Inn at the Opera — Hotel in San Francisco

Update: After my review, I received contact from management other the comment below. HOWEVER, after I completed my survey for Shell Vacations Club, they contacted me and offered me a "refund" for my stay. Unfortunately, despite my repeated insistence that a refund was not necessary, their "refund" was not to my method of payment (my credit card). They applied points to my Shell account. As such, it was not a refund at all AND it invalidated my travel insurance claim, because, as far as they are concerned, I was "refunded", even though I have no intention of using those points (let's not forget that point usage also incurs fees). Talk about adding insult to injury! As such, they've now lost one star in my review.

My stay at Inn at the Opera was due to unusual circumstances, so my experience may be a bit unique. I was stuck in San Francisco in mid vacation (on my way to Asia) due to having a salmonella infection, so I was needing to spend more time in the hotel than most people would be. I had needs that probably most would not. With that said...

1. The walls are paper-thin. I could hear everything in the next room as well as on the street.
2. The bellhop was very nice and accommodating in bringing me ice for my cooler since I needed to bring my own food (initially, I was on a liquid-only diet) and the refrigerator was not large enough for my needs.
3. The rest of the staff was not at all accommodating. When I was finally able to eat other food, but not most of what was at the buffet, EXCEPT the eggs that were only offered every other day, they did not make any offer to accommodate me. Also, when I accidentally spilled soup on my duvet (and it's cover), the front desk staff acted incredibly put out to help me with the bed when I was feeling incredibly ill and barely able to move. In a nutshell, unlike the bellhop, they showed no empathy.
4. When I was rushing to my room, needing the bathroom, my key did not work. The front desk's suggestion was for me to use the public bathroom. Needless to say, given my condition, I really didn't want to use the bathroom outside the restaurant and I didn't really think I should need to do since I was paying for a room. I felt his dismissal, when I was clearly in distress, was very insensitive.
5. The rooms are very worn out. There are cracks in the tile that make it look like there is hair on the floor of the bathroom. The cabinet was not particularly clean and the sheets were stained.
6. There's no room safe
7. I've seen some complaints about the elevator, but I actually like it. It's actually one of the more quaint features of the hotel.
8. While I could not eat the breakfast, it is actually quite a nice spread and would be very nice if I were not ill. If the attitude of the staff could be improved, this would be a nice place to stay, even with the other issues. I think the quaintness makes the other issues something one can overlook. The biggest issue...

I booked early through Priceline and stayed four nights over the Easter weekend for very affordable price. I didn't need to interact with the front desk staff beyond checking in and out and the process was seamless both times. Housekeeping was respectful of the privacy tassel. One gentleman knocked on my door within ten minutes of going to my room just to check that I had everything I needed which was beyond what I expected.

The room I booked, room 5, was one of their smallest, which wasn't a problem for me being solo but could be cramped for a couple. It was at the rear of the building facing a private alleyway next to the SF Ballet, so it was generally quiet. Despite the coziness the room was still well appointed with a generous counter/set of drawers that had a mini fridge, microwave, toaster, cutlery, tableware (including coffee mugs and wine glasses), a cutting board, toaster, paper towels, and a generous amount of hand towels and rags, which is great if you want to save money and eat in courtesy of the Trader Joe's just a few blocks to the west. One downside to this room is that there's no separate kitchen sink, just the one in the bathroom, but that was a minor inconvenience. The bed and bathroom are what you might find in a Hyatt Regency or Holiday Inn Express.

Beyond that the hotel itself was nice. Yes it's old, and has that old building smell, and the floors aren't 100% even everywhere (but they don't creak and are covered in this soft floral print in the common halls and decent enough berber in the rooms), but none of that's really a problem, because it's clearly well taken care of.

It's also in a great spot for the big musix venues in SF being right next to SF Ballet, and a couple blocks from each of SFJAZZ, the Bill Graham Civic Aditorium, and Symphony Hall.

Highly...

Went in October 2022. First if traveling from the airport, taking public transportation required a transfer to the Bart bus to the Civic center stop. Then a long walk with luggage through some questionable areas… but about the hotel. Not only was there construction inside the lobby and downstairs which we were informed about, there was also extremely loud construction on the road in front of the hotel. Jackhammers that sounded like a freight train for a few hours. Our Uber couldn’t get down the block. We also weren’t told the only restaurant and bar downstairs was shut down. Very small elevator to fit 2 people and luggage. Looks like something from Europe. The room was tiny but brand new renovation which was nice. Small kitchenette with sink, mini fridge and microwave along with plates, cups and utensils. No air conditioning. Only a ceiling fan in the one bedroom. It got extremely hot on the top (7th floor.) There was one window in the bathroom attached to the living area which had no window treatments and looked out over a parking garage and other residential buildings. I recommend going to the bathroom with the lights off at night and hanging your towel over the shower to prevent onlookers. The tv included streaming capabilities from your cell phone however it stopped working on the second day and the front desk said they were unsure when it would work again. They did have coffee available starting at 6am daily in the lobby and gave a nice welcome package with a mini wine bottle and biscotti as well as a popcorn and nut package. Unless you are going to the SF Ballet, every place of interest we wanted to go was a minimum of $11 Uber ride. We found other Marriott properties that were more centrally located to attractions and much nicer. Will probably choose...