White Swan Inn — Hotel in San Francisco

I so wanted to give a glowing review of this funky, kind of charming, boutique hotel. I travel often world wide and have stayed in a fair share of boutique and bread and breakfast hotels, as well as five star larger hotels, and this one was one of the least comfortable stays I have ever had.

We had two rooms, at approx $250 each per night including taxes and fees. High rates, but that’s on me.

Like others, I agree that the staff is excellent as far as attentiveness and friendliness. And, the location of the property itself is great if you want to walk to Union Square or Chinatown or travel by Uber or car almost anywhere else in the city.

The public downstairs sitting and dining area is charming and quaint with fireplaces and a small outdoor seating area. It has 24 hour coffee and a very simple morning breakfast (one or two choices of pastry, yogurt, whole fruit and cereal).

That’s the two stars.

But, the property itself was lacking in basic comforts that I look for while traveling. First, temperature of the room. There is no thermostat, no air conditioning, and the heat goes on in the morning (even though it was still warm outside and we would have preferred cool air) without any way to control it. On the 5th floor, our room was sweltering. Opening the windows took a Herculean effort (one of the windows i finally abandoned) and with the traffic off of Bush street we could not keep the windows comfortably open over night. The blinds were cheap, sticky, did not keep the room dark and the largest was broken and could not be opened. In my son’s room, even hotter than mine, the bathtub didn’t plug and there was not an adequate place to charge devices. He found an old extension cord under the bed but ended up unplugging the clock, which didn’t work anyway, to charge his phone. Finally, and this is personal preference, I did not like the bed or pillows and woke up hot, stiff, and unrested.

A 1950’s elevator that requires sliding open a heavy door and inner gate may be charming to some. It’s certainly a relic, however, if anyone on any of the floors does not properly close their floor’s outer door, the elevator does not operate. After climbing the hills in the city, the last thing I wanted to do was climb the stairs to the 5th floor. Had to do this four times in 3 days. No biggie, but why doesn’t the outer door slid shut on its own—easy fix?

There are no in room safes and the staff did not know how to use the safety deposit boxes located in the lobby in a locked closet. When we asked to use one in the lobby, the desk person asked what we were putting in it? Ummm, cash, jewelry, travel documents—standard personal items we don’t want to carry in a big city or leave in a room. Not a question i felt comfortable with, but ok. The inability of the staff to find the keys and get us a box was remedied by the friendly manager after it was explained to us, three times, as though it was an honor being bestowed, that we were the first and only people to use a safety box for two years since Covid. Ok, I get it, but it was awkward and inconvenient and uncomfortable with the implication that she was doing us a favor. Getting back into the box the second time was equally inconvenient, third and final time, no problem.

There is also no housekeeping unless requested by 10 am in the morning on the day of service. That was no problem for us but might be for others.

Overall, the stay was really uncomfortable for me, my...

Location was close enough to everything one might need but far enough from the tenderloin to be safe and convenient. This stretch of Bush street was surprisingly empty at night. I even covered my (huge tub of) belongings with a blanket and left them on the porch next door (Petite Auberge is a hotel next door and they share a reception desk, so beware of this if checking in late at night while alone and with too many bags to carry) while I ran to White Swann to check in. Although I booked through booking.com for Petite Auberge (867 Bush Street) a sign on their locked door directed me to the White Swan one door over at 845 Bush Street for check in. I took the gamble that my stuff would still be there when I returned with the door/room key instead of lugging it all back and forth. I didn't like it and it was stressful and unadvised but turned out fine. I ended having to carry all of it over to the White Swan anyways because my room ended up being in the White Swan. For no extra charge I was upgraded to a room with a fireplace and very nice four post bed that was unfortunately a bit too hard for me but classy and old timey. My my favorite aesthetic detail was the old books that lined various shelves and random holes in the wall that were fun to skim through if you're into that kind of thing, which I am. I didn't recognize as ny titles or authors but it was still a treat to peruse. The room became painfully cold during the night but management had already been aware of this because not only does the fireplace work (a rare and special treat in SF) but there was also a space heater provided in the armoire. All of the small details were included, even going beyond many of the trendy very expensive downtown hotels. Although I did not venture into the back garden, I had a beautiful view of it from my windows, all five of them. The gap underneath the door leading into the hallway was fairly large so I put something to help block the sound and light, and the walls were really thin so sound travelled easy. The bathroom was clean, had everything one could need and even more in the shape of an extra countertop- which for someone who has too much makeup and hygiene and enjoys spreading it out- was much appreciated. There was only one receptionist working at a time, but it seems like that was enough. I need some help getting my TV to work but they handled that quickly. The whole experience was peaceful and easy and I would definitely recommend. There is one thing... It could be that I watched a bunch of television shows about ghosts on the travel channel during my stay but even so I'm fairly positive this old hotel is haunted. Nothing negative, but definitely a lot soaked into the walls. But that fireplace though, what a treat on a cold San...

Staying at the White Swan reminded me of a hotel room I had in Switzerland. It is definitely a different experience than the usual chain hotels. The room was quirky, but cozy. They don't have air conditioning, but we didn't need it. However, we did need the fireplace and electric heater provided. My room faced the street, but it was what I requested, a room with a view. Keep in mind that that also comes with a bit of street noise which didn't bother me. The breakfast was nice. It varied from morning to morning. The selections included an assortment of pastries, croissants, muffins, biscuits, yogurt, cereal, boiled eggs, fruit, coffee, and tea. The in room refrigerator was stocked with bottled water, diet and regular Coke, and flavored carbonated water. The room does not have a microwave, but the kitchen staff happily microwaved anything I asked. The room was nicely appointed. The bed was super comfortable and it was nice sitting in my room in front of the fireplace enjoying a glass of Merlot and snacks that are free to guests each evening from 5 to 7 p.m. The staff from the registration desk, to the kitchen staff to housekeeping were professional and friendly. I didn't hesitate to ask when I needed information. Two blocks over you can catch the cable car or you can walk to China Town, Union Square, or 555 California Street if you don't mind tackling a couple of steep hilly streets. You can even walk to Fisherman's Wharf. TIP(If you're going to be in San Francisco at least 3 days, download the MUNI app and get a one day or 3 day pass. Then you can hop on and off the cable cars, muni bus, and regular bus as often as you like. The app helps you plan your trips.) No issues with homeless people outside of the hotel or in areas further into Union Square. I can't wait...