Hotel Carlton  

This is a funky, Old San Francisco hotel, charming but fairly spare. It's great for short stays when you don't need luxury amenities, and prices are very reasonable for sf. I had a good-sized Queen room with a great city view for half what I'd pay elsewhere. Joie De Vivre owns this place, and while it's at the low end of their properties, the company's quality is apparent in the small touches and friendly service.

I didn't mind that the room's carpet was faded, or that there was dust in the bathroom vents, or that come morning the windows were dirty enough that the view was somewhat obscured ... these kinds of issues are frequently found in old hotels, and they're often part of the charm. Despite this the place was clean and bug free and the bed, whileit was no Westin Heavenly, had no issues and was appointed decently. Finally, the location is in the Polk Gulch, so there's plenty of bars and places to eat in walking distance, and Union Square is about a 15 minute walk. However, the neighborhood itself is not the best -- mostly safe (I used to live around there), but not as gentrified as some areas of the city. It's really no worse than Union Square itself, which is in fact closer to the sketchy Tenderloin.

Hotel Carlton was very well situated for visiting downtown sf with buses 5 only minutes walk and trams nearby. The hotel is obviously of an age but delightful for it. The the room was clean and comfortable even if the mountainous pillows were a challenge for the neck and a boon for the chiropractor. The front desk were great.

One let down was the breakfast. A rock-hard bagel and cinnamon twist and coffee is too limited in our opinion as frequent international travelers. Something hot would be nice, but if not at least some chunky muesli, fresh cut fruit and hot toast would be expected, even if the price was adjusted slightly to suit. The restaurant was fully booked for our first night but we were not told that it would be closed for the next two nights of our stay, why so in an 'international' hotel? The meal and breakfast situation aside we enjoyed our stay.

The staff were super friendly and treated us very well when we said it was our honeymoon. My sister stayed here four years ago and loved it too. Quite central as well and very relaxed atmosphere. Restaurant a bit pricy but great diner down the street very cheap. Would def recommend this place.

Boutique hotel. Clean room. Good location.

No valet service for car at the hour we arrived.

Good location.

Smelly noisy rooms. Very old hotel. Needs updating. Not worth the money. Musky smell in all 5 rooms we booked.

I loved the atmosphere and the the excellent service. The staff is very friendly.

Warm,welcoming staff. Great fun to meet other guests in front of the blazing fire - especially with a glass of wine and a certain staff member tickling the ivories!

the ambiance, the staff was very helpful, comfortable rooms.

Charming atmosphere! If you like older buildings with creative expression, lively staff, and being immersed in San Francisco, I strongly recommend this place.

Walls are a bit thin

I liked the friendly helpful staff. The wine testing at 5.30pm was great for meeting other guests and finding out about their experiences and places to go.

the front desk staff was very cheerful. theo was extennely helpful and knowledgable. we enjoyed the wine party each day.

bathroom tubs were skinny and slippery. rooms needed new tubs and safety bar. my 85 year old mother traveled with us. the tub was very difficult for her.

The position is wonderful: allows to make a tour of the city centre by feet!

The hotel has its own parking space but the rate is quite high. For that concerns the room, the only negative points were the noise (too thin walls) and the light (the blinds are actually useless).