I've stayed at the Hotel Diva maybe five times over the past five years. I've also stayed at at least a dozen other hotels in the area, because I travel on business to San Francisco regularly and am always on the lookout for a good property that I can go back to. I stayed at the Diva most recently because the price was very competitive, but I doubt I'll stay there again.
The Diva is a couple of blocks from Union Square, and is near shopping and many restaurants. The area is safe and relatively clean. The lobby is small; you wouldn't want to sit and read a newspaper or have a drink or chat with friends--it's strictly for checking in and out. There's a small business center and exercise room, and free wi-fi in the rooms. All good.
The problem for me is (1) the size of the rooms, and (2) the decor, or lack thereof. This last stay, I was in a square white box containing a bed, a thin desk, and a small end table on either side of the bed. There was no room for anything else. The bathroom was just large enough for a tub, sink and toilet. One window, overlooking a fire escape and very narrow alley, such that you wouldn't want to look out of the window, which let in little light. A flat-screen TV attached to the wall, which swings out for viewing from the bed--there's no other place to view it from. Behind the bed, there was a large flat piece of steel bolted to the wall, which seems to be standard in every room.
I felt like I was in prison. I don't tend to spend much time in my room--I use it for sleeping and not much else--but it still felt claustrophobic. Although the Diva seems to present itself as new and arty, there's actually very little art work anywhere; it's quite spartan The steel on the wall is not, in my mind, an appealing feature. It lacks both warmth and anything to distract attention from the bare white walls.
I was awakened in the wee hours by lots of banging on trash cans from the alley. This is not uncommon for hotels in the area, but some have double windows to better block the noise.
There's nothing wrong with a reliably clean, well-located box--if it's priced at the bottom of the scale for the area. The Diva is not pricey, but it's pricey for what you get, and it's a mystery to me. There being so many hotels within a few blocks, I don't find the Diva competitive at its price point, since it offers me absolutely nothing beyond its good location. For about the same price I can find a similar location, a larger room, some attempt at decor, and maybe a wine tasting in the evening, and/or a lobby that's hospitable. I have a friend who stays at the Diva religiously because she likes the work-out room. There's that, but it's by no means the only place around that either has a health club or access to one nearby.
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