Hotel Zelos San Francisco — Hotel in San Francisco

I recently stayed at Hotel Zelos and had one of the best guest experiences I’ve ever had, hands down. From the moment I walked in, the customer service was beyond exceptional, all thanks to Anish at the front desk.

I had a major issue with my Airbnb showing as canceled when I arrived in San Francisco, and Anish absolutely came to the rescue. He got me checked into a room quickly and with such empathy that I immediately felt at ease after a stressful situation. He even offered a small courtesy adjustment on my stay (which I so appreciated) the kind of above-and-beyond service you don’t see often.

Anish was incredibly professional, calm under pressure, and handled multiple guests with grace and efficiency (something I really noticed and admired), especially since multitasking at a front desk is no easy feat. Each time I exited or re-entered the hotel, he greeted me with genuine warmth and kindness. I honestly hope he’s already in a managerial position, but if he’s not, it’s truly overdue.

Beyond the outstanding service, the hotel itself is a hidden gem. I saw a few negative reviews and I honestly don’t get it, this felt like a solid 4.5-star experience. The room was elegant and comfortable. I especially loved the double-layered curtains (one sheer, one blackout) which made sleeping in easy and luxurious. While the bedding didn’t include a traditional duvet, the sheets were high-quality and thick, and the room temperature was fully adjustable, so I was perfectly cozy throughout my stay.

The bathroom was modern and chic, and though the hallways are a bit dimly lit, I personally felt it added to the boutique, intimate vibe. Location-wise, it’s central to everything; I barely needed ride-shares. You can walk almost anywhere in Union Square and beyond.

As for the hotel restaurant: it’s upscale, beautifully designed, and the ambiance is very curated It definitely caters to a certain clientele. The only downside is the lack of room service, but dining there was still a lovely experience. Just know it leans on the pricey side, so plan accordingly.

Lastly, I have to shout out Anish again for his local recommendations. As someone visiting from Toronto for the first time, I told him I wasn’t into super touristy spots and he tailored his suggestions to give me more of a local experience. The spots he recommended were incredible great food, great vibe.

I’d absolutely stay at Zelos again, but truthfully, it’s the level of service that would bring me back.

People like Anish make all...

The water situation is bad. The shower is either scalding hot or cold. There is no in between. What's worse is it will change between scalding and cold without touching the faucet. Late at night there was no hot water in the shower or the sink.

Beyond the water situation all of the issues in isolation aren't bad but the sheer number of issues is annoying.

The Wifi is limited to 3 devices, it was slow and cut out frequently.

When I checked into the room the main lamp did not work. After playing around with it for awhile I realized all 3 light bulbs in the lamp had been unscrewed just enough so they wouldn't work.

The door to the room stuck. Every time I entered the room I would have to force it open with my shoulder. It was so bad that I thought the first set of key cards they gave me weren't working and I had to get a second set when I checked in before I realized I just had to force the door open. The doors slam shut when they close. I could hear doors from other rooms slam shut when guests in neighboring room came and went.

The TV does not support other devices plugged into the HDMI, but does not let you know that. I brought my Fire TV stick with me and the guy at the front desk told me it should work and sent engineering up to take a look. The engineer arrived and said the TVs were configured to block HDMI devices of any type connected to it from working and there is nothing he could do.

There are no coffee makers in the rooms. I asked for a hot water heater to make tea in the mornings. They brought one up but did not bring coffee cups so I had to use the glasses in my room which burnt my hand. They have coffee and tea service in the morning on the 5th floor. but did not have sleeves for the paper cups, again my tea was too hot to hold.

The cover for the water input on the iron was missing so when I ironed water spilled out on my clothes. The padding on the ironing board was deteriorating so it was hard to iron my clothes, the iron wouldn't slide well and kept getting caught on the boards grating since there was very little padding, making more water spill out.

The bathroom at Dirty Habit (the restaurant/bar in the hotel) had body lotion bottles instead of hand soap. All the toiletry bottles (shampoo, lotion, hand soap) look the same so one of the staff members must have mixed them up.

Staff was nice; decor and...

I was excited to stay at a nice 4 star hotel for my birthday. I specifically booked the spa king room for the beautiful soaking tub. Upon my arrival I noticed some trash under the bed (brought to my attention by my dog who went straight to it)and human hair all over the room including in the tub & shower. Fortunately I travel with my own cleaning supplies. When I got to the tub to clean it I legitimately almost had a breakdown. The jets in the tub were filthy with what appears to be mold. I went downstairs to the lobby to lodge a complaint and was given the manager's card - Ben Lau. I called & left him a voicemail the night I arrived along with an email that included picutures of the tub and damage to the cabinet doors in the bathroom. Ben NEVER followed up. I checked in October 27th and checked out October 30th. I called him October 31 and was told he wasnt there. Called November 1 and was told the same thing. I called two or three more times on November 2nd before I finally got in contact with him. Ben told me he was "just now seeing my email" because he was on vacation the last 4 out of 6 days. Ive successfully completed basic math - what about the other 2 out of 6 days ? After expressing my disappointment he refunded me $120 back. Which isnt even a nights stay & i was told he could not refund the pet fee because they had to clean up my dogs hair. It's a pet friendly hotel so I've done nothing wrong & I cleaned up an atrocious amount of human hair that did not belong to me. He offered to upgrade me should I ever choose to stay again but the lack of response and care from the manager has left me more upset than I would have been had there been SOME attempt to remedy my situation while I was still at the hotel. Also the cabinet in the restroom very obviously needs to be replaced as it is an eyesore. I have no issue with any of the staff except management/Ben as everyone else was friendly and at least pretended to care...