Cornell Hotel De France, San Francisco — Hotel in San Francisco

Before I bombard you with the bad, let me be fair and say the positives. (Also, TL:DR at the bottom).

The location is actually really handy and you have public transport options within 5 minutes, heading in most directions. Failing that, you are a very easy walk to Fishermans Wharf and Chinatown. If that's not enough, there are some fantastic pubs within 10 minutes walk, one of which being on the same block so don't even cross the street.

I'll also give points to overall cleanliness of the hotel. It's kept clean and most of the fixtures are regularly dusted (not that that's a thing for me but allergies are real).

Now..why such a harsh rating? Let me break it down into points.

The building is very old and not a lot of effort has gone into modernising it. One single, slow elevator services the 5 levels and we found it's often quicker to take the stairs. The hallways are narrow with very odd art choices (think grandmas house). The rooms offer no respite from this issue as they'd be claustrophobic for a single person. To call it a deluxe room is satirical as the beds occupy close to half your floor space (no, it's not a giant bed, sadly). An over-sized light fixture on the roof will greet your hands on more than one occasion while causing equal amounts of confusion as to the point of it. The bathroom is small but I guess how big does that need to be, really. Want the room cleaned? No worries, they do that and not too bad of a job of it either. But it will happen, occupied or not. You need the room while they want to clean it? Too bad, unless you can learn how to grunt back in commanding tone (ok, I was corrected that it was most likely a mumble).

Oh yeah, and no air-con or fixed fan. Instead you're supplied with what should be tabletop fan. Airflow in the room is horrifically poor and the hotel is kept at an oddly warm temperature so you'll be stuffy even in the most ideal of weather. On the plus side, the windows open to a dingy alley so you can always prop the fan into the window (you're welcome, neighbours who copied!)

Included in your stay is a what's described as a full breakfast. Put quite simply, you will not use it. For a start, it's not free as they still expect a tip (no one thought to wrap this bit into the price, apparently). That tip is far too much for quality of the food you'll get. Seriously, referring back to the location positives, you have so much better on your doorstep. I won't go into a rant about that but suffice to say the entire service is a total failure.

I could keep going but I'd be amazed if anyone read all of what I wrote.

As promised, TL:DR version and as a summary: This is an over-priced shoe box in dire need of an update that relies heavily on the location rather than quality of your stay. No it's not chic, it doesn't have inner city charm nor is it a good thing it reminds people of tiny apartments in expensive cities (it's smaller than a cruise ship cabin with less features). Shop around and you'll be...

My husband and I stayed here while in town for the US Open. We're a younger couple, and didn't want to spend our life savings on a huge name brand hotel, but we also wanted a comfortable, safe, and good experience in a convenient location. We were thrilled with Cornell. As soon as we walked in the door, we were treated with superb service like none other. We arrived early, and the manager happily stored our luggage in a secure room while we toured the city. At this time, it was too early for us to go into our room (9am), but we were able to go ahead and check in and get our key for later. When we arrived that evening, we asked about getting our luggage, and learned it had already been delivered to our room. Everything was there. The room was absolutely charming! We stayed in a medium room, at an excellent rate, and it was the perfect size for the two of us. We were told on the phone that the small room was better suited for a single occupancy. Everything in the room, closet, and bathroom was very fresh and clean. It was charming. The linens and bed were very comfortable, and the bathroom had a clawfoot tub with high-pressure shower head. We never ran out of hot water. The closet was stocked with extra linens and pillows, a small iron and ironing board, and an electric fan in case it go too hot. There didn't seem to be air-conditioning, but we weren't sure because it wasn't needed (we traveled mid-June). We kept the windows open at night, and we were never disturbed by outside noise. The location is two blocks from Union Square, but on a quiet, more residential street. Another convenience is that it is located at the corner of the Powell-Hyde and Powell-Mason trolley lines. Breakfast was included, but we only ate at the hotel one morning. We had homemade french toast, juice and coffee in the dining room that becomes a French restaurant at night. When we checked out of the hotel at 11am, we asked to leave our luggage since we had a later departure. They gladly stored our luggage again, and offered to arrange us airport transportation (cab or shuttle). Having a shuttle option was so convenient and less than half the cost of the cab ride. Again, we were so happy with our stay, and so welcomed by the...

Firstly, I have to say that this vacation is the first I have had since the onset of the pandemic. My spouse and I decided to visit San Francisco to celebrate my birthday as well as my graduation/becoming a doctor. I chose stay at this lovely hotel due to its price point as well as its proximity to downtown San Francisco. It is literally in walking distance to Union Square as well as steps away from the famous Powell street cable cars that take you to Fisherman's Wharf and Ghirardelli Square. The hotel is gorgeous but also quite quirky. Each floor is dedicated to a particular french artist and there is statue of Joan of Arc (sorry I am American hahaha. It is Jeanne D'Arc) on the first floor. Hearing the music of the famous french classic singers made me think of riding in my grandmother's car when I was a little kid. I was named after her but sadly did not become as fluent in French the way she did. I know for a fact that she would love staying here. Franck, the Lamberts, and their staff treated me like a princess. Anytime I passed by on my way out of the hotel, they would say hello and ask things like "What do you think you'll get up today? " or Is everything all right? Do you need anything?" That personal touch really made my trip and illustrated how special it is when you stay at smaller family run boutique hotels. The rooms are very clean and even though we opted not to have our room cleaned during our stay we could always count on fresh towels and toiletries would be at our door after a long day of exploring the city. Also, we appreciated the breakfast boxes which were labeled with each guest's room number which came with really yummy croissants, fruit, and yogurt. I feel that given we are still living in a pandemic this was a good compromise in terms of serving breakfast. Lastly, towards the end of our stay, Franck called us up and offered to send us a bottle of wine as a thank you for being such great guests. I guess we also got a five star review hahah. Again, we wish we could stay an additional week, but hopefully we will come back in the next couple of years and maybe with the famous Marie-Ghislaine herself! Merci...