I recently stayed here for 5 nights while attending a conference at the Moscone center. The first thing to note is how central and convenient the hotel is. Having caught the BART train from the airport to powell street($8.10) I had only a simple 5 min walk to the hotel, which is one small block up from union square. I was also only a 10min walk from the convention centre. Despite a number of homeless generally wandering around the central region(they seem harmless) it is generally very safe, and there was always plenty of people on the surrounding streets. With the surrounding transportation links, the whole of SF is pretty much accessible from this central area.
The hotel itself doesn't look much from the outside, but once you get inside it is much nicer. My hotel room however didn't quite match up to the advertised pictures in that there was none of the exposed brick wall, and as such lacked a little character. It was small, but ample enough as a single traveller, but 2 persons with luggage may have found my room a little tight. it was however clean, and the bed was extremely comfortable, which is the usually the most important point of a hotel room.
A number of comments have been made about the noise. All the noise I experienced was extrenal and not within the hotel itself(stayed on 6th floor). It must be remembered however that this is not a modern purpose built hotel with double glazing etc, and as such there is little protection from the external noises. I can certainly report that the binmen do indeed arrive early(6am) several times a week and are extremely loud, although luckily I was genereally awake anyway from jet lag, and thus wasn't a major problem for me.
I didn't have breakfast as it wasn't included in my rate, but there are plenty of options available for breakfast within the surrounding streets to suit all budgets and taste. the bar on level 2 was always busy in the evenings, with many non-residents coming in. There was always a good atmosphere here, and usually a live band in the early evenings. Not the cheapest bar in SF though.
the staff were all very friendly and helpful throughout my stay
In summary this is not a perfect hotel, but its central position, relative cost, and comfy bed make up for this. If however an early morning wakeup is an issue for you then you may wish to consider another hotel, although I suspect you will get the same elsewhere unless you're in a more expensive modern hotel.
- Allison Hotel
