10 San Francisco Hotel Mistakes to Avoid: How to Book the Right Room

One of the biggest decisions you'll make about visiting San Francisco is where to stay, and I see visitors make the same hotel mistakes over and over.

The good news: every one of them is easy to avoid.

Whether you're about to book or have already reserved your room, avoiding these ten mistakes will save you time, money, and frustration.

I'm Jill, and I live right here in the heart of San Francisco. I've helped visitors plan their trips for almost two decades, and these are the booking mistakes I see people make most.

You can either watch my video or read on for more details!

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Mistake #1: Not Requesting the Right Room at Check-In

The first mistake is checking in and just taking whatever room they hand you. You can often get a better room at no extra cost — you just have to ask.

When you check in, ask for a higher floor, a room toward the back of the building, and away from the elevator.

• A higher floor is usually quieter and gets better light.
• A room at the back keeps you off the busiest streets and away from the noisy cable car lines.

It's even more important if you are a light sleeper.

It's an easy way to get what you want the moment you arrive.

Mistake #2: Defaulting to the Hotel Breakfast

The second mistake is eating breakfast at your hotel every morning. I understand the convenience, and I'm not saying hotel breakfasts are bad.

It's just that San Francisco is a food lover's dream, with great options everywhere. If you eat at the hotel every day, you'll miss some of them.

If you're staying in Fisherman's Wharf, my absolute favorite is Board & Drink (1329 Columbus Avenue). I love their mochas, and their breakfast burritos are tasty and huge.

Two others worth a stop are Eight AM (1323 Columbus Avenue) and the historic Buena Vista Cafe (2765 Hyde).

Over in Union Square, I love Lapisara (698 Post Street). Their waffles with fried chicken are so good, and usually enough for two.

If you love diner food, head to Pinecrest Diner (401 Geary), and Sears Fine Food (439 Powell) is a historic spot that's always a solid option.

If you're like me and need a real breakfast to set up your day, you'll be thrilled with the quality all around the city.

For more, see my Fisherman's Wharf restaurant guide and my Union Square restaurant guide.

Mistake #3: Expecting a Big Room in an Older Hotel

The third mistake is expecting a big room in one of our older hotels.

They're cute and charming, but let me tell you what it's really like to stay in one.

That charm often comes with small spaces. Many older rooms run just 150 to 250 square feet.

Buildings from a hundred years ago weren't designed around a king bed and three big suitcases, and it's not just the room. The bathrooms can be snug too, with smaller showers and barely any counter space.

Even for two people with a lot of luggage, an older room can feel cramped. Add a third or fourth person, and it gets tight fast.

So before you book, check the actual square footage. Many hotels list it right on the booking page.

And, double-check the bed sizes too. Don't just go by the pretty photos.

A little charm is worth it. Just go in knowing what you're booking.

Mistake #4: Not Reading Recent Reviews

The fourth mistake is booking a hotel without reading recent reviews, because things change over time. New management comes in, and the place gets a deep clean, fresh paint, and better service.

Or the opposite happens, and it slowly slides.

Reviews compiled over years and years might be describing a hotel that doesn't exist anymore.

So read the recent reviews, the last few months, not the all-time average.

I recommend this even if you stayed before and loved it.

That's where you'll catch what actually affects your stay: construction in the building or right next door, a lobby torn up for a remodel, cleanliness slipping, or the little things a new owner just fixed.

If three people in the last month mention jackhammers next door, believe them.

Mistake #5: Booking a Non-Refundable Rate Too Early

The fifth mistake is grabbing a non-refundable rate too early just to lock in the lowest price.

I get the appeal. Non-refundable rooms are usually cheaper, sometimes a lot cheaper, and it feels good to check the hotel off your list.

But you're making a bet that nothing about your trip changes between now and your stay.

Flights can move, plans can shift, construction can start next door, or someone can get sick before you leave.

With a non-refundable rate, that money's gone and you're locked in.

So weigh it carefully.

It's cheaper when you book, but you may pay more in the end.

Mistake #6: Ignoring the Real Price

The sixth mistake is booking at the nightly rate without knowing what still gets added on top.

First, the good news: hotels are now required to include their mandatory fees — like resort or destination fees — right in the price you see, so you're a lot closer to the final number than you used to be.

But a few things still aren't in that headline price:

• Taxes - San Francisco's hotel taxes (the city's hotel tax plus a tourism assessment) run about 16%. You'll see it during booking, before you pay, but it's added on top of the room rate — so a $200 room is really around $230 a night once tax is in.
• Parking  - Only if you need it, but it's the one thing that can add hundreds to your trip, at $40 to $100+ a night. More on this in my San Francisco money-saving tips.
• Smaller add-ons - An extra-guest fee, a pet fee, or even WiFi.
• Incidental holds - Most hotels place a temporary hold on your card at check-in, averaging $50 to $100 a night. It's not a charge, and it's released after checkout, but it ties up that money in the meantime. So leave room for it, especially if you're using a debit card.

When you're comparing hotels, make sure you know the real, all-in price. It's the only number worth comparing one hotel to the next.

Mistake #7: Thinking Union Square and Fisherman's Wharf Are Your Only Options

The seventh mistake is thinking Union Square and Fisherman's Wharf are your only two choices. They're great, and they're convenient, but there are more options around the city:

• Nob Hill sits right above Union Square, with some of the city's classic, high-end hotels with grand lobbies and cable cars rolling past the door. It's central and walkable, with a few budget-friendly picks tucked in, though be ready for steep hills.
• The Marina, along Lombard Street, is more of a motel-and-hotel strip. It's often a bit more space for your money, easier parking (some even offer it free), and you're close to the Palace of Fine Arts and the Golden Gate Bridge. But many of the hotels are older and sit on a very busy road.
• SoMa (South of Market) puts you near the museums, Yerba Buena, and the Moscone convention center. It works well if you're here for a conference or want to be on that side of downtown — just know prices here can spike first during large conventions.

The best neighborhood isn't the most famous one. It's the one that fits how you want to spend your days. If you need help deciding, my guide to what it feels like to stay in each district walks through what to expect from each one.

Mistake #8: Chasing the Cheapest Rate

The eighth mistake is booking the cheapest room you can find and figuring you'll make it work.

I love a good deal, but with hotels, the lowest price is usually low for a reason. And, that reason is almost always location. Just note that average hotel prices here run about $180 to $340 a night.

Sometimes saving $80 a night ends up costing you the vacation you wanted. The cheapest rooms in San Francisco often sit in the parts of town you'd rather not walk back to after dinner.

Many cluster around the Tenderloin and the western edge of SoMa. Those aren't areas I recommend, no matter how good the rate looks.

And a cheap hotel in a great district can be a red flag too.

That bargain price in Union Square or Fisherman's Wharf might mean you're on a loud, busy street, that there's deferred maintenance, or that the walls are thin.

So when a price looks too good, do a little digging.

Drop the address into a map, check Street View, and scan recent reviews for words like "noise," "street," or "construction."

Paying a little more to be somewhere you feel comfortable and can actually sleep is money well spent.

Mistake #9: Choosing Stars Over Location

The ninth mistake is picking your hotel by the star rating instead of the location that works for you. It's easy to do. Four stars sounds better than three, so you book the fancier place.

But in San Francisco, a great location will do more for your trip than an extra star ever will.

You're not here to sit in your room.

You'll be out at the Golden Gate Bridge, climbing the hills, catching a cable car, wandering a neighborhood.

A three-star hotel in the right spot, where you can walk out the door into the city, drop your bags in the afternoon, and grab a jacket when the fog rolls in, beats a four-star hotel a half-hour away that you have to commute to and from every day.

Mistake #10 — Booking Outside the City

The tenth, and biggest, mistake is booking your hotel outside San Francisco. A room out by the airport, in South San Francisco, or across the bay can look like a real deal. Sometimes they are $50 or more per night cheaper.

But that price hides something: every single day, you have to get into the city and back.

That's BART fares ($5 to $12 each way) or a rental car and parking, plus the time, which can be the better part of an hour each way, before you've done a single thing.

And remember why your hotel is here in the first place: your afternoon reset, your jacket stop when the fog rolls in, your place to drop the shopping bags and catch your breath.

Stay forty minutes out and you lose all of it.

You can't pop back mid-day. Once you leave in the morning, you're committed until night.

So I recommend staying in the city. Pay a little more per night if you have to.

What you get back - the time, the ease, actually being able to use your hotel - is worth far more than the difference.

The Bottom Line

Where you stay shapes your whole trip.

Avoid these ten common hotel mistakes.

Ask for the right room, read the recent reviews, know the all-in price, pick location over stars, and stay in the city, and you'll book a hotel that makes San Francisco easier and more enjoyable.

Have a wonderful visit to one of the best cities in the world.

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