Carl Hotel

Spartan, but clean, friendly, inexpensive, and convenient to UCSF Med Center.
To get to UCSF, instead of walking up the hill to the front of the hospital on Parnassus, walk along Carl St (it becomes Irving St) to the bottom of the parking garage which is across the street from the hospital. Then take the parking garage elevator all the way up to the first floor, which puts you on Parnassus across from the hospital.
Even better, walk to Cole Hardware on Cole near Parnassus, and buy a seven-​day muni pass for $ 35. This will allow unlimited train rides along Cole /​Irving (or anywhere else muni goes if you want) for a week. The train stops both in front of the hotel and the parking garage, with only one stop in between.
I also suggest downloading the free Routesy app for iOS. It will tell you when the next train is coming within about a minute’s accuracy.
Also, be aware that UCSF offers a free shuttle in the evenings, until midnight, called the Eastbound Shuttle, which leaves from in front of the hospital about every 15 minutes, and will drop you at the front door of the Carl Hotel. There is also a Westbound Shuttle, but I haven’t had occasion to take it.
We were staying at the Carl because we had a terminally ill relative at UCSF. That person passed away early in the morning, and we left the hotel before the front desk was open. When we called them later in the morning to officially check out, the attendant was completely focused on expressing regret for our loss.
When we turned the conversation back to the check out process, it came to light that the hotel had somehow misplaced our credit card information — so at that point they had no way to charge us for the nights we had already stayed there — but nevertheless, instead of asking us for our card information over the phone at that time, the attendant invited us to call them back later after we had had more time to recover from our loss! That is a very rare attitude for any business to have, and one which is much appreciated.

This was the most disgusting hotel I have ever stayed at. I almost went outside to sleep in my car. I ended up sleeping in my cloths and shoes on with my gun in hand. For gods sake don’t stay here unless you absolutely have to.

I am all ways excited to stay in San Francisco. I’m thankful for UCSF to cover me here. The noise from the transit is not that bad, it reminds me of the Bronx baby. It’s all about location people!

The Carl reminds me of the European hotels of the 1990’s: small and clean rooms that I find perfectly adequate. What kicks it up a notch is the Carl’s location: coffee shops, Whole Foods, Golden Gate park, and all of Haight Street at your doorstep. What kicks it up two notches is Eddie’s professionalism and warmth: with him at the front desk, you can’t go wrong.

Carl Hotel is one of the cheapest hotels you will find in San Francisco by far, and it is CLEAN. No, this is not a luxurious place. It is a little outdated, and rooms are a bit small, but it was very clean and the service was good. I also felt very safe and comfortable here. It is walking distance from UCSF and several restaurants. I had surgery at UCSF and it was a great place for me to stay the night before, and for my family to stay while I was in the hospital. don’t expect a resort here, but I would recommend it if you are looking for a safe, clean, cheap place to hang your hat if your in San Francisco for business, or have someone at UCSF. They also give discounts for families who have people at UCSF

I LOVE THE CARL HOTEL!
If you are looking for a Hilton, then do not badmouth this hotel by giving it low stars/​reviews.
The Carl is a classic, non-​chain, neighborhood hotel, with all the charm and character that this implies. The very friendly staff went out of its way to find an extra chair so that I could set up a little office in my room, and there is a charming outdoor courtyard garden. The Carl is very close to Golden Gate Park, and in a neat neighborhood filled with many small restaurants, shops, and cafes.
It makes no sense to badmouth noise at the hotel, as it is extremely convenient to be near mass transit in a major city, and there are transit stops right at the hotel. Personally, though my room was on the street, I was not bothered by the noise.
Compared with the couple other value hotels that I found (Red Victorian and Metro), the Carl is not only a better value but, I think, better located, as it is closer to the Park and away from (though convenient to, if wanted) the hubbub of Haight Street.
The only negative to the Carl is that it does not have an elevator but, in my book, this is but a detail (unless you truly cannot do steps), as the friendly staff will in any case help you with your luggage.
I highly recommend the Carl. I will be staying there on every future trip to San Francisco.

You get what you pay for! Beware of mold, especially if you are allergic to it.

I booked this room because a family member was having surgery at ucsf. The room was really small but we just needed a place to stay. Edwardo who checked us in was super nice and welcoming. He let us know about the room size, the wheelchair access and the noise from the light rail. So no surprises when we got to our room. Overall I was satisfied with my stay.

Prepare for discrimination. We were given room 108, tiny room for the price. Arguably, an ok price for the location but lack in quality. Better rooms were available for the same price in the same hotel – only made aware of these after asking for our money back. Dingy walls, dirty carpet. Obvious need for repairs. Next to cable car line, noisy – comes by regularly, even at night. Go elsewhere.

I stayed here Thanksgiving weekend to visit my family. I feel so lucky to have found this place. It’s so close to everything we needed, plus the rooms are at a great price.
The manager (I assume) was very friendly and accommodating. The rooms may be small but they’re clean and have their own charm like the rest of the city.
I’ll probably end up staying here on all my future visits to San Francisco.

Awful! I’m visiting my brother who is in the hospital and this was one of the closest hotel. It is more pricy then I woulda liked. I wouldn’t have minded the price had the room not been this tiny box. The bed was extremely uncomfortable. Only has a shower which is not cool since I have a baby. Oh and it’s not wheelchair or stroller friendly. Stairs to get to every floor.
If you are going to stay here then take a second floor room. It’s up one flight. To stay on the first floor you have to go up a flight then back down another.

The Carl Hotel is one of the best-​priced deals in this neighborhood of San Francisco, and great for access to UCSF, Haight Street, a short walk from the Golden Gate Park, and extremely reasonable for public transportation.
As a financially challenged college student flying in from the east coast, I needed a place to stay for the weekend while I was interviewing at UCSF. At less than $ 100 a night, it’s a steal for the those who are in a similar position! There are other hotels in the vicinity, but the Carl was more than satisfactory for me in terms of price, comfort, amenities, and (especially!) location.
If you’re looking for a mints-​on-​the-​pillow, room-​service-​meals, extravagant experience, the Carl Hotel probably isn’t for you. Yeah, the beds aren’t the largest. Yeah, it’s a shower-​only (i.e., no bathtub) deal. Yeah, it’s a CRT TV. That didn’t bother me, because I was looking forward to spending time in the actual city of San Francisco; i.e., I only really planned on using the hotel to sleep in. There was enough excitement on the within-​walking-​distance Haight Street to tire me out before passing out in the hotel room.
Here’s what a potential customer may want to be aware of:
With our suitcase on the floor, the room had barely enough walking room for two. The toilet and shower are in a separate room from the sink, by the way. Ah, and a pint from Humphry Slocombe became soup in the mini-​fridge, so don’t count on it as an ice maker. Also, there aren’t any elevators, so anyone who’s stairs-​averse beware!
When you first enter, press the doorbell to enter. After checking in, you’ll get a key enabling you to enter at will. The dude who worked the counter was super chill, by the way. This place is a bit old-​fashioned, with reservations over the phone and credit card payment taken at the front desk. If you’re prepared, you’ll have a great time at an extremely reasonable price!

I’ve stayed a couple times in a seven year period. Basic, clean accommodations at very reasonable prices. Well located and good front desk service. The muni light rail is outside the door. So be prepared for early morning train noise. Near several good dining options a couple blocks away on Cole Street.

Recently my son had a medical emergency and was flown to UCSF Medical Center in San Francisco. Being from Southern California, I was a long way from home, so I needed a place to stay. This hotel is only about a 10 — 15 minute easy walk from the hospital. BTW, if you are visiting someone in the hospital be sure to let them know.
Eddie at the front desk is very kind. I saw two others at the front desk at different times and neither seemed particularly friendly, but Eddie is a gem!
My room was very small — a shoe box — but clean. There were NO bedbugs, and though the bed could have been a little more comfortable, it was really just fine. There was a fridge and a microwave, as well as a small TV in the room. The free WiFi worked well. Let’s face it, I wasn’t there on a luxury vacation, so for my purposes it was a great choice! For San Francisco I think the price was not too bad, but still more than I would normally like to pay for a small room.
Important to note, this hotel is right on the Muni line (cable car). This can be convenient, but it can also be noisy (the Muni runs all night). So if you are a light sleeper, be sure and take some ear plugs you can sleep in!

I put my mother up at the Carl for 2 nights recently. Her room was up two long flights of stairs. The room was clean but miniscule. There was a telephone, but no instructions on how to use it to call the desk. She needn’t have bothered, though, because there doesn’t appear to be anyone there between 11 PM and 9 AM. When we tried to check out at 8:30 the next morning there was no one there.

UCSF’s International Office has offered Carl Hotel as a convenient, safe, and reliable hotel for our short-​term international visitors at UCSF for a long time. Unfortunately, they dropped the ball in the worst way and left one young woman from Germany homeless at 10:30 at night without notice that they had cancelled her reservation. This, EVEN AFTER she had made a deposit AND emailed a week earlier to inform them that she would arrive 5 days late but pay for the entire original reservation. They made no effort to contact her until she was in transit and then, just «Hello, what time will you be in the SF Airport?»
No warning, no reservation cancellation email — nothing!
The manager’s explanation: «This is business»
A one-​star business in our opinion…

You get what you pay for. Beds were uncomfortable as hell, I could have stayed in a holiday inn that would have been better, but it was all about the location.
For 110 $, I have stayed at other places that are much roomier, do not remind me of a European hostile, and offer continental breakfast in the morning. They should invest in new updated furniture, as the old stuff really does suck.
Front desk was friendly, the people who ran the place are friendly, its just the place is old school as hell, and for the $ they charge, you could get more elsewhere.

This place is pretty great. Its very close to the park and public transit, and the front desk staff was very sweet and knowledgeable. The shower in our room was tiny and oddly angled but spotlessly clean and hot. There is no onsite parking however, which can be annoying.

My son just moved to San Francisco and I needed to find a hotel near his apartment, I was visiting on my own so a safe neighborhood was a priority. There aren’t many options in this part of SF. I researched The Carl and decided to give it a try, I did ask my son to check it out. Well I am pleased to say I think it offers a great value and is in a clean safe neighborhood, its a short walk to Golden Gate park, and shops and coffee shops. The only negative, which is also a positive is that the muni stops right at the hotel and is noisy, but if you need to get to other parts of the city its very convenient, the noise didn’t bother me at all and it doesn’t run at night and on the weekends so its very quiet then. The hotel is more of what you would find in Europe, its smaller but it was very clean and comfortable, there is a shower that always had hot water and a small fridge and a microwave. I already booked it for my next visit.

Small rooms but all have microwave, fridge, tv and such. Reasonably priced for the location. Parking can be a problem during the day. If nothing else you could always park at the UCSF parking garage a couple blocks away but that will cost you.
The trolley driving by was a real problem for the wife and she couldn’t sleep. I suffered through it.
Not a bad place for one or two nights but I wouldn’t want to stay in a room that small for more than that.