Hotel Kabuki, San Francisco

This hotel isn't so bad. Interior is nice, customer service was good. A couple of things I didn't enjoy was the fact our balcony was shared with the room next door so any stranger would be able to walk up to our room (but there is a sign warning to have the door locked because of this fact) and there was also traffic noise which was rather bothersome but not to the point of ruining my vacation. There is a nice mini mall attached to the hotel, not a lot of store options but nice enough for a stroll. Fisherman's Wharf is a $12 cab ride away and for a nice (long) walk, Haight Ashbury is a good distance. Although with all the beautiful houses and scenery along the way, the walk was well worth it. I'd stay in this hotel again.

The actual hotel is okay. It's average, but beware. My flight left at 6AM, so I had to leave the hotel around 4AM. When I tried to leave and to go the airport, the self parking garage they told me to park in was closed. They said if I want to get my car I needed to pay my regular parking fee PLUS AN EXTRA $50. I knew nothing about this but then the guy at the front desk pointed out a little piece of paper they had it written on. So, they extorted $50 out of me and wouldn't even let me put it on a credit card. They made me pay the security guard $50 cash to open the garage gate.

I started my stay with a noise issue. The ice machine literally on the front wall, a barking dog to my left, and a neighbor to my right who kept making repeated trips to use the ice machine every 20 minutes or so and slamming the door on the way in and out. The cigarette smoke from someone else's room was seeping into mine worse than any hotel I've stayed in. I went to the front desk and informed the night auditor of my experience. and his reply was, "what do you want me to do?" I asked him "isn't this a nonsmoking hotel with regulations"? He said, "yes, but just like people don't drive the speed limit-sometimes people smoke". I told him that I have an extreme allergy to cigarette smoke and that it affected my stomach and made my throat/sinuses/eyes/face swell and asked him if he couldn't send someone to check the halls and see if they couldn't locate the smoker. He said that I was welcome to do that!!! I told him I wanted to change rooms and he said that there was nothing available, but that I was free to call down in the morning and try to "catch a room when someone checks out". I asked him if he couldn't put a note and hold on a room when one opened up so that I'd be sure to get a different room. He repeated that I could call down in the morning and try to catch a room. The following morning I went to the front desk and explained the situation and the front desk clerk Shin was very apologetic and issued me another room in a different building. I made it to the restaurant 10 minutes before breakfast was ending and they were closing, and was pleasantly surprised that they didn't turn me away. Not only that, but the food was GREAT and reasonably priced. The people who worked there were very friendly. I settled in that night, only to be awakened the next morning by the smell of smoking. I called down to the front desk and asked for Shin, and whoever answered the phone said very snidely, "who's Shin, who's that, how can I help you"? I explained the situation and she stated "where is it, can't you find it, what do want us to do"? It became apparent to me that no matter where I went in that hotel I was going to have a problem with smoking. Also, that there were some people working there who hear regular complaints about it so they have no sympathy with those such as myself who really suffer from the issue of cigarette smoke. As I stated in the beginning I basically live in hotels. I have experienced the occasional tinge of cigarettes in a few other hotels. However, those places generally charge guests for smoking in their rooms, and they make sure that guests realize it will cost them greatly if they do smoke in their rooms. When someone does complain they will go out of their way to investigate where it's coming from. Oh, the other problem that I and my group had was with internet connection. even when I used a little attachment that they brought me to plug in to the wall I had a hard time with interference from somewhere. I had to go to the lobby to get online and take care of business. One of the people in my group ordered room service the day we checked out, and it took more than an hour for the food to come so he could eat most of it. He wasn't informed of the long wait as other hotels do. You can hear people when they have conversations in other rooms. I don't mean loud conversations. I mean folks just talking to one another...and not just in rooms that have connecting doors. There appears to be absolutely no insulation between those walls!!!! I've touched on the few issues that were most important. The Kabuki has a few very good employees, but my former years in hotel management tells me that they need someone in upper management to give them better guidance. Not to mention the fact that they spent the money to refurbish, but left out a really important thing - INSULATION!!!!

The hotel was all about experience. It was the details that really made it worth while. The tea service, room details, staff were all great. The room had a super comfy bed, and roomy bathroom. I had a room on a low level and though other reviewers complained of noise all I heard was the water in the Japanese garden. The soaking tub was nice and the free passes to the spa down the street were fantastic. All in all I would stay again. Also try the restaurant, the food was wonderful. The one downside is the WiFi is a bit slow.

As a long time lover of Asian culture, I loved the decor of the room and the displays of asian art throughout the hotel. I loved the bathroom and slept like a baby on the bed. I am only sorry that becuase of my tight meeting schedule I didn't get to explore the wonderful mall attacted to the hotel more. I will correct that during my next stay.

Liked: price, soaking tubs, cleanliness, location in Japan town and closeness to bus stops and closeness to boutique shops such as MARC by Marc Jacobs and Betsey Johnson Disliked: expense of parking, smallness of room, staff needs to be more helpful. Can't remember if there was internet. This is not an "experience of luxury" hotel. This is not a hotel to choose if you are looking to spoil yourself with hotel services beyond a soaking tub. This is a great hotel if you don't plan on spending a great deal of time in your hotel room and don't want/need a large sized room. Enjoy the tub, but really, go out and see our lovely city.

when i first arrived i was pleased but after the first night everything went down hill from there . things were taken from our room each day after we had left for the day. when i let the front desk know the told me they were sorry and that was about it.when i left this hotel i was very disappointed i will not be returning .

When my sister and I arrived it was around 9:00pm We told them we would be late arrival. When we checked in they said they have over booked and only have a room with one bed. We are two adults, brother and sister. I told them that would not work out. They said they would bring in a rolling bed. After waiting for it they tell us they don't have any rolling beds. So I pushed for two seperate rooms. In the room next to me they were smoking pot and being quite loud. So I headed down to ask to be moved. The person handling the sitiuatiton was not very professional. The next morning I asked to talk to the manager and she worked it out with us.

We have stayed here a number of times. It is perfect our needs. The best thing about the hotel is the guest rooms. They are unusually attractive, large and very clean. The public spaces are well cared for and pleasant. The value of the location depends on what you will be doing in the city. There are good restaurants nearby. I understand that Japantown is about to undergo redevelopment. We always find the staff to be pleasant. The value is great. We stay here because of the comfort of the rooms and the restfulness of the hotel in general. Previous posts mentioned noise and partying. We have stayed here many times and have never encountered any noise -- or partying. If anything, the hotel was especially quiet. On the negative side: If you need, demand, a lot of service, this is probably not the place for you. You will get it if you ask, but you certainly won't be overwhelmed with offers. The parking situation is not great, but you can find street parking pretty easily.

It seemed older but clean. The service was friendly. It was central to the city so it was easy to go everywhere. The gardens and koy pond are a nice touch. The staff was very helpful and pleasant. The deep bath was great. The only downfall is you better bring your own snacks. There is no machine and the soda machine carries only caffenated drinks or water. Room service was available and edible but very expensive.