CM
Camille Marino
May 26, 2026
TLDR version: RED-HEADED WOMAN AT FRONT DESK WAS ABYSMAL (& that's putting it lightly) and single-handedly made this one of the worst hotel experiences I've had. I won't be returning and I'll also be sure to share this experience with anyone asking for hotel recommendations in the city.
I genuinely wanted to love this hotel. The location alone is hard to beat — walkable to Chinatown and North Beach, minimal street noise for being right in the heart of downtown, and the older architecture gives it a charm that newer hotels simply can't replicate. There's real potential here.
Unfortunately, my experience at the front desk overshadowed everything else, and I'd be doing a disservice to other guests if I didn't share it.
From the moment we checked in, the interaction felt off. Our reservation name was confused with another guest's, and rather than handling it graciously or simply checking the system, she became argumentative — insisting the reservation was under a different name despite the ID in front of her. It took my husband stepping in to resolve something that should have been a non-issue. When it came to our pets — which were clearly noted on our reservation — we were initially placed in a non-pet room. Again, rather than acknowledging the oversight, she doubled down and insisted our pets were never noted on the reservation at all. They were. Instead of a simple room reassignment, we were asked to haul all of our luggage back down from the 7th floor before being moved to the 2nd floor. With two dogs in tow, that was beyond frustrating.
What stood out just as much as her attitude, though, was the blatant inconsistency. I overheard her informing another guest about a 10% discount at the neighboring gelato shop and other hotel amenities — information we were never offered. When my husband politely asked about it, he was met with a dismissive one-word response, mid-conversation, before she turned her attention to someone else entirely. The fact that a guest could be dismissed mid-conversation without so much as an 'excuse me' says everything about the lack of basic respect we were shown throughout our stay.
To make matters worse, we requested a late checkout — which she approved and charged us for. When we returned to our room shortly after, our key cards had already been deactivated and we were locked out entirely. What made this especially alarming is that our dogs were still inside the room. Being charged for a service, only to be locked out with our pets trapped inside, is not just an inconvenience — it's completely unacceptable.
To top it off, when we asked for her name, she told us it was 'Kamille with a K' — which was particularly strange given that MY name is Camille. Sure enough, another employee confirmed the next day that wasn't her name at all. So she lied and at this point, nothing surprised me. What I can say with certainty is that she is a red-headed woman whose unapproachable demeanor was apparent from the moment we walked in.
Beyond the front desk, a few practical notes worth knowing before you book:
- No in-room microwave or coffee maker
- The mini fridge runs warm due to what seems like a ventilation issue
- The water filter on the 6th floor needs attention — sink water was notably better
- Rooms could use a more thorough cleaning on arrival
- Breakfast is minimal grab-and-go
- Wi-Fi is not complimentary; it's bundled into a $37/night "Urban Amenity Fee"
- We noticed unattended luggage left at the hotel entrance for over 10 minutes — a small but notable security concern
I've stayed in a lot of hotels, and I truly believe staff can make or break the experience. This stay is a reminder of exactly that. The hotel itself has character worth preserving — I just hope management invests the same energy into its guest experience. As it stands, I would not recommend staying here at all.