My wife and I are members of the Yale Club in New York City, a wonderful facility. On a recent business trip to San Franciso we decided to try another university club lodging experience and booked a room at the University Club of San Francisco on Nob Hill. We quickly learned that not all university clubs are created equal.

On paper and on the web the University Club on San Francisco seemed to have a lot going for it - location, price, in-club dining, and a limited number of lodging rooms. On site though it was a very different story. We arrived in the late evening and the first room we were given was down a mildewy-smelling hallway on the first floor and was dark and warm. We quickly discovered there was no air conditioning and that the window, which faced an alley, would only open a few inches. Those few inches were not enough to generate a breeze, even with the help of a ceiling fan, but more than enough to allow the ceaseless noise of traffic and cable cars laboring up California Street to make the room unpleasantly loud. The lighting in the room was unpleasant - only one of the bed side lamps worked and the bulb in it must have been 300w. Other than that it was just the ceiling light, which cast an unpleasant glare thoughout the room. We quickly returned to the front desk and were told we could move to another room on the second floor. Up the quaint elevator we went and moved into our second room. Though larger and better lit it still had the funky mildew smell and the windows opened directly onto Powell Street, and the cacophony of traffic and the Powell Street cable cars. At this point we were so tired that my plan was to shower and hope to sleep through part of the night. The first towel I grabbed in the garish red bathroom had a saucer-sized hole in the middle of it! The second was frayed, but largely intact. That was it for me. The following morning we checked out and moved to the Clift Hotel and enjoyed a wonderful remainder of our stay in San Francisco.

To be fair, as we were checking out another guest was singing the praises of the University Club of San Francisco's rooms. I am glad he had a good stay. My wife and I certainly did not.

I used my reciprocal club arrangement to stay at the University Club prior to our trip to Napa valley. Located on Nob Hill across the street from the Fairmont Hotel, the club is nicely furnished with a beautiful library and outside balcony overlooking the bay. Although there are only about 20 rooms, it was a thrill to stay in this quiet, tastefully decorated gem - don't miss it!