The Embassy Hotel — Hotel in San Francisco

Disappointing Hotel Stay: A Firsthand Account When Expectations Collide with Reality From the moment my husband, our friend, and I stepped into the hotel, our anticipation turned to concern. Though the front desk staff were truly exceptional—courteous, attentive, and a genuine highlight of our stay—unfortunately, that is where the positive aspects ended. A strong, unpleasant smell of smoke greeted us in the lobby and lingered throughout the building. When we entered our assigned room, we were met with further disappointment: the bed covers appeared to be repurposed curtains, some marked by visible make-up stains. The carpet underfoot was sticky and unclean, while the curtains were tattered with holes. The furniture seemed to have been untouched since the 1930s, adding to an overwhelming sense of neglect. Hoping for an improvement, I requested a different room, only to find that each alternative offered was in a worse condition than the last. The parking lot itself was no reprieve, as it was tainted by the smell of urine. The environment was so distressing that we could not bear to stay for even an hour without feeling physically ill. When I expressed my concerns to the front desk, I was told that Hilton had recently purchased the property and renovations were on the horizon. Yet I was left to wonder: why keep a hotel open when its current state falls so far below any reasonable standard? Despite the severity of our situation, the hotel offered no compensation, deepening our disappointment. I left the premises in tears, profoundly let down—especially given my expectation of Hilton’s usually high standards. The condition of the rooms was so poor that I wouldn’t consider them fit for anyone, not even animals. The promotional photos were far from accurate, and I cannot help but feel misled. The only redeeming feature was the professionalism and kindness of the front desk staff. Their efforts were, sadly, overshadowed by the deplorable state of the accommodations. I sincerely hope that significant changes are on the horizon and that future guests will have a vastly...

Disappointing Hotel Stay: A Firsthand Account||From the moment my husband, our friend, and I stepped into the hotel, our anticipation turned to concern. Though the front desk staff were truly exceptional—courteous, attentive, and a genuine highlight of our stay—unfortunately, that is where the positive aspects ended.|A strong, unpleasant smell of smoke greeted us in the lobby and lingered throughout the building. When we entered our assigned room, we were met with further disappointment: the bed covers appeared to be repurposed curtains, some marked by visible make-up stains. The carpet underfoot was sticky and unclean, while the curtains were tattered with holes. The furniture seemed to have been untouched since the 1930s, adding to an overwhelming sense of neglect.|Hoping for an improvement, I requested a different room, only to find that each alternative offered was in a worse condition than the last. The parking lot itself was no reprieve, as it was tainted by the smell of urine. The environment was so distressing that we could not bear to stay for even an hour without feeling physically ill.|When I expressed my concerns to the front desk, I was told that Hilton had recently purchased the property and renovations were on the horizon. Yet I was left to wonder: why keep a hotel open when its current state falls so far below any reasonable standard? Despite the severity of our situation, the hotel offered no compensation, deepening our disappointment.|I left the premises in tears, profoundly let down—especially given my expectation of Hilton’s usually high standards. The condition of the rooms was so poor that I wouldn’t consider them fit for anyone, not even animals. The promotional photos were far from accurate, and I cannot help but feel misled.|The only redeeming feature was the professionalism and kindness of the front desk staff. Their efforts were, sadly, overshadowed by the deplorable state of the accommodations. I sincerely hope that significant changes are on the horizon and that future guests will have a vastly...

Like many others have said, you get what you pay for! The rooms were decent (especially for the price), but please be wary about the location.

Generally i found the rooms to be sufficiently clean, and everything works fine. The hotel has a really vintage feel to it, but it was still clean. Showers can sometimes take a while to get hot. Rooms were made up everyday, and the staff were friendly (although not all speak english). There is no air conditioning, only a heater. I found that in late march (late Winter/early spring), the temperatures were fine if you turned the heater off during the day. There is no bottled water provided, but you can get water from the ice machine in the basement. The vending machine is also there, but it was out of service. It would be good if it was repaired and functional such that we can have easy access to bottled water (especially considering the neighbourhood the hotel is in, you would not want to go out at night).

As for the location, do note that while this hotel is relatively central (and near bus stops), it is also situated in the most dangerous part of San Francisco, known as Tenderloin. This is an area with lots of homeless, drug dealings, and violent crimes. While the street that the hotel entrance is on (Polk St) is better than the surrounding streets, Eddy Street (which is where the bus stop is located) and other surrounding areas are not safe at night. I highly do not recommend staying at the Embassy hotel if you are a solo female traveller/group of female travellers/family vacationers. It is not safe to take public transport back to the hotel at night, always Uber instead. The hotel entrance is also locked at night (with a wooden board), presumably to prevent others from breaking in.

Otherwise, this is a decent hotel with fair prices. Although I believe it is worth to pay a little more for safety and peace of mind. I would not stay here again, though it is not the fault of the...