My wife "surprised" me with a trip to SF and a night here at the Laurel Inn. I was very excited -- I had heard great things about the Joie De Vivre hotels and I knew this was a good area in the City. Being an expat San Franciscan, I was overjoyed to be staying here.
Until we arrived, that is.
First thing to greet us was Tanya, who told us that we were getting a room with a great view, but without the King Bed we had booked and paid for. She said they were "very busy" that night (it was a Monday in late March, for the record) and that we had to get bumped to a room with 2 single beds. She further said that since we booked through Expedia that "our room wasn't guaranteed since they sell those at a lower rate".
Are you kidding me? My wife and I were beyond displeased, and we talked about cancelling our reservation and looking for someplace else to stay; but it wasn't until my wife pulled out the confirmation that plainly showed "Deluxe King" in black and white that Tanya said that she could "maybe" juggle some things around for us. We were at length given the room we originally booked and paid for, but to deal with that kind of hassle right out of the gate was unacceptable.
She gave us 2 free "cocktail" tickets to the adjacent bar, Swank, that were really only good for ONE kind of beer or a glass of house wine.
We got our room key and went to the elevator, which was painted completely black on the interior and lined with dead sunflowers. I thought it was kitschy at best, but still it beat a plain, undressed elevator car. The elevator made lots of noise, of the popping and squealing kind, and I was very unhappy to see that the inspection certificate had expired 9 months prior.
Our room was very nice, which is the only reason this place is getting 2 stars instead of 1. The bed was very comfortable, though the pillows were a bit soft for my tastes, and everything was impeccably clean. The bathroom was just decent, about what I expect out of a San Francisco hotel that looks like it was probably originally built in the 50s or 60s; though I was surprised that there wasn't a fan since it was a windowless room. There was also no handsoap in the bathroom, so we ended up using our shower toiletries for that.
There was no heat or A/C in the main room, which was somewhat surprising, but the window did open and it wasn't a warm day so that was no real problem for us; but I could see that being a nightmare during Indian Summer or on a colder night.
The 32" flatscreen TV was nice, but it had dish -not cable- and we lost feed multiple times, though never for long. And although we didn't book a room with a kitchenette, I was both surprised and disappointed not to have a mini-fridge at the very least.
The best part about this hotel was the attached bar (which, incidentally, is what you'll be seeing if you go to the Laurel Inn website and watch the slideshow on their main page. More than a little misleading, if you ask me.)
Overall, the cons far outweighed the pros; and I will neither stay here again nor recommend it to anyone.
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