Travelodge by the Bay

I’ve taken a few days to write this review. Just enough time for the fatigue of the trip to wear off and put me in a good mood, so I could be as unbiased about the Travelodge as possible.
When planning a trip, the first thing you do is pick the destination, the second is to choose the hotel. Hotel choice is an important aspect in enjoying any trip. For this particular trip, my roommate, Shelly, was planning it. It was for her birthday, we absolutely dig the Jazz bars in the city! So anyway, she settled on the Travelodge because of the decent price and sweet location. She booked it for Thursday thru Sunday, though we wouldn’t arrive until the wee hours of Friday morning and she was confident she made the right choice.
Then begins the actual journey, I swear we gave Frodo a run for his money. A person in our group is afraid of flying, so we agreed to road trip it together (7.5 hours. No biggie!). We meant to get out of the house by 7:30pm on Thursday evening, but life happens and we ended up leaving Pacific Beach at 9:30. After a long, grueling car ride, we made it to the Travelodge in the Bay Area by 6am. We were hungry, dead tired, miserable, and covered in dry spit from sleeping sitting up (sorry for the visual).
Now, finally, I will start with the Travelodge. It’s 6am, we can’t get into our room because the man at the front desk (Jose, I believe), doesn’t understand English very well and can’t quite grasp the pricing situation. We had already been charged for the previous day because we hadn’t checked in, they call it a «no show,» even though they knew we wouldn’t be coming til Friday. We basically bought an extra day so our room would be available immediately when we arrived, we knew we would be tired.
It was a pain getting our room. Once we got into our room, it wasn’t the room we requested and was told we would get. It was an important difference. We were too tired to go back down and correct them. We slept for a few hours, then took care of it. The rooms were in poor condition, the shower curtain had holes and the bathroom counters and shower heads were dirty. They failed to provide basic things like shampoos, soaps and towels. Until we called down for them of course. There’s also a parking fee, it was $ 50 for three days for us. That’s the trouble with booking things over the phone, the price seemed reasonable for what we were getting, until we got there. It would be worth it to pay a little more and stay somewhere better. They could easily clean the rooms well, get new shower curtains and work on their customer service skills. The only reason I gave this place 2 stars is because I fell in love with the little coffee shop across the street and it’s a $ 7 cab ride to the wharf, North Beach and anywhere in the financial district. San Fransisco is a beautiful city with so much to do, I hope you enjoy your visit. I don’t recommend this place for your accommodations.

Worst place ever. First of all I made reservations through
. And when my girlfriend and I arrived from a 6 hour drive here we were told that we have to put 19 dollars for parking. Now this is not stated anywhere on their website nor booking. We get into our room and it smells horrible and the bathroom door does not lock, or engage at all for that matter. No mini fridge and which again does not show on
. I don’t recommend this Travel lodge to anyone.

I used my 2 free nights to stay here and had no problems. The room was a typical Travelodge room, nothing fancy but clean. The bed was pretty comfy and plenty of pillows (even though we brought our own), decent working AC unit, and decent amount of towels (also brought our own). Only con would be the drain did not work well in our handicap accessible shower (it was the only room available when I booked) so it flooded the bathroom very quickly. Also, the room felt humid and not very comfortable, even though it was nice and cool outside. Breakfast was as expected, so it was good to just have a little something before heading out on our tourist thing.
I would give their customer service 5 stars, they were great. I called a week before our stay to confirm reservation and the man who helped was incredibly friendly and made sure I was aware of the parking fee. When we arrived, a nice Caucasian women with glasses assured us not to worry about parking (I was concerned about not finding a spot since I had read other reviews) and to just take our car instead of the bus since we had a baby and a toddler. She made us feel at ease and sure enough we had no problem parking upon returning. Also. the man who checked us in (I believe might be the manager) was very helpful in possibly adding another person to our room or suggesting another hotel for them since they were all booked.
Overall, the hotel itself might not be worth the actual rate. However, it’s at a great location (crooked Lombard street only took us 5 minutes to walk to) and staff was professional and helpful. I would definitely stay again.

This place is a dump!
While booking this reservation it took me numerous phone calls just to get a booking confirmation sent to me. Customer service is horrible. I had to triple check everything to make sure I wouldn’t be stranded when I arrived.
I did read reviews prior to booking, all of which were very low scores. Unfortunately, this was the ONLY thing available since the conference I was attending (170,000 people) forced everything else nearby to be sold out.
I’m scared I brought bed bugs home with me.

We stayed here for 2 nights because I redeemed my Wyndham Rewards to get a free room for 2 nights. I’m glad we did because I think the going rate was something around $ 268-​ish per night! SF is so expensive, and this is a pretty cool area, so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. The Travelodge itself is kind of like a motel feel. You walk to your room in an outdoor hall. The room sort of looks/​feels like a cheap motel. It’s old and outdated. But, the location is great and you can walk to Fisherman’s Wharf if you’re doing the touristy thing, as well as all the great restaurants and bars in the Marina District. It was very convenient for us and we liked the area. And although the room smelled musty, it appeared clean and the bathroom was clean too. I thought the bed was decently comfortable as well. The next day we were able to leave our bags behind the front desk after check-​out so we could enjoy our day in the city without luggage. The included breakfast is just toast, FYI. Overall, I’d stay here again for free but I would look elsewhere if it was on my dime.

Not a fan! Made reservations for a quick Fri-​Sat trip, check-​in was at 3:00pm. We arrived at 2:15pm and they wouldn’t give us an early check-​in because our room wasn’t «ready». Check out is 11:00am, so that seemed like a stretch. Then we came back and we had to sign for a parking fee because we drove here and needed to park our car. How silly of us! Apparently, they charge $ 17 for parking within the hotel complex, which is a racket when you have already paid $ 275 for a 20 hour stay. They had the opportunity to make the customer happy by including parking, but they didn’t. We definitely won’t be back. I gave them 2 stars because so far I haven’t seen any bedbugs. Boo!

The room was ok. Just ok. The AC unit sounded like it was about to explode anytime it turned on. The bed was very firm, some people like that… I prefer softer. The pillows were ok.
I don’t understand how 1 bath towel and 1 hand towel was supposed to be enough for 2 adults. Maybe there is a problem with my math but it doesn’t add up for me.
The breakfast wasn’t actually breakfast… it was a joke. I walked in, chuckled, got some orange juice, and went elsewhere to pay for real food.
The parking killed my visit. They have so few spaces for rooms available. However, they have a restaurant next door and when it isn’t busy there you can park there, when it isn’t busy…
I could deal with the AC unit, the towels, the breakfast (I chuckled again as I typed that), the stiff bed. But what I can’t deal with is if you charge for parking make sure you have spots available so you get what you pay for.

This hotel was okay.
We got there around 2pm and still weren’t aloud to check in and had to wait. Whatever. The paperwork did say 3pm so I get it. Room wasn’t ready…
When we did check in — friendly staff — terry was who helped us and she was cheerful and really helpful.
Free Breakfast is a joke — cereal, oatmeal, apples is all that we saw (went around 9:30am) we left and paid for a nicer breakfast.
PARKING — we paid 17.26 /​night. Parking is a joke. There are not enough spots for everyone at the hotel. We got fortunate and found a spot and basically left our vehicle there.
Also the room was just okay. Bed was comfy. They didn’t give us enough shower towels (one bath towel and one hand towel)
Wifi didn’t work very well either.
Location to fisherman wharf is not bad. We walked it.

Overall great place. Convenient location, clean & comfy. Had a breakfast area with seating outside, fantastic way to start your day! The only thing bad was no parking fee was disclosed until we checked in.

This is my second time at this location and my first time was great but my second time was horrible. For one I couldn’t sleep a wink due to the guest above us walking all night and morning loud. I could hear them coming thru the wall and it was every 5 minutes they were up walking and being loud. I just needed sleep and didn’t get any at all.

If you are looking for an adequate, reasonable priced motel this is perfect. I’m a bit of s hotel snob but didn’t want to pay at least $ 250 more. Our room was clean with a very comfortable bed. The location is a few blocks walk from cable cars, busses and tours. The bathroom was small with shower stall only and at 5 foot 8 I had to duck to rinse my hair in the shower. The breakfast is fine… Cereal, fruit, toast, juices, hot beverages, oatmeal, hard boil eggs, muffins. The breakfast room is small and hard to maneuver. Front desk staff were friendly, helpful with printing boarding passes, arranging airport transportation and public transportation advice. The wifi is weak and inconsistent, the street noise loud. We had no trouble with noise from other rooms.

As a party of 10 college students we thought that we would be checking into a trashy place for the price we were getting. However, we got here and were checked in quickly and Terry accommodated us so that our two rooms could be closer together and she was so nice! The location is great! Walking distance from the wharf/​piers and Lombard and about 15 minutes from every other main attraction. Parking is $ 17 and a little tight but for SF that’s normal. Rooms were clean, spacious. Only complaint is that the breakfast didn’t have more options but free food is free food! Also people complained about the elevator but it’s not that bad, we thought it was actually quite funny. As long as you’re not a hotel snob, your stay here will be perfect!

Front desk was highly professional, we walked in & Carlos properly greeted my family and I. not even 5 minutes later we had an awesome, clean, and affordable room:) Free breakfast but there is a parking fee of 17 $ still well worth it:) they also offer free wifi yey!!:) we will most definitely stay here in the future. Thank you Carlos for your professionalism u made my family feel right at home.

Where to start where to start…
So when we reserved the room it states that it’s only 3 blocks from the Wharf. In reality they are about 10 blocks down from it, a huge difference from what they state.
They also don’t state that when you book the hotel and you get there they charge you a daily parking fee. We asked the lady at the front she said she wasn’t sure why we weren’t told online but we’d be charged regardless and it’s just policy.
The rooms wow just wow. I mean the pictures based online don’t really show what’s there. The rooms are just kinda old and run down a bit. We got 2 queen beds. They are good enough to sleep on. The floors are crazy dirty. Half the lights don’t work, and the alarm clock wasn’t either. Plus half of the outlets in the room didn’t work.
As for the bathroom it wasn’t any better. There is no bathtub like we were told so I had to sponge bathe my 8 month old in the sink. I couldn’t even shower here or actually I wouldn’t; never in my life have I been to a hotel that had a floor mat in it. When I tried to move it there was black water and some sludge under it. NASTY.
Good thing is the wifi works but after everything else I wouldn’t even consider eating the free breakfast.
Oh and the elevator even though it’s only going up 3 floors it hasn’t been inspected since 2009. Danger zone

Worst hotel experience I’ve ever had. I wear earplugs when I sleep and I still got woken up every 10 minutes from the noise of the other guests coming in and out of there rooms at 6:30 to 8:30 every morning. There might as well be no walls at all, you hear every footstep, every door closing, every car starting up etc. To top it off, my girlfriend and I were having a normal volume conversation at 10:00 pm and had the neighbor knocking on the wall every 5 minutes… absolutely ridiculous! The only reason to stay in a bare bones motel like this is to get some sleep, if you cant accomplish that then whats the point? Also, the maids come in and take the towels and soap but don’t replace them, you have to call and ask for new soap and towels each time. The cost of this 1 star hotel is over $ 200 per night… it’s completely insane! Oh, and you have to pay a nightly fee for parking. Did I mention the cigarette smoke seeping into my room from all the neighbors standing outside their rooms smoking? lovely :-(

We paid over $ 550.00 for 3 weekday nights. Another $ 18.00 a night for parking. The parking attendant had a major attitude. I drive a full size pick up and the minimal parking spaces really couldn’t hold my truck. Over $ 600.00 for three nights! We would have been better off spending another $ 150.00-$ 200.00 and staying at a 4 star hotel. There has to be better places, much better places for you to spend your money.

I am usually a bit of a hotel snob and wouldn’t usually stay in a Travelodge, but this was a last minute, on a budget trip.
The location was clean, easy to get to and go places from, and I didn’t hear a lot if street noise considering this IS San Francisco. Breakfast was standard continental fare-​basically grab enough to eat to get to a good lunch. The beds were comfortable, and the pillows weren’t bad. Parking was your standard tight parking in the city and I was just happy to not have to park off street.
I would have appreciated management doing something about the all night party next door, but it wasn’t enough to keep me from sleeping. The other bad marks were for the fridge that couldn’t be plugged in, the dirty window sill in the shower, broken bathroom door lock, leaking faucet, and hair in the shower that was there when we arrived– more or less what you expect for the price, but nothing that had me wishing I broke budget and got something more upscale this time around.

** Please note: This is a review from a trip taken in April 2010 **
The main reason I booked the Travelodge was the price and its relatively close location to such tourist hot spots as Ghirardelli Square and Fisherman’s Wharf. Overall it was a good stay with only a few minor inconveniences/​annoyances. The biggest downfall was the noise. The walls are extremely thin and you can get more than an earful from your neighbors. We constantly heard footsteps from the room above us and, on our last night, someone with a baby moved in next door and we heard it crying for the rest of the trip. We thought about changing rooms, but since it was our last night it seemed like too much trouble.
Aside from that, everything else was as expected. People at the front desk were (usually) helpful, maid service was good, bathroom was clean (but TINY!) The complimentary «breakfast» leaves a lot to be desired, but what do you expect when you’re paying less than $ 80 a night? All in all, we didn’t spend that much time in the room. In the end, it was somewhere to sleep and a nice place to come back to at night to unwind. I’m very pleased with the money I saved staying here — I got to spend it in other places.

Reviewed is based only a 5 hour stay!
OK… ur 1^st reaction when u walk in is… «what the hell… I’m not staying here»…
The Res. was for a $ 150 restroom, storage space, and parking. Only booked a room for the 4^th of July evening: a place to store some gear, use the restroom, and park a car. Its location is a short walk to Ghirardelli Square which makes this place a prime selection. Parking is an additional $ 14 bones. The outdoor spaces are tight making it difficult to get out. The garage spaces are even tighter and not recommended for SUVs. Note that parking spaces on the 4^th can range from $ 40 to $ 75. The staff is extremely helpful and friendly. They are more than willing to provide guidance to what’s around and how to get there.
The hotel is covered in avocado green carpet, musty like dirty «Aqua Velva». Beds are clean and firm. TVs are CRT with Showtime and limited channels. To update rooms they decided to remove the closet door and frame it. LOL
If ⁴⁄₅ star joints are your taste this is not for you… this is definitely a 1.5 star at most. After 5 hours it was great to be back ay my hotel.

It was so noisy I woke up at 3 am with trucks barreling around in my dreams only to see several roaches crawling on my bedside table next to my drinking water. Need I say more… yes, I paid $ 142.00 including parking for one of the worst hotel nights I’ve ever had. I am a local.
In response to Chris W: fact; I have never worked in the hotel industry. If you have an exterminator, you have bugs (ipso facto). Fact. I saw roaches on my bedside table. Fact I have excellent eyesight. Blaming the customer is a great business model… I will tell everyone about my experience at your buggy spot.