The Rock N' Roll Hotel in SF
by sunchasers about Phoenix Hotel
This is the hotel famed over the years by the presence of many a rock star while stopping over in SF. It is an old roadside motel that has been renovated in a modern style, with bold colours. Comfortable, funky and they claim you never know when you'll run into someone in the music industry (though I don't know how true that is anymore). It's close to downtown music venues, near tenderloin district. This isn't known as the safest part of SF, so this hotel is definitely for the younger crowd who is interested in seeing some live music and not the typical tourist fare offered in the Bay Area. Bambuddha lounge, swimming pool, continental breakfast and free parking.
a nice oasis in san francisco
by TripAdvisor Member AbruzzeseOlivePicker
It is true that this Hotel is located in the Tenderloin neighborhood ... but that means it's a quick walk to almost all the downtown attractions, plus very close to the Symphony and the Opera on Van Ness. At night, the atmosphere can be very tranquil inside the lovely courtyard which boasts an amazing pool to lounge around. The continental breakfast is served outside in the morning as well, and what a nice way to start the day! There are bands that stay at this hotel, and it does have a rock-&-roll history, but it never seems to get out of control - and the people on the street that seemed to scare some of the other people posting on tripadvisor exist in every major city. A special bonus is the care & attention given by most of the staff - especially Pam the manager. All in all, it's a very relaxing retreat right in the middle of a busy city - and I'd definitely stay there again!
Life is good to me so far
by TripAdvisor Member maplebay
well we have just arrived and i have stayed here before and absolutely LOVED it.
we felt like we had walked onto a movie set when i stayed here 3 years ago.
the price has definitely gone up and it was well worth the value 3 years ago- but
now might be quite comparable to other $100+ hotels you can stay at in SF.
However staff is extremely friendly, its great to have parking and you cant beat the
heated pool.
Also there are lovely fun and lively people all over the place and they serve breakfast complimentary.
so far our check in was great my only complaint was the rise in price and the fact
that other JDV hotels offer web discounts if you book for more than one night.
Travelers Beware!
by A TripAdvisor Member
I read the reviews and decided to book a 2-day stay hoping to have a unique experience. As a former resident of San Francisco, I was well aware of the Tenderloin area. The only measure of security is a gated entrance to the courtyard. There is no 24-hour security or staff on duty. The parking lot is small and fills up fast. Your car is exposed to passers-by. The rooms have glass louver windows which means they are not secure and do not give you any kind of sound barrier to outside noise... noise from the Bambuddha bar/restaurant until 11pm and noise from other guests all through the night. I am not a light sleeper but I was disturbed several times throughout the night and finally had to use the 'white noise' function on the clock radio in the room to mask the noise. Instead of extending my stay, I went online and found a 4-star deluxe hotel for much less for the next two nights. I paid $139/night for a weekend stay. There are much better prices for much better hotels in San Francisco. Avoid The Phoenix! Others have mentioned the rude front desk staff. I also found 2 of the 3 front desk personnel to be rude/arrogant as others have commented.
Fun and Funky Place to Stay in San Francisco
by TripAdvisor Member snowcraig
This hotel is not for everyone, but I got the sense of that after reading about it on their website and on Trip Advisor. We needed a place to stay for one night before we flew back home, so I figured I'd give the Phoenix a try.
We got in later in the evening. I was tired from being in the car all day. Parking was difficult - very small lot and not enough spaces, but we got the car squeezed in and checked in. The front desk clerk was pleasant, but definitely had his own "style," which I could see might put someone else off. I was too tired to spend much time chatting. We had a lot of stuff to take out of the car and repack for flying the next day, so the fact that there was parking right there, easily accessible, was a plus.
Our hotel was on the first floor - opens right into the courtyard. It was Friday night and the Bambuddaha Lounge was rockin'!! It was such a vibrant scene of young people partying. We thought it was pretty funny and if we hadn't been so exhausted, would have gotten changed and checked out the scene. The heated pool was small, but very funky. It is open late, which is nice, and their were young kids playing in the pool, right near all these hip young party-goers, which was neat to see.
The hotel is so funky - decorated with lots of interesting art. The rooms are standard '60s motel rooms repainted and furnished to make them seem hip and current. The room was big and comfortable. My only critique would be the bathroom needed a little updating - but even that was fun with a funky shower curtain and kitchy duck decales in the tub.
The noise from the club was pretty loud. If you are looking for a quiet retreat, I wouldn't recommend staying here on a Friday night. I think they close down at 2 a.m., we had no trouble getting to sleep, but the big windows don't block out all the noise. We had fun listening to drunk people try to carry on conversations and pick up girls/boys. I woke up around 4 a.m. and could still hear people talking outside.
We took advantage of the continental breakfast by the pool. A very nice spread for a continental breakfast and it was nice to have it right out the door by the pool. They have these cool "cabana" type things set up with curtains and people were having their breakfast there. We opted for poolside chairs. The best part was that they included Pop Tarts in the offerings - how cool is that?!
Overall, it was a fun experience. The neighborhood was not a great one and it was bit off-putting to get a note about car vandalism and theft when you got your parking tag. I'm not sure I would rush back to stay here next time I'm in San Francisco, but I'm not disappointed I tried it. If you are young, like to party, and can appreciate the kitchy fun atmosphere, I say, go for it!!!
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