I stayed at the Mayflower Hotel and found it to be quite satisfactory and will be staying there again in April as I found it very convenient to everything. The room was larger than average and it had lots of storage space plus a bathroom.
I would recommend it highly for the average budget traveler.

I was pleasantly surprised by this place!

I paid approximately $100 per night (shared with a friend) - which is the same place that we were paying for our dump of a hostel in LA (a dump of a city). For this price, we got a very spacious room complete with a kitchenette, a full bathroom, and a walk in closet!

The hotel is full of character - from the retro style lobby, to the ancient, tiny elevator. However, the rooms were very clean and the Wi-Fi (free) was very strong and reliable. Breakfast was basic but adequate.

The neighbourhood felt safe - and was in walking distance (if you don't mind walking up hills! Though that's universal to San Francisco) to Chinatown and Union Square - which is the main public transport hub. The street is predominantly residential, with a few shops - so we had no problem with noise keeping us awake at night. We'd read some bad things about The Tenderloin, and decided that this place was far enough away from it - which it seemed to be. Taxis in San Fran are also relatively cheap, so you can get home from places like The Castro pretty easily. :)

I'm very glad we stayed here rather than Fisherman's Wharf, which is a complete tourist trap!

This was our second stay at the Mayflower after 2009. The location is just perfect. It´s about a 10 min. walk to Union Square and the famous Cable Car that brings you to Fisherman´s Wharf is 2 blocks away. The hotel is quite old and some tiles might be broken but that´s part of its charm. The room had a nice size and also had a little kitchenette so you can make your own lunch or dinner if you´re on a tight budget. Right next to the hotel you find a little market that has everything even my beloved Kinder chocolate. Breakfast though is complimentary and better than most continental breakfasts I´ve had so far. The people at the front desk were all very friendly and helpful. The hotel offers its own parking garage which I was told is very tiny. Both times our car (Nissan X-Terra one time and Dodge Durango the second time) was too big but the hotel suggested a parking garage about 2 blocks away for 20 $/24 hrs. which is quite a good deal for San Francisco. For a little bit over 100 $/night this hotel is a great find and we´ll stay there next time we´re in this wonderful city.

I booked direct with the hotel in September and got a good rate during the busy AGU meeting in December. Bush is a bit far from the Moscone Center where the meeting is held, and a Metro pass pays off quickly since riding the cable car up the hill is a good idea, especially if carrying a laptop. Nice breakfast with good choice of mostly cold items (but instant oatmeal) including healthy choices I passed over in favor of the home-made cookies. Very nice staff who when hearing my concerns that a street-facing room might be noisy, allowed me to pay just two nights initially. The street was in fact no problem. Overall a nice stay.