Cow Hollow Motor Inn — Hotel in San Francisco

PROS:|Spacious room and bathroom (good for family, kids on floor, plenty of countertop in bathroom, king-sized dresser under TV)|Clean (bathroom refreshed in last few years)|Corner room had 2 windows|Relatively quiet (hardly heard any neighbors above or next door--note I had room farthest from from elevator, tucked away in corner, next to fire stairs #239; little traffic as faced other buildings)|2 side chairs|Roll-gate protected underground parking, well lit, not too cramped, accessible by room key only for safety; plenty of parking on a weeknight at least|Entire building accessible by room key only|Easy walk to plenty of restaurants on Lombard, Chestnut and in between (recommend Las Mestizas for casual, outdoor or to go)|Bikes fit in room and easy to get to Fort Mason, maybe Fisherman's Wharf. |Also near Palace of Fine Arts, Pier 39, waterfront park, Marina cinema. |If I wanted to live here, Marina would be nice choice of neighborhood (costs not withstanding)|Fan optional in bathroom|2 electrical outlets by desk easily accessed on side wall (don't have to crawl under our move furniture) ||CONS|I was on crutches and put in farthest room from anywhere|Have to pick up food delivery at front desk (again, crutches)|Furnishings dated (without charm)--1980s?|Only one electrical outlet on each lamp base and no USB outlets near beds or desk (do I plug in my sleep machine or phone or computer, hmmm)|No bell service but maintenance helped me|No night light guidance on bathroom switch|King bed came with 4 fluffy pillows smaller than standard, 2 sham pillows; wanted to swap out 2 pillows for something larger, flatter or feather|Bed only moderately comfortable; can feel mattress contents, no cushion, padding or memory foam|No room service|Minimal, low quality bathroom amenities (just shower cap, soap, makeup wipe; never saw shampoo, conditioner, lotion)|Windows don't open||NEUTRALS|Didn't use heat/A/C but appeared to be thermostat controlled though wall-based supply by windows|Towels moderately fluffy/thick|TV not Smart (can't use streaming services); I didn't investigate any...

I want to share my recent experience at this hotel, which I regretfully cannot recommend. The hotel has an attractive location but is marred by a lack of basic amenities and poor customer service.

During our six-night stay, we discovered on the second morning that there was no hot water. We informed the receptionist, Andy, but were met with a dismissive and rude attitude. We were informed that there would be no hot water for the rest of the day, and this lack of basic amenities was for a total of three days of the six days of our stay. Please note that according to California Civil Code §1940.2, it is the responsibility of the hotel to provide and maintain hot and cold running water for guests.

To make matters worse, when we requested to check out early due to this issue, we were offered no refunds as our stay was prepaid on expedia. Expedia told us that the property was to decide while the property said it was expedia.. As I am a hotelier myself, I know it is the hotel’s call in the end. We were offered a shower facility in a separate building which was very inconvenient as we had to walk out of our building and take elevators to get there.. This was not a suitable alternative to the basic amenity that we had paid for. To add insult to injury, at time of check out, Andy offered us only $80 as a refund on a reservation worth over $1500, what a humiliating act, we could not believe it! Better not to offer anything, because really it is a shame to offer this to people..

We were one of the many customers to complain, and we saw that the receptionists had no sympathy towards anyone.. Yes, all businesses are there to make money, but not like this. What they did is close to stealing from someone! I cannot recommend this hotel to other travelers, and I will continue to write on other platforms to...

Pros: The location is AMAZING! The area felt safe and was surrounded by great restaurants. It was even a fairly easy walk away from Fisherman’s Wharf. Easy 5 stars for location.

Cons: The rooms were average at best and the management was below average. 1) Our flight was delayed and we arrived in San Francisco later than expected. We called the hotel beforehand and they assured us it was no problem and that someone would be there to let us in. When we got there (hard to find because there was no clear signage - it may have been covered by construction that was being done on the side of the building), the door to the lobby was locked and we didn’t see anyone. After knocking and calling several times, someone finally checked us in but they had clearly just woken up and were annoyed which would’ve been understandable had we not called and confirmed our late arrival would be accommodated. 2) On our last day we went to breakfast and when we got back, the cleaning service was in the room. They only spoke Spanish and I was able to explain that we needed to finish packing so we could leave and they left. However, they had already cleaned the bathroom which we all needed to use once before we left which meant they would have to clean it again. Management needs to do better so that their staff knows what rooms are checking out each day so that the staff and the hotel guests don’t end up in an awkward situation like we did.

Summary: If you don’t mind potentially awkward situations with staff and a lackluster room, then this stay is worth it because of the location. Highly recommend Home Plate and Mel’s Drive-In if you do choose...