Grant Hotel

San Francisco Hotel Review

"I spent about 3 hours on your site before I went to SF for my vacation last month. While in SF, I realized just how useful the information on your site was. My wife and I had a wonderful time in SF, and we'd like to express our thanks to you. We also had a very good time staying at the Grant Hotel on Bush St. For $65 it provided us a clean & decent room, with city view from the window. The staff there were very kind & helpful. With a 5 minutes walking to Union Square & Chinatown, we found the Grant Hotel really is a nice choice in SF. Also, we had a nice walk around 9pm from Union Square back to hotel, and had no trouble nor saw no suspicious activity at all."

735 Bush Street

Editor: The hotel is older, but charming with recently remodeled bathrooms in some rooms. The location is very convenient to many attractions as WJ noted. The rooms are smaller with older wood furniture and steam radiator heat. Recommended for a cheap, no-frills deal.

Lynette writes in September 2001, "I have just returned to your site to find the Grant Hotel in SF as I stayed there in October 2000. I found this hotel very clean, safe, in a great location and very nice staff. As the Australian dollar was and still is, around 50cUS it was great to find a hotel at US$60. For the traveller on a budget, this is a great hotel. This from a woman in her 50's."

Liane writes, "The Grant is definitely "basic", but for the cost and convenience, it can't be beat! Oh also, "basic service" means no ice available (no machine), but we did manage to get an extra pillow, and the morning pastries were home made and delicious! and yes, our luggage was also left in the lobby, but I felt confident with claim tags and someone always there it was ok.One note, an incident that now reminds me of an episode of "Fawlty Towers!" We missed connecting up with a relative who lives near the airport, as we tried to call the hotel to let the front desk clerk know we were out of the room, running late to meet the relative and/or were expecting call from them. The clerk offers to call the room for us to see if we were there. (No, we were calling from outside!) It happened that as we were on the phone, the relative was in the lobby, trying to get a hold of us. She heard him say our name, but didn't think to grab the phone from him. As it turns out, he was very stressed out trying to handle us on the phone, the relative in the lobby, and the line of people trying to check in or whatever! This clerk was not a multi-tasker! Needless to say, we missed our connection."

Patrick writes, "We parked in the parking structure across (very busy!) Bush street. The cost of parking was discounted to $11 per 24 hours which is very good for San Francisco. Once we arrived to our room, the view was definitely a "city" view. Unfortunately the room we got was one of the un-refurbished rooms. The room was clean however the paint (or lack of) was very used and dirty with major mold issues in the bathroom. The linen was clean. One word for the location: Great! I was not in the best "walking" condition and still found it very close to many things. If I had the opportunity to have one of the refubished rooms I would definitely stay there again. We were looking for inexpensive but still safe. We were satisfied with the cost and safety. Not a problem walking at night. Was it the "right" place to be in San Francisco? Well if you can't stay at a luxury priced hotel, this is a very cost effective and safe alternative.

Heather writes, "I have to say I was slightly disappointed with ourstay at the Grant Hotel on Bush Street. We arrived into town early and needed the hotel to hold our bags for the morning before we could check in at 1 p.m. I was shocked when I returned to the hotel at 3 p.m. that our bags sat out in the lobby all day, unsecured, and we still could not check into our room. On the next night, the smoke alarm in our room went off, clearly due to a dying battery. When I explained this to the staff member, he either couldn't understand me or didn't want to. He took the unit off of the ceiling and we spent the night without the protection of a smoke alarm. Overall I found the staff to be unfriendly and unaccomodating. However, at $70 a night, you get what you pay for. At least I wasn't paying $200+ a night for a room in the city."

J.B. writes, "The Grant is under major renovation but roomsthat have been renovated are clean and nice. The furniture is inexpensivie and nothing fancy. But for the price, and needing a bed to sleep in, I would highly recommend it. The area is safe and two blocks from one trolly line and 1/2 a block from the other..."

D.T. concurs, "I had a room with two twin beds at the Grant Hotel for under $65. Not only is the hotel easily accessible both to tourist sites and to public transportation, there are nearby eating places for those on a budget. What I enjoyed most was the short walk to China Town for shopping. The hotel was also very clean with newly remodeled bathrooms. As mentioned, there was remodelling going on in the hotel, but it was not disruptive at all. The staff was very helpful on most occasions. When they ran out of their morning pastries, they ran out to get us more and called us when they had more. There also was an airport shuttle that went directly to the hotel. For a nice hotel at a reasonable price, I highly recommend it."

J.W. writes from Scotland, "I stayed in two different rooms at the Grant Hotel. Both rooms were clean but fairly spartan with only a TV. Morning coffee and a muffin/pastry are included in the already reasonable $55-$65 price! The hotel had character. A refurbishment would dramatically increase the price of the rooms and remove most of the charming idiosyncrasies and antique charm! The hotel is in an easily accessible well lit location. No worries about walking at night or getting there from most central locations by foot. Chinatown and Nob Hill are outside the front door and Union Square is less than a 5 minute walk away. This hotel is well placed on a street where the average cost for a room exceeds 120 dollars. The Moscone center was about 15 minutes away by foot. The bed linen and towels were changed daily and the room was always spotlessly clean. The staff were very friendly and helpful with any local information. I would be happy to bring wife and children here in one of the bigger rooms as many European couples seemed to have done. European travelers made up the bulk of the guests here. This is not a luxury hotel but a good economy option. If you want to visit San Francisco for the food or the theater or the other attractions and need a central hotel for a reasonable price this one is for you. Your budget for entertainment will go much further than your friends in the chain hotels!"

R. writes, "Two people in a double bed for $60 a night. Not too shabby. Considering we were only in the room to sleep, the less-than-ritzy accomodations weren't a problem. Besides, the bathroom was surprisingly lovely and clean, and more renovations are currently underway (though there was no noise problem during sleeping hours). The folks at the front desk were tremendously helpful and friendly. Other perks -- the hotel's close proximity to small groceries and coffee shops, providing cheap eats and supplies, as well as nearby laundry facilities (if you're terribly messy during your visit). We were just minutes from Chinatown and other hotspots, and The Summer Place, a local bar, boasts a fireplace AND an Elvira pinball machine in addition to its amicable bartender and regulars. Ultra-handy tip: The cable car stops at the corner of Powell and Bush, the block where the hotel's located, saving your shins from a deathly steep walk up Bush Street. Use it, live it, love it."

Matt writes, "We are young and love to travel, but we can't afford to stay in the nicest hotels. What a nice surprise when we arrived! The hotel was in a GREAT, bustling location right in the heart of the city. Imagine our surprise when we woke up the first day and found that we only had to walk one block to catch the cable car and only had to walk two blocks to Chinatown and Union Square! The hotel provides its guests with discount parking in the secure garage across the street. In addition, we really enjoyed the charm and ambience of the old building. Rooms were nicer than we expected, equipped with a small refrigerator and television. In addition, the hotel was very quiet in the evenings and our bathroom was newly remodeled and very clean. In the hotel's lobby, we enjoyed chatting with several young European backpackers who were just passing through the city. After seven nights in the Grant Hotel, it was such a relief to receive a bill for only $500. I would highly recommend the Grant to travelers who are looking for a hotel that is in a perfect location, offering a clean, quiet place to sleep in one of the world's most beautiful cities."