HTL 587 — Hotel in San Francisco

Competitively-priced 2-star boutique hotel in Tenderloin/Civic Center.

Adjacent to the theater and financial districts, plus shopping on Market St./Union Square. Parking is off-site, convenient, and $35/day.

HTL587 is adequate for tourists and business class guests. Here are some highlights:

Guest services: Very patient, knowledgeable, and adept at dealing with confused, tired, stressed-out visitors. Jason and Johnny were super helpful and flexible!

Amenities: Wi-Fi, cable TV, and basics (coffee, iron, hair dryer, towels, soaps, etc.) are provided and housekeeping/concierge was responsive to additional needs.

There are some refreshments for sale in the lobby with a complementary Nespresso machine.

Water is hot, on-demand, and plentiful.

Gigantic walk-in closets were very convenient to stow luggage and shopping hauls.

A floor heater was provided in addition to the (noisy) radiator and worked very well. The overhead ceiling fan had to be either off or full-swing, and was noisy and created too cold a breeze. This could be remedied with the appropriate electrical switch.

Despite ongoing renovations, this boutique hotel (a former SRO) has some challenges...

Location: The location is convenient, but the setting/atmosphere is urban grit on steroids. Guests and travelers unfamiliar with S.F./Tenderloin need to know that this area of the city is notorious for homeless people, drug addicts, and general blight/urban decay. This is not the neighborhood to stay in for the faint of heart. Such extreme impoverishment next to incredible wealth and prosperity is a large disconnect and contrast that the travel and tourism industry is trying to address with pressure on public entities and people in power, but may be too distressing for the uninitiated.

Noise: Ear plugs are provided and windows are new. BUT, the noises inside the hotel were worse: pipes, radiators, slamming doors, and huge plastic sheets covered the windows. Distractions at best. Insomnia-inducing at worst. Expect sirens, construction, car traffic, late-night revelers, and general noise pollution from outside at all hours.

Mold: Facilities were sufficiently clean and orderly. Although the paint is fresh, it takes more than a coat to fix bad design: the pink mold in the bathroom shower needs to be remedied immediately by raising the window sill or tiling the shower surround.

Phone: Phone lines were inoperable. So, the front desk could not be contacted internally and I had to use my cellphone. Minor, but rather bizarre.

Elevator: Incredibly small, but retro in its gritty urban veneer. Barely fits three small adults with bags/luggage. As a person of plus-size, this is noteworthy. Not a long wait, but without bellhops or a service elevator, the luggage cart could not fit with more than one person.

Design/Decor: Interior decor was emphasized over space planning and traffic, but this is often the case in the city. Space is a premium.

Minimal furniture included a desk, chair, and two night stands in addition to the comfortable king-sized bed. A sitting area with a cafe/side table and chairs or bench would have been nice. But for modern-contemporary minimalists, the room is a traveler's sanctuary.

The front desk configuration is tight and narrow, and creates a bottleneck that could be remedied with better layout, but this may be a security feature.

The mirror above the bed was helpful for light, but a full length door mirror in the closet would have been more helpful.

The television was cool, but overwhelmingly large. The money could have been used in the bathroom or for furniture.

Take-away: If you can't stomach the realities of urban life, then STAY OUT of this neighborhood in particular. For a more idyllic weekend getaway, make your base nearer to downtown, or better yet - the Marina, North Beach, Fisherman's Wharf, or anywhere along the northern tip of the peninsula.

Despite minor complaints, I would stay here again and appreciate that this property is undergoing renovations and constant upgrades. KEEP UP...

TENDERLOIN. This hotel doesn't advertise that it's in Tenderloin, which is very misleading. It's a real shame because Tenderloin is such an important community and neighborhood in San Francisco. In the hotel bio they say, "Union Square, with its world-class shopping, dining and theater, lies five block east. The hip Mission district, home to a thriving dining and club scene is just a bit farther, about 7 blocks south. From our central location, you can easily access everything San Francisco has to offer." But where are you? I know why you're not advertising that you're in the Tenderloin. So many tourist magazines say "Avoid Tenderloin, it's dangerous" ignore them. My suggestion to anyone staying here is to go to the Tenderloin Museum 3 blocks down the street and check it out, it is eye-opening, I didn't know anything about San Francisco when I visited but I left learning the vital role TL played in SF history. Outside our bedroom window, we saw many homeless people doing drugs. Any adult should be able to empathize and understand that San Francisco isn't San Francisco without the homeless, the mentally ill, the queer people who find a safe space here and fight for equal rights, specifically in Tenderloin. We're privileged to be staying in a room with a roof over our heads, we can handle seeing homeless people. So many people are priced out of their own homes in an expensive city and these people seek somewhere like Tenderloin, a community who cares about people, even if they don't have money. It's a revolutionary place, in a historic district. I looked through the hotel's page and at no point did it mention that it was in the heart of Tenderloin, a low-income, diverse, working class neighborhood with amazing food and night life. One of the only areas that isn't gentrified and made completely unaffordable. Chances are, if you're staying here, you noticed the price is more affordable than other hotels outside the Tenderloin. It's because it's in Tenderloin. People label it as "dangerous", it's just misunderstood by the countless people who refuse to empathize with those who are homeless and are in Tenderloin because it's a space where they can be accepted and given the help they need. The hotel itself I wish I knew more about the building's history, it seems like a renovated old hotel, which adds to its charm. The elevator is proof of its antiqueness, you're in the history when you're staying here, just through its architecture. Staff was very friendly, however our toilet did not flush. The concierge had to come up and fix it within the first few minutes of getting there. It gave issues the entire stay but as you can imagine, going downstairs from the fourth floor to get someone to flush your toilet is annoying so we had to take the lid off the back of the toilet and fill it with water from the sink to generate enough water to flush the toilet. It's Room 403, if management is reading this. The room was very hot when we entered, there's no ac, but San Francisco is cold enough. Though opening up the windows to allow air on a particularly loud street situated on a corner street where homeless people are staying and a bus stop made for a loud experience. This hotel should strongly consider central air. In the day it was fine, but at night, it was impossible to get a quiet, cool room to sleep in. The hotel itself is really nicely designed and I felt comfortable and safe within, a diverse and friendly staff were always present and attentive. The rooms are comfortable, pretty small with not a lot of walking space but that wasn't a big deal to me. Despite all said that came across as a negative, I had a great time staying there and had quite the experience and adventure. I would stay in Tenderloin again! It's the authentic San Francisco. I don't write reviews much but I figured this was worth saying and I wish someone said this to me before I got to Tenderloin and discovered the beauty of it myself. I wish the hotel didn't pretend it isn't...

My fiancé and I were so excited to take our first trip to San Fran together and booked this hotel because the photos were great online and they said they had valet. Unfortunately, we had to check out after just one night and the only reason we stayed one night was because we had arrived late and couldn't gather the energy to find a different hotel.

Upon arriving, we pulled up to check in for valet. They replied that they did not have valet, rather they use the service from the hotel across the street. I may sound high maintenance, but it was a MUST to have valet in sketchy areas such as the one this hotel was situated in. So we went to the valet across the street and walked by groups of homeless people shooting up drugs, to get back to the hotel.

We checked in with the front desk and the gentleman was very friendly. But then we got to the elevator which at first seemed charming because it was old school but we soon realized that if we did not quickly pull our hand from the gate, we'd definitely lose a finger.

Then we got into our room, which again was charming but upon further inspection, we noticed black mold in the bedroom and the bathroom. They just tried to cover that up with paint...no problem, my health doesn't matter right? Then we went to turn on the heating unit but it was so old school so we called down for help. After trying to get the unit on for 30 minutes, the front desk just said to come on down and we'll give you a space heater. Uhhhh, ok? My fiancé returned with the tiniest space heater I had ever seen.

Meanwhile, I tried to watch some TV to calm my nerves but alas, something wrong with the connection. The TV was huge but what's the point if no one connected the cords properly. Clearly the one person manning the hotel couldn't come upstairs (he couldn't bring the heater already) to help, so I climbed behind the unit and had to adjust the cables to the correct input.

I then tried to sit down in a modern chair they had in the room but immediately jumped up after realizing the seat was half attached to the base of the chair. I was DONE for the night. After a hot shower, we went to bed.

The next morning, we woke up with headaches and my stomach ached like crazy. It was odd for us as we always get a good night's rest. My fiancé inspected the bed and realized it was on a fricking slant! It was decline, meaning the foot of the bed was higher than the head of the bed.

In conclusion, I would advise against booking this hotel. When we checked out the next morning, the manager said he would only refund one of the other two nights I had booked because technically I should have told them I needed to cancel my stay the day before. But how was I to know the hotel/room would be less than mediocre until I stepped foot into the space!? He should have refunded me the night we stayed there. It was torture!

We ended up finding a cute boutique hotel, still downtown but with less homeless population, no mold, better elevator, and correctly aligned bed. My new hotel was about $30 cheaper, which is great but unfortunately my experience was not so great since I couldn't relieve any of my stomach pain (which I stronger believe is from sleeping in a dumb position).

For those of you looking for a great experience in San Fran, do yourself a favor and stay at a different hotel.

3.29.18: In response to your smug reply, I never said I felt like I was in danger. My fiancé can protect me just fine. I would strongly suggest you not assume that someone is looking down upon the less fortunate, as you have no idea what others have gone through. Rather, I feel it’s important for others to understand how one MIGHT feel around the area...