Hotel Metropolis, San Francisco

We booked a 7 day stay at Hotel Metropolis through Yahoo Travel. It was part of a package deal of airfare/hotel. I had lived in San Francisco previously so I knew the city very well. This hotel is located on the outskirts of what is known as the "Tenderloin" District. Locals regard this area as not safe at night. I agree as I wouldn't want to be walking through this neighborhood at night. During the day time, it's safe. If you wonder why there are homeless hanging around the block, it's due to the fact that Glide Memorial Church being located 4 blocks up. The homeless hang around the area as the church provides a lot of services for them. The hotel is located at Turk and Mason where Mason meets Market Street. This location is ideal as you are literally just ONE block from the Powell Street cable car turnaround, Westfield Mall and the Muni underground/BART station. If you plan on not renting a car to get around the city (which I recommend you do not rent a car), it will be easy for you to catch all the major bus lines that go throughout the city within a 2-3 block radius of the hotel. The hotel was very clean with 10 floors. They do have suites for families with children (bunk beds). We were on the 8th floor with our window facing towards Turk St. All rooms do not have air conditioning as San Francisco has a very mild climate. In the summer, all you need to do is leave your window open for the natural air conditioning. We had double beds and a full size bathroom. I was surprised at how large the bathroom was. Beds were soft though the pillows were too soft for my liking. Each room comes with a mini fridge. Ours wasn't working on the first day. We called the front desk to report about it and they promptly replaced it with a working one. Free wifi in the hotel is available plus they have a PC set up in the guest library for you to use. Free tea/coffee is set up in the library every morning for hotel visitors. The daily newspaper was also provided for free. The only downside during our stay was when the elevator broke down. Of all days, it was on the day that we had done the most walking around the city. We got back to hotel, eager to rest but only to find out we had to climb 8 flights to get to our room! Some little kid, riding the elevator with his mom, had pressed all the buttons on the elevator as it was going down and somehow screwed up the mechanism. That was on a Sunday so the hotel wasn't able to get the elevator fixed until the next morning. By lunch, they got it fixed. Front desk said it was the first time in 7 years the elevator broke down. Overall, I was very happy with our stay at Hotel Metropolis. My mom absolutely loved the location since we were a block from all the shopping and restaurants. In case you wonder what the weather is like during June in SF, the temps in the city were from the 50s-60s F with 2 days that got up into the high 70s. Most of the time, the fog rolled in bringing the cold and wind.

I was originally put off by some of the comments in the reviews here, but after a two-night stay I realized that some words in the hotel's defense are in order. First off, even a great city like San Francisco has to deal with problems like poverty and homelessness. With its proximity to Market Street (basically San Francisco's "Main Street") and BART rapid transit, the area where the hotel is located is a haven for panhandlers. Even though it's less than a block from Market Street, it's on the outer edge of one of the city's questionable neighborhoods. Because of the street life, it's not particularly quiet at night, but a pair of foam earplugs should guarantee a good night's sleep. That being said, the hotel itself is a remarkably great value for a single traveller. The hotel has been beautifully renovated, with the compact rooms having a trendy, San Francisco style. The free, wireless Internet access proved to be quite reliable, keeping me at my work and not giving me much time to enjoy the room's wide-screen plasma TV. The hotel is attached to the popular restaurant/bar, Farmer Johns. The wait for a table can be quite long, but if you're simply hungry they can put together one of their great dinners to go in a matter of minutes. The location is ideal for access to the Moscone Center (an eight-minute walk or $5 taxi ride) and, considering the location, the rates are virtually Motel 6. The staff and service were excellent--on a par with some of the city's best accommodations. As with most major city hotels, there is an extra fee for parking a car ($30/day), a perfectly reasonable fee in San Francisco (this is not a car-friendly city and doesn't particularly want to be). I went there as a freelance journalist covering a major trade show (Macworld) and felt that this was perfect for a single business traveller. The rooms may be small (about the same as a good Japanese business hotel) and would probably feel tight for a family (or a couple who don't get along really, really well). Unless I'm feeding off of somebody else's huge expense account, I wouldn't think twice about going back.

All the reviews are correct. The location is about a block away from Norstrom's and other major shopping venues but that one block is just far enough away. Lots of homeless wondering around and the screaming sirens of emergency vehicles at all hours. No air con and the window had no screen so we left the window open with the drapes closed. Room itself was small but it was clean. We requested ear plugs and had immediate service. I used the hotel guest computer for internet and it worked fine. Check out is at noon and we stayed right until then because of how our travel plans worked out. However, they turned off our hotel phone just after 11 am so I couldn't call a cab to get out of there. Rather annoying!

looks good on the web: but when you get there it comprises small rooms, dodgy location and no heating or aircon. So give it a miss!

First of all, San francisco is a GREAT city. We love it. But they do have a homeless problem and they seem to congregate outside this hotel. The parking lot is gated so if you drive everywhere your fine.But this hotel is only a block away from the heart of downtown where you want to walk! I did walk around the block to grab my kids a pizza on Powell St.(exellent pizza, the employees wear acid wash shirts that say "make pizza not war" ha ha) on the way back with pizza in hand four men shouted from a few yards away and demanded some pizza. Ignoring them just made them more aggressive and laud. I did make it back with my pizza and on the way thereI walked through a political protest which was kinda cool. Free Palistine!

We made our decision to stay at Metropolis based on their pet-friendly policies, which allowed our chihuahuas to accompany us on our SF trip. The location can't be beat, as the hotel is right next to the Market Street BART/MUNI station, and Union Square is within easy walking distance. The hotel has a pretty good bar, but I also enjoyed the proximity of several top-notch restaurants(Cafe Mason, Little Delhi, Lori's) almost right outside. The actual rooms were very clean and well-appointed. The green and red motif gave it a very urban feel, and the beds were quite comfortable. Also, the bathrooms were quite clean, along with the usual amenities. The only disappointment was the hidden parking fee of almost thirty dollars per day. Although it is a deal by San Francisco standards, it feels a little bit sly not to be more forthright. Also, there is a small pet fee. Highly recommended overall.

I stayed at this hotel for 4 nights in October 2004. It is in a convenient location, close to the Powell Street BART station (for easy access to and from the airport). However, it is also at the edge of the "Tenderloin" district of San Francisco, and there are some unsavoury characters that hang around the streets outside (especially to the West of the Hotel) so be careful especially at night! The rooms are smallish but adequate. They were themed "Fire/Water/Earth/Air" on different floors. Their color schemes were a bit glarish, especially the bright green in their "Earth" themed rooms! Their staff were courteous and helpful. They also have a "get together" on Wednesday evenings in their "library" where they serve free wine. There is free internet access but it is very slooooow and sometimes hard to get access because only one CPU is available. For all you naturalists, there was even a "Meditation Room" available! This is not a bad place for location and ease of getting around but if you are after a classy romantic place then look elsewhere.

Overall, the hotel was clean. personel was very friendly and helpful. The room was stuffy, we asked were the thermostat was located...the hotel does not have air conditioning!! The location is very frightening if you are not familiar with the area. It is located on the border of the "tenderloin" district. Hardened street people were outside the hotel at all hours of the night!! very loud!! There are signs in the hotel instructing visitors to turn left upon exiting the hotel (to go towards the city),instead of getting into the bad neighborhood. We would not stay here again, due to the location and lack of air conditioning.