen San Francisco hotels under $200 a night: Two Ben Franklins will buy you a stay at a stylish boutique hotel, but don't expect a pool.
AH, San Francisco — where little cable cars climb halfway to the stars and so have hotel prices.
Hotel occupancy rates in this tourist and business magnet remain high — almost 73% this year through June — and prices reflect that. The average cost of a room in the city proper in the first five months was $165.84 a night before the 14% tax (which pushes the total over $189), according to the San Francisco office of PFK Consulting, which tracks industry trends. That figure includes lower-end places and cookie-cutter chains but excludes bed-and-breakfasts of fewer than 20 rooms. (By contrast, the L.A. average was $20 a night cheaper.)
For many travelers, the hotel is just a place to rest one's head. For others, the hotel enriches the experience, but as experienced travelers know, charm comes at a price. My challenge: to find hotels with character and class without ballooning the budget.
In late July, I set out to find a dozen or so places where the rooms may cost the average price but are anything but average. We set $200 as the upper limit, including the 14% room tax. I excluded B&Bs and extended-stay accommodations and avoided the chain hotels.
I stayed in six boutique hotels, chosen to include different areas of the city as well as a variety of styles, traditional as well as contemporary. I visited 13 others, including a few super-budget hotels with rooms well under the $200 limit. And I also checked out some hotels that are being renovated and should emerge as particularly attractive $200-and-under choices.
Quoting exact prices is futile because, like airline tickets, hotel prices fluctuate according to demand; some hotels no longer print cards that show "rack" or "brochure" rates. The variables include special packages, AARP or AAA rates, Internet rates and so on. But this story will list the price I paid, which includes the tax.
In my booking experience, I found that hotel websites generally had the best prices, although smart shoppers know it pays to call too.
Here's what you can generally expect for about $200: a clean room with a comfortable bed, Internet access, elevator, cable TV, radio and clock, telephone, bath amenities and iron and board.
What you may not get: free continental-plus breakfast, room service, CD player, fitness center, wireless Internet in-room, robes and an on-site restaurant.
What you probably will not get: swimming pool, flat-screen TV and air conditioning. Although A/C is not usually a necessity here, it was on my visit because of a heat wave.
In setting our $200 limit, we did not include parking, which, with tax, can cost as much as $57 for 24 hours. But the city is compact and has good public transportation. My advice: Forgo the car.
I visited these hotels, where I was shown rooms within the $200 limit.
Parking: $20
Amenities: Room service, Internet access for a fee, use of nearby health club with pool, $10 daily. Bellman. Free cab vouchers to city center weekday mornings for corporate guests. No pets. Nonsmoking.
Pros: Lovely old mansion in quiet lower Pacific Heights. No air conditioning. (Ceiling fans are being installed.) A fighting fish named Catherine Beta-Jones sits at the front desk.
Cons: Nine blocks from Union Square (there is a bus line a block away).
I knew I was going to like this hotel the minute I walked up the marble steps into the elegant pillared lobby. The 58-room hotel, occupying a restored Edwardian mansion built in 1902 by a railroad magnate (and once home to film stars Joan Fontaine and Olivia deHavilland), is furnished in French and English antiques. Rooms have canopy beds and feather pillows. I saw a standard queen with heavy drapery, dark woods and claw-foot tub/shower and found it dark and depressing. But Room 203, a junior suite at $165, was delightful, with a four-poster queen bed, fireplace, large bath with twin sinks and claw-foot tub and huge bay window overlooking Sutter Street.
Amenities include robes and Gilchrist & Soames toiletries. The library off the lobby invites curling up with a good read. Free wine and hors d'oeuvres are served in the lobby in the evening. The restaurant and bar, closed since 2001, has been undergoing remodeling and was to reopen in the near future.
1500 Sutter St., (415) 441-1100 or (800) 869-8966, www.thehotelmajestic.com.
Parking: $35-$40
Amenities: No room service, but upscale seafood restaurant Farallon next door will deliver, as will Waiters on Wheels (from selected restaurants). Free Internet access, 24-hour business center with free high-speed Internet. Free morning coffee. Bellman and concierge. Small exercise room on-site and use of Hotel Diva fitness center. Pet-friendly. Smoking permitted on one guest floor.
Pros: Good location close to shopping, theater, restaurants.
Cons: The rooms could use updating. Only those on the three Royal Court Floors have been renovated.The lobby of this 96-room hotel has a painted beamed ceiling, Queen Anne antiques, marble floors and a crystal chandelier. There's a free sherry and tea hour with a pianist Thursdays through Saturdays. The 1925 building started life as an Elks Club, and the Elks still occupy the lower floors. The Post Street Theater is on the third floor. Each guest floor has coffee and tea stations. Standard rooms have floral bedspreads, dark furniture and small baths, but some have great views of Union Square or Nob Hill.
450 Post St., (415) 788-6400 or (800) 553-1900, www.kensingtonparkhotel.com.
Parking: $30-$36
Amenities: No room service, but Waiters on Wheels delivers. Free Internet access. Free morning coffee. Business center. Bellman and concierge. Free use of Hotel Diva fitness center. Pets OK ($50 fee). One floor permits smoking.
Pros: A good choice for fans of mystery writer Dashiell Hammett, who loved the hotel.
Cons: Powell Street cable car clang-clangs past hotel, and there is also heavy foot traffic. No air conditioning.
This 131-room hotel, formerly the Golden West, dates to 1913 and claims to be the city's first boutique hotel. As I walked into the lobby, with its crazy red geometric chairs, a "Thin Man" film was playing on a flat-screen TV, a tribute to Hammett. Guest floors have exposed brick walls and rooms in eggplant and green. In Room 505, dedicated in March as the Dashiell Hammett Suite, are an antique suitcase filled with his books, an old typewriter and vintage radio and hand towels with his image. The room, with two queen beds, is $269 (brochure rate). A typical room for less than $200 is medium-size with small bath and tub-shower combination. All rooms will begin renovation starting in late 2007.
114 Powell St., (415) 397-3000 or (800) 553-1900, www.hotelunionsquare.com.
Parking: $30
Amenities: Restaurant, free wireless Internet access in deluxe rooms. Internet access in lobby. No room service or air conditioning. (Rooms have ceiling fans and windows that open). Bellman. Free morning car service for corporate clients to Financial District, Civic Center, Moscone Convention Center. Pet-friendly. Nonsmoking.
Pros: Upper-floor rooms with unobstructed city views, quiet location. Trendy diner, Canteen, is nearby in Hotel Commodore.
Cons: No room service. No air conditioning. No fitness center. Seven blocks from Union Square in lower Nob Hill.
An international travel theme begins in the big, marble-floored lobby with its framed textiles from Asia and Africa, Oriental rugs, tribal figurines and a wall of African and Asian masks behind the front desk. Books about travel are scattered about. Free evening wine is served. Classic pop music (Nat King Cole) was playing as I stepped into one of the two map-papered elevators. The 161-room hotel, renovated in 2004, has nice-size guest rooms done up in soft sea colors with touches of saffron and red. All have coffeemakers, irons and boards and safes. Saha restaurant serves Arabic fusion cuisine. A nice touch: The hotel's "keep-the-change" project allows guests to have their bills rounded off; the change goes to Raphael House, a home for single mothers and children, next door.
1075 Sutter St., (415) 673-0242 or (800) 922-7586, www.hotelcarltonsf.com.
Parking: $39
Amenities: Room service (breakfast and lunch) restaurant, free high-speed Internet access, free morning coffee. On-site fitness center, air conditioning, bellman and concierge. Pet-friendly. Limited number of smoking rooms.
Pros: Attractive restoration of a 1917 Spanish Revival building.
Cons: Standard rooms are small. This 236-room hotel, formerly the Californian, is in a 1920s Spanish Revival building that's been redone in Spanish-Moroccan style .I loved the lobby with its painted beams, stout red pillars, potted palms and ornate fireplace. The standard king room I was shown, No. 1505, had dark woods and busy decor with patterned spread, rug and wallpaper. Guests gather in the lobby in the evening for tarot card readings and free wine with hors d'oeuvres from hotel's Asian-inspired Ponzu restaurant.
405 Taylor St., (415) 885-2500 or (866) 289-6561. www.serranohotel.com.
Parking: $35
Amenities: Free Internet access. Free breakfast with make-your-own waffle bar. Concierge and bellman. Use of off-site Club One fitness center and pool for $15 day. No pets. Smoking permitted in guest rooms on one floor
Pros: Excellent location just off Union Square, inviting public rooms.
Cons: Only one floor has air-conditioned guest rooms.
This 114-room hotel, in a 1913 Edwardian building, has an inviting high-ceilinged lobby with comfy seating and an adjacent library with high-backed chairs and gleaming wood floors. Coffee and tea are available 24 hours, and in the evening guests are treated to a wine reception in the lobby and warm pre-bedtime cookies in the library. Renovated guest rooms are fair-sized and have black-and-white photos of 1900s San Francisco. (The standard king I saw, No. 817, had a brown and maroon color scheme and small bath with shower-tub combination). All rooms have coffeemakers, irons and ironing boards.
524 Sutter St., (415) 421-2865 or (800) 919-9779, www.cartwrighthotel.com.
I also visited a few properties that are worth watching. They are slated for extensive renovations.
Parking: $35-$48
Amenities: Room service from the popular Max's on the Square next door, free Internet access. Free morning coffee. Bellman and concierge. Use of Club One facilities nearby for $15 day. Air conditioning. No pets. Nonsmoking.
Pros: Great Union Square location near shopping, dining, theater.
Cons: Rooms need sprucing up.
"What we're selling here is affordability," said John Koon, a Joie de Vivre Hospitality sales and marketing director, as we toured this 153-room property. The hotel, formerly the Raphael, is in a building dating to 1908. There's a small lobby with lots of red and throughout the hotel are theater-inspired Victorian accents. All rooms have irons, ironing boards and safes. I looked at No. 1114, a roomy but outdated junior suite at $169 with in-room sink, coffeemaker and small bath with tub-shower combination. A major makeover, to start in November with completion scheduled for spring 2007, will include redos of hallways and baths and much-needed new room furnishings, including flat-screen TVs. Even with price increases, the hotel should be within the $200 limit.
386 Geary St., (415) 986-2000 or (888) 734-6299, www.maxwellhotel.com.
Chancellor Hotel
Parking: $30-$41
Amenities: Restaurant serving breakfast and lunch, room service Wednesdays through Saturdays, lobby bar with small plates at dinner, free Internet connections, room service, self-help coffee bar in lobby, free use of pool and fitness center at nearby Club One, bellman and concierge. No pets. Nonsmoking.
Pros: Wonderfully located on Union Square.
Cons: Rooms facing Powell Street can be noisy. Guest rooms need renovation (and are scheduled for one by early 2008).
The rooms and baths of this 137-room hotel, family owned since 1915, are about to get an overdue floor-by-floor face-lift; all rooms are scheduled for renovation by early 2008. The hotel is testing model rooms with different decor options to solicit guests' opinions. All rooms have ceiling fans, irons and ironing boards, safes and old-fashioned baths with deep tubs and showers. Guests may have use of a jet spa for the tub for $6 or a spa massage bath pillow for $2. I liked the free pillow menu with 12 choices including feather, buckwheat and something called "snore-no-more."
433 Powell St., (415) 362-2004 or (800) 428-4748, www.chancellorhotel.com.
Galleria Park Hotel
Parking: $33-$48
Amenities: Room service from Perry's restaurant in hotel. Free Internet access. (All will have wireless when renovation is completed.) Bellman and concierge. Jogging track. Air conditioning. Free morning coffee and wine hour. Pet-friendly (the policy may change). Nonsmoking.
Pros: Good location in Financial District close to Union Square. Rooftop garden of Crocker Galleria next door is for sole use of hotel guests except from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily.
Cons: No fitness center.
A huge crystal skylight in the lobby is one of the features of this 1911 building. This 177-room property underwent some unfortunate modernizing. Now, every inch of the hotel is under renovation, and completion is scheduled for mid-October. The redo, as described, will evoke ".'40s glamour." The hotel has great bones, with wide hallways, high ceilings and rooms of good size. I saw one of the renovated rooms, which will have a lime and eggplant color scheme, blond furniture, flat-screen TVs and business travelers' "honor bars" offering paper clips and the like. Rooms have robes, irons and ironing boards.
191 Sutter St., (415) 781-3060 or (800) 792-9639, www.galleriapark.com.
I visited three decidedly different but intriguing hotels that offer rooms in what might be called the "ultra-budget" category.
Parking: $24 (off-site self-parking).
Amenities: Free Internet access, free continental breakfast. No pets. Nonsmoking.
Pros: Convenient location close to Union Square, Chinatown and Financial District. Funky and artsy "painted rooms." Rates begin at $59 with shared bath.
Cons: Small rooms and baths. Definitely for the young and young-at-heart. No fitness center. No air conditioning.
The young woman at the front desk wearing an orange miniskirt and black-and-white striped socks introduced herself as Kelly, the "curator." It made sense because this hotel, which opened in 2004 (it was formerly Hotel Alisa), is also an art gallery, with changing exhibits and art and photographs lining the narrow halls. All but two of the 51 guest rooms are "painted" rooms, designed by San Francisco area artists. Even some baths are painted. Some rooms are pretty; some pretty disturbing. In Room 307, artist Anthony Skirvin carried out a Unabomber theme, with a huge photo mural of a cabin in the woods and a clutter of installation art representing the Unabomber's workshop. Rooms have low black platform beds. For the money, it's a deal. Rooms with shared baths rent for $59 weekdays, $69 weekends; queen rooms with private baths go for $109 weekdays, $119 weekends.
447 Bush St., (415) 956-3232 or (800) 956-4322, www.sfhoteldesarts.com.
Mosser Hotel
Parking: $25-$35
Amenities: Restaurant (room service coming soon), Internet access for a fee, use of fitness center and pool at San Francisco Marriott across the street for $15 a day; bellman-concierge. No pets. Nonsmoking.
Pros: Nice contemporary redo of a 1913 Victorian property in desirable SoMa location. Rooms and shared baths appeared spotless. Rates from $79.
Cons: No air conditioning, no fitness center. One creaky elevator.
There are 166 rooms, 54 of which have sinks but share hall baths. These rooms rent for $79 to $89. At the other end of the spectrum is a really nice suite, No. 319, with two bay windows, a window seat, two TVS and two full baths (brochure rate, $241). A standard queen with small bath lists at $159. Rooms have been redone in an attractive brown and black palette spiked with fuchsia and have platform beds, ceiling fans, irons, ironing boards and robes. The lobby has stained-glass panels and the original marble floor. Teller windows from an Italian bank separate the bar from the dining room in the attractive Annabelle's Bar and Bistro.
54 Fourth St., (415) 237-0977 or (800) 227-3804, www.themosser.com.
Parking: $18 (in garage across street).
Amenities: Internet access for a fee. French restaurant serves free breakfast. No pets. Nonsmoking.
Pros: Close to Nob Hill, Union Square and Chinatown and steps from Powell Street cable car. Certain charm, including greetings by Noel, the house Labrador. Rates begin at $85.
Cons: No room service, air conditioning or fitness center, bellman or concierge. One slow elevator.
The 50 rooms in this family-owned hotel are classified as small, medium or large. (I liked No. 600, a large room with bay window, brass queen bed and claw-foot tub with shower). Small queen-bedded rooms with private baths start at $85. They are more homey than chic (think pink and blue and floral prints). On entering, there's a pretty little sitting room with grandfather clock. The building, constructed just after the 1906 earthquake, has stained glass windows from France, tapestries and antiques. Each floor is themed for a different artist--Modigliani, Matisse, Toulouse-Lautrec. The lovely stone-walled basement restaurant, Jeanne d'Arc, offers a prix-fixe dinner for $32.
715 Bush St., (415) 421-3154, www.cornellhotel.com.
Parking: $27
Amenities: Internet access for a fee. Free morning coffee and pastries. No pets. Nonsmoking.
Pros: Quirky, "fun" establishment. Good value, with rooms starting around $80; brochure rate is $139-$159.
Cons: Iffy neighborhood bordering on the Tenderloin. Small rooms. No room service or restaurant. No fitness center. No air conditioning.
The playful movie palace theme includes Petit Theater Bijou off the lobby, where San Francisco-themed movies such as "Escape From Alcatraz" play nightly (free, with free popcorn some nights). The lobby has lots of purple and gold. The 65 guest rooms are named for San Francisco movies; I saw No. 506, "Foul Play," one of the newly renovated fifth-floor rooms. It was small, with blond furniture, a queen bed with multicolor geometric print spread and a surprisingly large bath. There is cable TV. Nostalgic touches include black-and-white stills from old films throughout the hotel.
111 Mason St., (415) 771-1200 or (800) 771-1022, www.hotelbijou.com.
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