Rich in history, The Grove Inn is one of San Francisco's oldest boarding houses. This 3-story Italianate-Victorian style building was constructed in 1865 during the Gold Rush era. Refreshed in 2020, guests still enjoy original Victorian features, large bay windows and modern-day conveniences.
Excellent, central/walkable location near restaurants and Alamo Square · Comfortable beds and generally clean, comfortable rooms · Friendly staff and outstanding communications (including smooth after-hours check-in) · Helpful information about convenient parking deck
Serious cleanliness issue reported (mold in sink area) · Safety and sketchy-feeling streets nearby for some guests; on-street parking fills quickly · Strict non-refundable policy and poor handling of a guest safety/refund request · Occasional lack of air conditioning in some rooms and limited/no view or street noise for some rooms
2 nights · 1 room · 2 guests
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From guests who stayed, via our hotel data partner. Shown in the language they were written in.
“A place appropriate for a short stay.”
+ Convenient location; no-frills amenities. Cleanliness. Clear instructions and communication ahead of time.
− The room was dark and smaller than it looked on the photos.
“Money over Safety of Guests. This is the only negative review I have ever given.”
+ The room was pleasant, the bed was comfortable.
− I did not like the location. It is two blocks away from a very seedy McDonalds, and liquor stores are on several corners in the direct vicinity of the hotel which attract dangerous looking people. I was told on the day of check in that the hotel recommends parking in a municipal lot 5 blocks away - I found this to be terrible advice to a woman traveling by herself. I was told the hotel is in a "historic district" which it may be, but the hotel should also disclose that there are homeless people within a block or two of the hotel in all directions and they should let guests know in advance that spaces to park on the street around the hotel fill up very quickly, within minutes of a space being vacated and that the recommended place to park is 5 blocks away. I once circled the hotel for 45 minutes trying to find a space that didn't force me to walk 5 blocks through sketchy areas with scary looking people loitering on street corners. When I mentioned to both booking.com and the hotel that I was completely scared to stay here and wanted to shorten my reservation FOR MY OWN SAFETY I was told, that I should park before the sun goes down and then not leave the hotel at night, in other words the solution to my concern about undesirable elements in the neighborhood would be for me to just stay in my room - what an awful suggestion - I didn't travel all the way to San Francisco to stay in my room for fear of the area! Also, I'd receive ZERO refund and could not shorten my stay, so unless I wanted to forfeit $1600 I was out of luck. Safety, comfort and well being of the guest was clearly not as important as keeping my prepaid money and adhering to the non-refundable policy. I have learned my lesson and will not stay here again. Also, the hole in the back of the sink (which is at eye level when you're sitting on the toilet, but is otherwise not visible on the inside when you're standing) was full of black/brown moldy stuff.
“Good location for our overnight stay.”
+ Walkable distance to dinner restaurants.
− I forgot to see if the room had a view. It didnt.