Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
themselves, so you'll know what the baseline is. But that doesn't mean you can't
do better, particularly if you use hotel-booking websites (see below).
As I mentioned before, San Francisco isn't like most other cities. Its buildings
are very old, having been built in a time when uniformity was not prized. In this
way, its accommodations have more in common with Europe than with much of
America. Many hotels on the affordable end of the spectrum date from the post-
quake years, and by local values, tearing them down is out of the question.
Consequently, you'll find creaky wood floors, inconvenient stairway placement,
odd room configurations, rambling hallways, walls that are less than soundproof,
and often, some rooms that are smaller than the modern chain-hotel standard. In
a given hotel, rooms just a few doors down from each other may be drastically dif-
ferent in size and the amount of natural light. On the bright side, that usually
comes with high ceilings. Be thankful for such idiosyncrasies, because it's what
makes a room cost $100 in a $300 market. Unless the hotel is totally chock-
ablock, most desk clerks will oblige you with a room change if you ask for one.
Calling the hotels directly doesn't always get the best price; some properties
offer discounts on their own websites that knock $40 to $60 off regular prices.
The city is also plugged into the network of online sellers that slash prices; make
sure you get quotes out of Hotwire.com, Priceline.com, HotelsCombined.com
and Hotels.com before committing, because it's very common to find discounts
there—in some hotel listings, I note particularly good ones that I've found in the
past. When you've a quote you like, call the hotel itself to see if it can do even bet-
ter on the rate. Most of these online agencies work closely with the hotels, and at
periods of loose occupancy, it's common to find rates there that are around 30%
lower than what's quoted here.
Just make sure of a few things if you start your search on those sites. Have a
map in hand, because not all computer-based sites screen adequately for location,
and you wouldn't want to book a place too far from where you want to be;
Momondo.com, an excellent site that culls quotes from a multitude of other sites
and puts them on one page for you, recently offered me (from an Italian site called
Venere.com) a hotel in Livermore, 44 miles away, in what was supposed to be a
San Francisco search. Hotels near the airport that require the use of a car also fre-
quently lurk among the results.
You're also likely to find spot sales advertised unexpectedly as hotels turn to the
discounters to help build business when conventions aren't in town.
Some properties require 2-night minimums stays but aren't explicit about that
fact on their online booking forms. Others may limit room occupancy to two
people, so read the terms of your reservation very carefully.
For printable coupons good at highway motels outside of town (places I don't
review here), consult the Hotel Savings Directory at www.hotelsavingsdirectory.com.
Through that site, properties around the airport, for which you'll need a car, can cost
$45 to $60.
UNION SQUARE & THE TENDERLOIN
I usually insist on staying around Union Square. First, it's accessible to nearly
everything else without having to change buses or trains. Second, it's the historic
heart of town. Third, many of the accommodations options are in older stone
buildings with the accompanying antique vibe, which I love. There's also plenty
