Gateway Inn

This isn’t a normal hotel, so it may not suit you if that’s what you expect. But if you want somewhere cheap in San Francisco that’s moderately clean, I’d recommend it. The location is great, and you can Uber to anywhere popular in under five minutes. The walls are thin, so you’ll hear everything happening in the streets, which could be good or bad depending on what you like. The elevator was the one thing I didn’t like. I’m fine with an old elevator, but it acted strangely, moving up and down between floors for about three minutes and wouldn’t let us out. It worked without any more trouble after that.

I loved my night here during a date weekend with my boyfriend. The room was comfy and felt like a bedroom, with a fridge, microwave, TV with plenty of channels, and a great heater that kept us warm. It was close to the mall area and regency ballroom, and the bus stop to the fishermans warf was right across the street. Perfect. Hope to stay again soon.

I was lying on the bed with no clothes on and watching TV when, about an hour later, I spotted a bed bug right under my face. I panicked. I’d never encountered one before and really hoped I never would. I’d read this page and a Yelp review after moving in, and a few people had warned about bed bugs and scabies. I’d wanted to believe they’d just been unlucky. When I told reception, they said pest control would be called the next day. I said spraying alone might not get rid of bed bugs, but they brushed that off and insisted the professionals would handle it. It left me thinking they’d never dealt with this problem before. If you’re planning to move in, good luck.

The location is a real plus, close to Market Street, Westfield, and Union Square, and the rent is cheap by SF standards. The rooms, though, are dirty and small. My bathroom sink was broken, and the bed slanted. The front desk people were rude and no help.