Admiral Hotel

6.4

Fair

161 Guest reviews

6.4

Fair

161 Verified Reviews

Read all reviews

Cleanliness6.6/10

Service7.0/10

Comfort6.0/10

Condition5.8/10

location7.4/10

Neighborhood5.4/10

Amenities6.6/10

Pleasant little hotel in the Tenderloin

The Admiral is a delightful old hotel in the Tenderloin. The neighborhood is pretty awful, but the hotel is pleasant, clean, safe, and affordable. The staff are friendly and helpful, and I loved the room. It is an older hotel, but freshly painted and very clean, and I loved the mid-century furnishings. Very retro! The elevator is a bit strange, but once you get used to it it is fine.

It's the tenderloin. Cockroach in the bathroom, that I smashed. Other bug in bedroom...not sure what it was. Too fast. Couldn't smash. Two girls kicking each others butts in room next door to me at 2am. No phone in my room conecting to front desk. Called phone number on website. Told me it was local problem. OMG! Finaly...someone came to break it up...2 hours later. Thank goodness. Horrible experience.

Great property for central location in SF. The front desk guy was very nice and helped us with our food delivery when we were stuck in traffic ! Great place and cool old school elevator !!

Worst customer service I've ever gotten in 41 year

Honestly, you couldn't pay me to stay in this hotel again. Manager was extremely rude and disrespectful to my wife, screaming at her over our 17 year old son showing up and staying the night. Kept our deposit without any valid reason other than our kid being in the room with us without putting him on the reservation... Although he watched him walk into the building with my wife. If I could rate in the negatives I would.

Service is good and kindness is very good. The hotel is located in a typical urban ambiance. Don't expect the firemen trucks to be quiet ! Ear plugs mandatory. The Tenderloin area is not for basic travelers. It has been like this for ever. 2 blocs away it is a completely different world. We recommend the hotel for its good price/service ratio.

My reservation wasn’t supposed to be prepaid when I booked it! Especially since the card used for the reservation did not belong to the person staying in the room. The intention was to switch the card at check in, or check out time. But since it was prepaid. It could no longer be changed. As for the staff or cleaning person, one of two medications went missing, and never reappeared, and they were required for existing medical conditions.

Customer service at this hotel was exactly what you would want, they treated us so kind and went above and beyond . Thank you

Worst option

Admiral Hotel

This is a no frills type place so consider that when booking. Staff was very friendly. The hotel is over 100 years and you will know it but I kind of like that. This was the only place I could find within the government per diem rate. Everything else was 3-4 times more expensive. Homelessness and drug use is pervasive in the area and you will see zombies in the streets and tent encampments unfortunately at this time, however none of them bothered us or caused any concern for our safety. There is a convenient store right on the corner which is great for grabbing snacks or drinks and the bus stops right across the street.

No pets allied BS

Biggest complaint, hotel information stated no pets allowed. There were dogs in other rooms that were constantly barking. Hotel staff notified. They said there was nothing they could do about it 😡

To be perfectly honest, when we arrived at the hotel. I was a little sketchy. Looked rough outside and even in the lobby. Once we were buzzed in (security), the staff was very welcoming. Gave us great information. This is a very old apartment building with a 40’s style elevator. The room was clean and had everything we needed. There is no AC in the hotel. Remember you are in San Francisco, it really doesn’t get hot. People open their windows and have fans circulating the cool air. Overall it was a great stay. There are several small markets and restaurants close by. The shop people are extremely friendly, they all made us feel welcome. We were obviously tourists.

Not a great neighborhood, people revving their engines, blasting music and yelling at each other outside all night made it hard to sleep. The room cleanliness was ok (although there was one cockroach in the bathroom) but the hallways and stairwells are super dirty. Will not stay again.

Convenient location close to Union Square. Not in the nicest part of San Francisco. Hotel however did the job, it was clean and functional. Staff were helpful. Close to trams and cable cars. Quite noisy at night so bring ear plugs if you are a light sleeper! Good value for money.

The Admiral is budget hotel at the edge of the Tenderloin. For what it is, it is very good. The building is over 100 years old. Windows don't always shut all the way, the elevator doesn't have an automatic door, there is exposed conduit in the hallways, the shower faucet leaks. Etc. It's not Hilton. BUT, the owners have put love in, where it matters. My room (#62) was newly furnished and painted, and exceptionally clean. There was a large desk. A modern TV with many channels. Soap, shampoo, and clean towels. A fridge and a coffee maker, with free coffee. Were there strange howls from the street corner at 3 AM? Yes. There's also a midnight Taqueria and a 24 hour convenience store across the street, only a 5 minute walk to BART, and only a 10 minute walk to the Moscone Center, where I was attending a conference. The concierge called in advance when it seemed I would arrive late (delayed flight), helped me get the elevator to work, and made sure I knew how to check out early. Would I stay here again? Certainly.

Just what I expected

The room that we checked into had flies and the bathroom light was not working properly. We complained and they were able to give us another room. Be aware there is no AC unit, just fans. The bed is not so comfy. Overall a good value for your money. Muni stop is just across the street.

Clean and nice room - had a desk.

Quaint and rustic, ear plugs a MUST

The hotel is a historical site so it has a very rustic design and feel to it. It's a little hard to tell it's a hotel at first since the awning is kinda small and inconspicuous, but the guy at the front was very nice. The room itself was nice and clean, with a fridge and microwave and cable tv, as well as the option to chrome cast. While there were no issues with the room itself, the outside area was quite loud with lots of people hanging outside and yelling throughout the night. Im a pretty sound sleeper and was on the 6th floor, but was woken up every 1-1.5 hours throughout the night. Definitely need ear plugs during the night to get a good nights sleep.

A gem hidden

Authentic budget Hotel

Once in side the hotel the room is perfect for a budget hotel. The location is walkable to the centre. But be warned you are staying on the edge of tenderloin we didn’t research this and it’s a scary area day or night. Walk down the wrong way (which we did) you are at risk! Having said that we would stay again but I would recommend you research first. Know the area. Not for single travellers or families.

Lovely hotel and a great stay!

You get what you pay for. I wasn't expecting much. Hotel smells strong of curry (on my floor anyway) dirty room, one trash can, cigarette burns on comforter, very old and stained bathtub, small staircase. The surrounding area is not the best but definitely not the worst.

The sraff was very nice. Spend a little more and get a better hotel. The room had a weird smell, shower was dirty.

clean and comfortable

You get what you pay for. While the room was decent, you are on a very busy street in Tenderloin. And it was noisy. Definitely fit the bill for what I needed.

My favorite place to stay on a budget in SF.

I love this hotel. The rooms are always clean and beautifully decorated. Especially when compared to other hotels in the same price range, this hotel stands out as my favorite. The staff obviously care about their hotel and it shows in the clean nicely decorated rooms. If you are unfamiliar with San Francisco you should be aware that the neighborhood just a couple blocks to the south gets pretty gritty at night and even during the day you might want to avoid the Tenderloin. During the day your really pretty safe but pay attention where your strolling after dark

It was a wonderful overall experience. The building and everything in it are old but I should say they have done a decent job in maintaining that.

It is the worst place I could choose to stay in San Francisco. There were a lot of homeless around and too much noise. I couldn't sleep well :(

Great Value!

Overall, the Admiral Hotel is a great value. My room was large and clean with a nice tv (a million-plus channels) and useful furniture (desk, seating chair, small table, etc.). The closet was HUGE and the bathroom had great water pressure. The staff was friendly and helpful. Housekeeping was provided upon request and was excellent. I'd definitely recommend the Admiral Hotel.

Admirable Hotel

Great location, fair price, staff was there when I needed them.

Theifs

They lied and said that I checked in when I get out this hotel is crap in this hotel is not worthy of y’all’s pills money on

Nice inexpensive hotel close to SOMA and financial district. There was a lot of street noise at night.

Clean and pleasant. The neighborhood is what it is, so you’ll be happier if you’re used to big city noise & street people. Everything in my room worked and was clean, water pressure and speed of heating was great, wifi was great, staff was terrific about explaining quirks of the elevator.

Front desk staff was very helpful. Location was convenient for our needs,

bring your own toilet paper....

The hotel is old and desperately needs reconditioning. The room was acceptable and bed was fine, but bathroom was not great. The water dribbled from cold fawcet, and the cabinet had leftovers from other people’s visits. What I laughed about was the toilet paper - it was from the reject shop.... every few sheets it was cut or angled and cut so as it rolled out small pieces of paper dropped to the floor. I couldn’t believe this was even made that way.

Annoying policy - No guests after 9pm. If was fine.. It was cheap. But there was nothing about this place that makes want to stay there again.

The staff is fairly nice. There is no parking lot for customers, and hardley any street parking. The building is old. There are a lot of people that look homeless, drunk, or on drugs.

Rooms very clean and comfortable, hotel staff very friendly and professional close to very good restaurants and public transportation.

The property is close to Union Square and lots of Halal restaurants serving good food, convenient grocery stores nearby

Located in the Tenderloin close to BART station you really don't want to be out late cuz all the riffraff on the streets. Cost much higher than what you would expect but hey that's San Francisco

Perfect to for what we intended, Resting from a long travel day quick shower and off on a adventure to explore the city.

Great place to stay

Very pleasant stay in all regards Friendly staff

San Francisco really needs to get away from the “sanctuary” crap they embrace and start cleaning up their city.

Lots of good & little of bad

Good: Room: clean and spacious Staff: friendly and helpful Bad: Elevator: almost daily problems Noise: nightly street noise

Avoid at any cost!

Not up to scratch. This place has a cheek to use the name ‘hotel’! The description lists services such as 24hr front desk, luggage storage, airport drop off service. This was a complete lie! The front desk was never manned, and there’s no way to call anyone either to make use of these supposed services. The lobby and corridors are horrendously unwelcoming, in a desperate state of repair and terribly filthy. The room was slightly better, but covering over horrible construction and finishing work with fresh paint, is only masking the problems. The bathroom had mould ingrained on the shower curtains and tiles. Smoke alarms don’t work as we could smell cigarette smoke, and there were some bizarre night activities going on in the surrounding rooms. But beware of worse to come! Cockroaches! Yes, there was a sign in the lobby put up no doubt by local authorities, warning of fumigation twice a month. Unbelievable, and yes we did encounter the critters in our room too! We would’ve complained heavily and asked for our money back had there actually been anyone to complain to, and they had insisted on full payment up front. Hotels.com be aware, this place has serious issues, and does not match the description here. Avoid at all costs.

The location is amazing. Everything is walking distance. Union square is a 10min walk. Great indian restaurants around the hotel. Clean and spacious rooms. It's perfect for people traveling on a budget and are not looking for luxury. The highlight of this hotel is the staff, by far. Very friendly and welcoming guys. I sincerely encourage you to give them your business.

The location was great and the manager was fantastic.

Allowed later checkout, good and clean accomodations in nice part of town. Mahalo!

Overall ok

Hotel overall is fine to stay for a few days! Room was cleaned every day and overall clean. Separate Bathroom (always clean), Bedroom with TV, quite big and also always clean. Two things: -Windows do not close 100%, I would recommend earplugs -Room is within House with private Apartments, not a real "Hotel lounge area, just a booth to check it" just for the expectation

great staff, rooms are adequately clean, comfortable and spacious

Great Hotel for the area and price.

Nice hotel close to everything in Union Square area.

Stay the night, and eat the Thai food next door!

The gentlemen at the front desk were kind, got us in quick and easy with our resevation. The gentleman that was helping clean the hotel was also very kind and friendly. Great service with everyone we interacted with. Although the area has homeless (where doesn't in SF) I did not feel unsafe. The room was clean, the fridge and microwave worked well, PLENTY of storage, and everything we needed. Lots of space for a yoga mat and a desk and chairs. I will definetly stay here again, just for the Thai food next door if anything. Tycoon Thai is AMAZING. We ended up eating dinner there 2 nights in a row, and really it wasn't because lack of options. There are a TON of great food options close by. If you are coming to SF to eat or go to a concert, this is a great location. We went to a show at The August Hall, and were able to walk to and from. We stopped at a nearby Speak Easy after the show, and got in about midnight, no problem using the key to open the gate to the room. I am grateful to have found this spot.

Not allowed to check in early.

The room was clean but the bed was a little hard and the pillows were deflated.

Good location but very noisy if in a room facing the street.

Drug Addicts, Roaches & Locked Doors

I had an extremely traumatizing experience at this establishment. I arrived a little after midnight and was forced to wait outside in the rain for nearly 15 minutes because the young man on duty didn’t believe that I had a reservation. It was raining and I was taunted and harrased by men on the street and he refused to let me in until I handed him my phone showing him my confirmation email and begged him because I didn’t feel safe. After checking me in I was assigned a lower level room out of consideration due to the elevator not working. However, the sheets on the bed were dirty. I inquired about the original room I was assigned and after inspection I switched to the third floor. The next day I returned to my room after my event and saw a roach on the floor and in the bed. I immediately packed up my things and turned in my key. I informed the front desk of the issue and left the hotel. Please advise on a refund. Also, to ensure that the hotel knew I was coming before arriving in San Francisco, I called to confirm I was on my way and inquired about a possible airport shuttle. Doing so prior to arriving made my experience even more concerning. The young man did continuously apologize but I literally was outside with two men dangerously close and communicating to me in an unacceptable way. I felt physically threatened and cried during my check in. Please develop a better screening process. I did not deserve to be put in a situation like that. My shower curtain was molded also.

This hotel should be kicked off hotels.com

Was not allowed any guests without the front desk taking a copy of their ID. SO inappropriate. The elevator was totally broken- was there when The city inspector was there speaking to the manager. Asked for a refund because they only had 6th floor walk up available and I have a bad hip. WOULD NOT GIVE ME A REFUND. This is also a residential building and the residents are SO LOUD. they don’t care about the guests. It’s an insane hotel will NEVER go back.

Poor service, bug issues and lack of heating.

Hotel was managed poorly. Each person running the front desk didn’t show much interest in helping or assisting us move our bags to and from the room. They sat down in their cubicle. The heating didn’t work correctly in the room and when we asked hotel staff about it they said the heating system was on a timer. This wasn’t correct. Several times during our stay we noticed several cockroaches. This wasn’t a good look for the hotel by any means. Overall the only thing going for this hotel was the cleaning person, who will remain anonymous. She made sure our room was clean, bed made etc. Thankfully, she showed us that not everyone at this hotel was incompetent.

Scary Place

We needed a last minute hotel and this was all that was available- we should have just slept at the airport because this place was so scary and uncomfortable! The pillows are weird, mine had weird balls of cotton or something in it and my husbands was very flat. There was something weird in the sheets because I woke up with my eyes swollen from allergies to something. The room smelled like cleaning supplies and it was actually pretty clean on the inside. The elevator wasn't working, the guy said it went out today and would be fixed tomorrow. A resident of the hotel later saw us going down the stairs for dinner and told us, oh the elevators been out a week. It also seems like some people live here. The wifi is horrible. I was scared to leave my items in the room because I thought they might get stolen. There office staff is behind a bullet proof plexi glass but they don't put an additional lock on the guest doors, there's just the lock in the door handle (not very secure).

Would not recommend this to anyone

It sucks

Great location in San Francisco

Ok the hotel is old and dated as are most things in San Francisco. The room was clean and quiet the shower was great and the location was where you want to be in sf. It was close to Bart, one block from the theater district and mnits from China Town and Union square. What made the difference is the staff were frendly from the front desk to the maid. Ok there are homeless around but no worst than Hawaii where I live.if you walk on the right streets it less of a problem. Use the Powell Bart exit walk up the rail tracks past o'ferral one block and turn left passing the theater district and turn left after climing a small incline. You can pay $400 per night and see just as many homeless. Your in the heart of SF for a fraction of the price with a safe place to sleep

Unsafe neighborhood for women traveling alone!

I went to a conference and chose to stay here because I was paying without assistance from my employer - am part-time, so they are justified. As a single woman, I did not feel safe walking in the area, so chose to stay in my room in the evening. Neighborhood is full of unsavory types who panhandle and yell at you. Room has no TV and had I not brought a lot of reading material I would have been totally bored. Outlet by the desk was inadequate to charge my laptop, so had to make sure that I had enough power by plugging into a different outlet away from the desk to use my computer every evening. Desk attendant did not explain what the second key was for so I always had to ring the doorbell to be let into the outside gate. One guy did not know me and gave me the third degree when I walked in - kind a rude. Someone really should have a directory of modest hotels that are in safe areas in big cities.

Staff great but bad hotel!

wrong part of town.. no TV ... HARDLY ANY AMENETIES...no shampoo, old, I would say a1* had to leave as there were homeless all over the place

Decent hotel in the city

Within walking distance to most everything if you are not afraid to ride public transit. Hotel did not have air conditioning or a fan for the rare 90 degree weekend that I stayed here. Room did have two large windows with access to a fire escape which was utilized to search for a breeze in order to not overheat. Bathroom had all the essentials that you need, but the shower curtain was throttled with black mold. The bed was very hard and most likely the worst bed I have ever slept on in my life. If a few investments were made into the bed and a few more amenities, this room would be perfect to stay for a night in the city. However, just two blocks over from this location is the heart of San Fran's homeless population. Although I did not feel unsafe or bothered, the bed was absolutely as hard as a rock which leads me to recommend that you should just spend the extra cash to avoid all the hassle that this hotel includes.

I he building it old but clean

It's was wonderfool thanks..

Craphole

Was terrible. Way overpriced for how the rooms were, beds felt like concrete, pillows were terrible, got woken up on our last night to our obviously druggie neighbors fighting and management did nothing about it. Will never ever stay at this hotel or ever recommend to anyone.

Elevator was broken Stairs super dirty

This is very bad I paid $251.10 x 2 night that was very very bad Not worth even $20 x night Hotel looks super bad and not clean The floor had not even been cleaned Super bad Not even on time for check in I had to way for the room after 3 pm Not lobby or bathroom to use !! No sit

Beware!!!

Beware all! We showed up and was told our room is on the 6th floor and the elevator was broken, fortunately we are in good enough shape to do this. It was difficult with the luggage as the staircase is spiral and narrow. In looking at the 'note' attached to the 6th floor elevator indicating it was broken, the paper was older / wrinkled so we do not believe this was recent. We should have received info regarding this prior to our stay so we could have changed if needed!! This was the least of the issues. There are full time residents at this hotel with cats who roam, even though we were told they were not suppose to be. If you have allergies / asthma issues, this is a serious hazard and the main reason we left after one night. The bed was like sleeping on a concrete floor! We were so sore and tired the next morning. I have never experienced this type of mattresss, had no idea such a type existed. There was no phone, television or thermostat control. We were provided a 1/2 roll of TP. I understand the city has a homeless issue, however several sleep on the sidewalk around this area.

Disgusting

Worst experience ever. After checking in. I was told that the room was on the 6th floor but the elevator was broken. Then upon seeing the room, there was gooey blood looking stains everywhere. Tried to check out immediately and was told there would be no refund and upon contacting hotels.com was told there was nothing they could do to help. I will never use hotels.com again after this experience.

Unhappy guests

We were unable to stay because we have a pet. We were uninformed about this and ended up having to sleep in our car with our dog. Not impressed at all. Parking cost in addition is 36 dollars for 1 night.

This hotel is in downtown area and there are many homeless people.

Budget lodging

Shocked to see there was no tv in the room. Very noisy 24/7 so bring your earplugs. Be ready to randomly smell Indian food from the restaurant next door. Room was clean. This is an OK place to stay on a budget if you want to be in the Union Square area, especially if you don't plan on spending a lot of time in the room.

Great affordable hotel

It was great! Everything well expected

Good price & location, comes with caveats for some

The hotel was easy to find from Powell St Station & was a 10-15 mins walk . One word of warning to people who have never been to San Francisco before; there are a LOT of homeless people. I wasn't bothered by any of them throughout my stay, and this included walking around on my own at varying times of the night (from early evening to 3am). The hotel is located two blocks down from a Hilton, but is in the corner of the Tenderloin, an area with cheap bars. There is a noticeable drop in area quality as you progress away from the Hilton. I suggest using Google Streetview to get a sense of the area. The hotel lobby, stairs (lift was broken when I arrived, working when I left) are not in the best condition. The staff were friendly, the manager particularly helpful. The room was exactly like the picture & was clean. There were some things which may bother people, such as the curtains not keeping out much light & electrical tape holding back some wires in the corner of the bathroom, but these were minor complaints. The mattress was on the harder side (I prefer this) and being on a busy corner there was general street noise that would be hard to avoid in San Francisco. I read the reviews for this place and was worried about my stay. I had nothing to worry about. I can see why some people would take issue with the hotel and location (my wife included) but it was absolutely fine. Great price & location, some people that expect more may be disappointed. Great for cheap business trip.

Inexpensive and close to Union Square

The room was fine, basic, clean and fairly quiet. Linens were changed daily, as was the bed. Only down side was the "concierge". A young kid, probably relatives of the owner. I checked out 1 day early, dropped off the keys, told there wasn't any need to sign anything. A few blocks away the employee chased me down to say I still owed him money. He wasn't very sure of his facts, I told him that I've paid for 7 days and checked out after 6. Not very professional! Otherwise an ok place for a budget

if you're looking for the cheapest it's a good deal, but you get what you pay for..