HI San Francisco Downtown Hostel

Hotel G has become a great fit for my SF stays, especially since my office is across the way in Union Square. The rooms are clean, modern, and practical, with a relaxed, welcoming feel. The staff are warm and genuinely helpful. During a small personal emergency, the manager, Ricardo, went above and beyond to help coordinate my stay. It’s a fantastic no-fuss hotel with a great team.

I’ve stayed here several times and have usually enjoyed the property. The suites are great, and I’d normally feel confident recommending it to friends and colleagues. This last visit was frustrating and unacceptable. I had a confirmed suite, but a front desk employee named David denied me access to the room I’d paid for and gave no clear explanation. The situation felt unnecessarily difficult and unprofessional. This wasn’t the first time I’d had a problem when David was involved, but it was by far the worst. As a returning guest, I expected basic hospitality and consistency. It’s disappointing because the hotel has potential, and I’d like to recommend it, but I can’t while guests are treated this way. I hope management takes this seriously and improves the guest experience. As long as David is here, I’ll never return or recommend the place.

The room itself made for a solid stay: it was spacious for a city hotel, spotless, and surprisingly cozy despite the exposed brick and concrete floors. We chose the "greatest king" room because the website explained the room types clearly. The booking portal was easy to use, with plenty of listed sales and special rates. The room was quiet even with occupied rooms next door, and we barely heard any ambient noise. The blackout curtains may be the best I’ve ever had, and the comfortable bed meant we slept really well. We enjoyed relaxing in the room between sightseeing and on a lazy morning, and the robes were a nice perk. It’s a block from the bustle of Union Square, and we’d return for the location, room size, and price alone. Check-in was easy and pleasant. You can see they’ve tried to modernize and style a very old building. Returning the parking pass was clunky, though, and the Westin parking attendants changed their tone when we said we were staying at Hotel G. One literally dropped his smile and told us to hurry up. The main awkwardness was the bathroom, which was comically small, likely because of the building’s age and existing layout. The toilet was about a centimeter from one wall, and the tiny sink made washing my face a clown show. Maybe it’s just us being old and blind, but the TV also seemed surprisingly small for the space.

The room photos gave me the wrong idea about what I was booking. I thought I’d reserved the G Terrace suite, but ended up with a Greatest King. The appliances and rooms feel really dated, and $400 a night is way too much for what you get. The front desk guy didn’t help us find another room. I was very disappointed, this felt like a complete rip-off. Save your money.