As a member of Hotels.com, I tend to start there when looking for a place to stay. After all, after 10 nights, I get one night free. Traveling a lot, this is not a deal to trifle with. Therefore, when I had to go to San Francisco for work, I started my search with affordable, but nice, hotels in downtown SF, nearby to the offices my meetings were taking place.
But I’m going to let you in on a little something.
Downtown SF is not all that nice. In fact, unlike almost any other city I’ve been to, downtown is the opposite. Downtown is the Tenderloin. With my own eyes, I saw prostitutes and a few other unsavoury things within blocks of my hotel. Being from DC, this doesn’t particularly rattle me. It is just odd, in the center of a major city. You’d think gentrification would have pushed things like this to the perimeter.
It was with my misunderstanding of the desirability of downtown that I selected the Hotel Carlton. It had a pretty prime location, from my naïve perspective: I could take a nice run to the Golden Gate, walk to my meetings in WHAT AREA and it was a quick Uber ride from the trendy Mission and Alamo Placita, where I just had to go to see the Full House house. (Yes, lame, I know.) It wasn’t until I told my colleagues where I was staying- the Tenderloin- that I was let in on a secret apparently everyone knows about SF.
What I got, however, was an amazing, comfortable room and the friendliest, most helpful staff EVER. The nice restaurant and 5pm happy hour- free wine at 5 in the lobby- didn’t hurt.
The hotel itself is MORROCAN themed, which makes it interesting, colourful and visually appealing. Walk in off the street- which is interesting in its own right- and you’re assaulted by colourful, plush décor.
The staff were super helpful, giving me multiple maps and tourist tips. I didn’t have the heart to tell them that, besides morning runs, my schedule was so full I’d have very little time to see the city.
I was also arriving after about 8 hours of sleep across three days, having made the journey from London with a quick stopover to see my family in DC.
That’s why the sight of my room, when I got there, almost moved me to tears.
Large, with a huge, soft bed and comfy chairs, the room was a less-visually assaulting version of the lobby. Mine was orange, with a nice view of the main street. There was a huge closet for my luggage, too, so it didn’t have to lay on the desks or chairs, as they often do in other hotels.
There was a Nespresso machine on the desk, which I put to immediate use while running myself a bath. The amenities were average- large bottles that are reused with every guest- but the bath was clean and very, very deep. Perfect for a jetlagged body at the end of a very long day of meetings- followed by an arduous journey to a hotel that I wasn’t sure what to expect from.
The on-site restaurant, also Morroccan themed, was great for breakfast. I had a very healthy Shaksuka option, but they also had more traditional choices. I would have loved to go for dinner, after the happy hour, which I thought was such a neat offering, but I had meetings. Darn work!
The only downside is the cost/location matrix. The hotel itself was so nice, I can understand why it would be at a premium price point, and for me, the location was nice and walkable from almost every place I needed to go. However, I found myself taking a taxi after dark because of the area’s reputation. If I’d known more about SF, perhaps I wouldn’t have been so wary, but I’m just not sure.
I would say, if you’re going to SF on business (and can sneak away for the 5pm happy hour), the Carlton is a great place to stay. However, add on a few Uber rides, especially if you’re out past dark, and you can probably fine similarly comfortable and stylish accommodation in a far better location.