I read the bad reviews of this hotel only after my fiancee had already booked it. We were extremely concerned, since a lot of the complaints were about the lack of air conditioning, and we were staying in Sacramento in the dead of summer.

Once I arrived, the only thing I could think was that either the hotel had gone through a major refurbishment in the last few months, or those previous reviewers were just high, and mistakenly stayed at a flebag motel nearby, thinking it was this one.

This hotel bears no resemblance to the one complained about in earlier reviews. The common area is gorgeous, with a lovely skylight and ample space. The only trace I could find of the earlier complaints is that the hotel has not yet upgraded the facade of the rooms. The hotel was obviously built in the 60's, and has the old combination latch-"do-not-disturb" sign that I remember from when I was a kid. These original doors are still there, but have been retrofitted with new card locks. The effect is that the paint around the door frame is a bit aged, but from the immaculate, perfectly earth-toned feel of the remaining 99% of the room, it's obvious the doors are next in line for replacement. If this was the root of previous complaints, then this is the nit-pickiest of nit-picking.

If I were to nit-pick, I would mention that this hotel actually provided me with enough sugar for my morning coffee. Most hotels skimp on that.

The staff was extremely helpful and courteous, and our stay was as uneventful as could be.

Of particular note was the air conditioning. Again, I have no clue where previous gripers have stayed, but the AC in our room was state-of-the-art, with a single thermostat that we controlled (some earlier reviews claim that they were controlled from the front desk).

Coincidentally enough, I spent the previous weekend staying at a Holiday Inn from the same era where they were less successful in upgrading (the carpeting and bed frame were obviously old), yet both that hotel and this one are rated three stars. This one certainly deserves that star rating much, much more.

Bottom line: Ignore previously bad reviews. The owners have obviously listened, and this hotel is a clean, decent place to spend time in a vibrant downtown area for a reasonable price.

Had a chance to stay there for three nights this past week (June 18-20). Was a little leery based upon the reviews but decided to try it because of a late booking for a conference.

The hotel is very dated but clean. Regarding the previous complaints about the AC, I had no problem controlling it although it did take about 45 minutes to cool down the room after turning it on when the afternoon was an especially hot day. The AC is kind of loud when in operation so the idea was to cool the room down as fast as possible and then turn the AC off. The rooms were average in size and I had no problems with noisy neighbors. Would recommend trying to get a room facing the neighboring Holiday Inn as it is quieter and is not affected as much by the afternoon sun. The tradeoff is the view is non-existent.

There is a restaurant in the hotel that serves a fine $10.95 early bird special. You get a choice of either beef, chicken or pork, soup or salad, beverage and a dessert. The waiters are very friendly and do a nice job. They also have a mini lounge area with "big screen" tv and offer happy hour each day.

The hotel is located about a ten minute walk to the convention center and there are quite a few interesting restaurants in close proximity . One in particular that is about 1.5 blocks away is Sandra Dees which is a southern style cooking restaurant. (F and 15th streets) had their BBQ chicken and mac w/cheese and cornbread w/salad. plus a slice of sweet potato pie. Mmmm- really good tasting and didn't break the bank.

Bottom line- if you want a clean decent hotel with a friendly attentive staff and are willing to give up the spaciousness of a Sheraton or Hyatt at a much lower cost you should consider the Mansion Inn. Would I stay there again? Absolutely!

(Will add pictures soon!)

I sure wish I had read the TripAdvisor reviews first. What a HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT! My room was completely run down. The first thing I had to do was fix the toilet because it had been running since who knows when. They advertise "we proudly brew Starbucks"...but not in the rooms! A homeless guy was changing his clothes outside my room. WHAT A DISASTER! Especially a disaster given the HIGH PRICE. They advertise in-room movies (pay per view) which did NOT exist. No continental breakfast included. Side doors (easier to get to rooms) had been taken out of commission. I'll never go there again.

This "hotel" is a complete disgrace. The thermostate is an illusion. The only thing you really have control over is the fan. They control the AC and Heat from the desk. I went to bed running the AC and woke up at 2:30am in a pool of my own sweat, had to be something like 95 degees in the room. I guess the night staff was a little chilly down stairs. They claim there is just one pipe of either hot or cold air. Aside from that, some other posts claim there is a lot of history at this hotel..... I agree, the furnishings should have been in a landfill 30 years ago.