It was very interesting to stay at the hotel I had read so much about in these reviews before travelling there
For me there re two main issues here
(1) The Hotel and (2) The Neighbourhood
(1) The hotel is absolutely fine. I booked 2 rooms for my party and I was pretty pleased with them. Rooms were clean and bed linen changed ever day. Hotel appears to be built in the Edwardian period and probably suffers as a result. For example the electrics went off in one of the room due to overloading of the circuit when the hair straightners were plugged in. This was mentioned to staff who dealt with it immediately and it wasn’t a problem at all. The building probably need rewiring, re-plumbing etc but this would undoubtedly cost millions and would probably be uneconomic to do so on the part of the owners. However no complaints about the whitcomb hotel itself
(2) The Neighbourhood- I was very surprised by number of destitute people and those appearing to suffer mental illness on the streets of San Francisco. This hotel is in an area that is full of these people. I never had a problem with anybody myself, but I can understand why this issue has been brought up so much in previous reviews on this hotel. My party consisted of my wife and my 3 young girls, who are 10, 12 and 14, and I know that they felt a little uneasy about the area. If this hotel was literally 500 yards east of where it is, say from Mason Street onwards, where the main shopping area begins, then this hotel would probably be receiving rave reviews
However its not, and that is probably reflected in the price they charge. It is nevertheless in a good geographical position to get around the city, and public transport is almost right outside. Starbucks is next to the hotel and anyone wanting a decent breakfast should try “Sams” which is directly opposite the hotel
Would I book again- yes I would. Its not the hotels fault that there is destitution on the streets, but this issue shouldn’t be overplayed and I would be prepared to stay there again. Those who are a little bit more sensitive to the down and outs, should perhaps look elsewhere.
hotel reviews