Hotel Astoria San Francisco, San Francisco

I dislike the rudeness of the people who work at the front desk/cashier. These people need to be trained to work for the hotel. I don't really condider calling the place "Hotel", it feels more like a "Hostel". The lady who worked at the cashier accused my friend who stayed there for 5 nights and paid over US$400 for trying not to pay the phone bill with the amount of US$.90 (yup, for 90 cents). This lady spoke with heavy accent and came across as being extremely rude accusing my friend for not paying the phone bill which had been paid a day before he intended to leave for Canada. My friend insisted her to call the person who collected the change from him on that day. After several minutes of treating my friend with her rude behavior, she then picked up the phone acted as if she was being forced to call her co worker. Finally, she found out the bill had been paid but she didn't bother to apologize to my friend for her rudeness. Amazing!!! Where are these people from??? I am not sure the security of the hotel is good either since it is still using the conventional key to open your room instead of the plastic cards which embedded with codes. My advice for people who want to enjoy the trip while they are in SF is to find a nicer hotel around the area. It may cost few more dollars but it is worth much more.

In an area of town where most hotels charge $150-300 per night, the Hotel Astoria is a relative bargain. It stands right at the gate to Chinatown, and is a decent, no-frills place to crash. There's no internet, I saw no continental breakfast... but the sheets were clean, the toilet and shower worked just fine, and it was somewhat quiet overnight. It reminded me a lot of staying in a youth hostel abroad. I felt safe the whole time I was there, and if you don't mind not having any luxuries whatsoever, it's a good place to stay.

I thought the rooms were horrible -- although they were clean -- there wasn't even a clock in the room. The towels were old and worn. THere wasn't a remote control for the tv. There wasn't any soap in the bathroom. There was one table lamp to light the whole room. There was not a complimentary breakfast. And when the hotel over charged me $5.50 over what I agreed to online -- they would not refund the $5.50.

If you consider Satellite TV to be an antenna on the hotel roof, a hair drier to be a towel and internet access to mean being able to occasionally reach somewhere else's wifi and logging in once every 4 days, then this hotel did NOT lie on their Orbitz hotel listing. But if you actually take a listing at its word, then you will start being exceptionally disappointed. Your sadness will grow as you discover this hotel's elevator is completely destroyed (with the door off and gears jammed with a mere rope of yellow caution tape keeping out any children brave enough to explore). Or when you realize your room only has one tiny mirror in the bathroom and no others in the room. Or when you notice the lack of an alarm clock. Be sure to be disgusted by the booger on your moldy shower curtain. Perhaps the vacancy of a hotel ice machine will be the last straw for you, or maybe it will be the paper thin walls, or the staff's refusal to let you use their microwave. Whatever you're looking for in a hotel, this place does NOT have it, that can be certain. This panning review does not come from someone accustomed to 5 star hotels with saunas and free concierge, but from someone who could quickly point out 5 roach motels that are better than this nightmare. Yes, the location is good, no, nothing else here is. Save your money and sleep somewhere else.

* Great value * Friendly staff * Felt comfortable walking in the hotel and surrounding area at night * Clean The girlfriend and I went to San Fran for the U.N.K.L.E. concert and we decided to give the Hotel Astoria a try. I found this a great stay for a low price. Service was very friendly - our flight landed at 9 a.m. and we didn't want to drag our bags around and the hotel gave us a free room upgrade since our room type wasn't currently available. The sound carries in the hotel so I'd advise against getting too intimate with the S.O. We had a room with a window that opened to the center courtyard which was neat. It was located a few blocks from Market St (public transportation) and right next to Chinatown. Yeah, this place isn't the Hilton or a shmancy B&B, but it was clean, safe (though I wouldn't keep valuables in my room), and cheap - perfect for two young adults (25 and 31) to party on the town. After all, why are you going to San Fran? Just to hang out in your room?

For the price it was great, all I need is a clean bed and shower. We only use the hotel to sleep, bath and drop of our things. Free Breakfast was a bonus. They made our bed everyday and put new clean towels our room. The workers were very nice. AWESOME location. If you are looking for a clean bed and shower this is the place for you. If you need a blow dryer bring your own, they did not have it. (only down side) I will stay there again when I come back but ill bring my blow dryer next time :)

After researching the various web sites I found the best price for this hotel on their own web site. $47 week night and $50 saturday night for a room with a community bath. I never saw anyone else use the community bath. The price was very good, maybe $7 a night more than other hotels in areas considered unsafe (tenderloin) so this was a real bargain. The hotel itself was right at the chinatown gate so in a very safe area even at night. never felt threatened walking the late hours of the night. Towels were okay, seemed kind of new. Temperature was never a problem, actually the place was a little nippy (50's) so I had to turn on the heater. I was away from the street so didn't hear that much traffic, except for the once and a while loud mufflers. staff were courteous, younger (not elderly). seems that the hotel catered to chinese people as there were many chinese guests. my room had 2 beds so I used the other to put my suitcases on (I was a single but they didn't have a king bed available). no noises from the bed springs and upon checking no roaches or bedbugs (I always check just in case). As others have said, elevators were old and could only fit 3 people and was a little jerky. stair cases on one side were very slim so hard to go down and up. the other staircase was fine. just remember that you get what you paid for, a budget hotel in a safe area and you won't go wrong. as others have said, you can pay a little/lot more for a better hotel but if you are on a budget then this fits the bill. Seemed the hotel web site had the best prices over other travel web sites.

I read one of these reviews the writer complained the TV only got 5 or 6 channels. You dont go to SF to watch TV! The towels were thick and like new. The room was very clean. Surprised at how nice the pillows were. Good water pressure in the shower. Yes, it's small but I only paid $69 and only slept there and returned once to get my jacket. I had a double bed with a few feet on each side to the wall. You get the street noise down below most of the night so if that bothers you, wear ear muffs or go elsewhere. You are literally 10-15 yards to China Town gate and a 5 minute walk to Union Square. Only drawback would be parking a block away for $22 that can be a pain getting to and from, unloading, etc but once that is done, you are fine. The elevator only holds 3 people and is a bit of an adventure but I'll stay again.

O.K. First off. This is a very old hotel. Back in it's day, this place was first class, but it has seen the years. The place is well run, and for it's age looks in great shape. The staff is nice, and some speek english. For the price, I think they try hard to give a great deal. I'm glad that this place is there for my bi-monthly trip to S.F. for work. If you want a 4 star, go pay the $200+ There is normal street noise in the mornings, and the windows are not sound proof like in the new places. But this is a safe hotel. For the price, and the safe rooms, I give it 4 stars.

Location was great, right next to China town and public transit near by. The staff were very friendly and everything went smoothly with check in/out, etc. It's old, the furniture is old, and not in a cool, hip, or antique way. The rooms are small and there are not any amenities. But, it's clean, cheap, friendly, and idealy located. So, if you're on a budget and just need a place to shower and crash after a long day touring San Fran, my husband and I would highly recommend it. If you're used to four or five star hotels, looking for romance, or a room you want to hang out in for awhile, forget about it. Oh, and you park in a garage a block away at a reduced rate, makes the low price of the room even handier.