San Francisco and New York are known for their many boutique hotels and on a recent trip to San Francisco, the city I love, I tried out three boutique hotels in the heart of the city – and Hotel Diva was my favorite: Great service, stylish rooms, good location and affordable prices make it a solid choice!. Read the full review of Hotel Diva, San Francisco, why I’m happy to recommend it and already stayed again!
Location: Whether you are visiting San Francisco on business or leisure, staying downtown near public transportation is a great idea. The Diva Hotel is located on Geary at Mason, just 1 block from Union Square and less than a 10 minute walk to the Powell Street Muni, BART and Cable Car station, giving you access to the airport in 45 minutes by train and to most places you want to see in San Francisco! If noise is a concern to you, ask for a room away from busy Geary Street. Our (two) rooms both were facing to the side or courtyard and were very quiet for a city hotel!
Service: Service can be a mixed bag in San Francisco – some boutique hotels feel that snooty service is part of the appeal…. Not so at Hotel Diva – the staff was exceptionally friendly and professional, some of the best I’ve found in San Francisco hotels regardless of price category. Both times, check-in was welcoming and friendly. We were able to check in early each time. On our second visit, the staff recognized our “return visitor” status and offered us an upgrade to a bigger room at a bargain price – a nice touch that beats the “free upgrade” to the same room at a higher floor you’ll get as elite member at chain hotels! The front desk staff was also very knowledgeable, answering plenty of questions about the hotel and helpful on how to best book in the future! Housekeeping was equally good and cleaned our room thoroughly each day, replacing towels as requested and properly stocking supplies. The concierge and bell staff also was very friendly, with greetings on our returns (not a given in The City) and proactively offering assistance.
Our Deluxe King Room was of good size (considering the many tiny rooms in San Francisco), with a very comfortable king-size bed, a large work desk and chair as well as plenty of open space and room for your luggage. Many “boutique” hotels don’t offer much beyond some bright paint and some out-there artwork, but Hotel Diva has some very unique design touches. For example, the headboard of the bed is made of metal and bent around an industrial light fixture at the top. The same bent is found in the mirror on the wall above the desk – very cool!
The small wardrobe has a string-curtain and you’ll find a single flower in a wall holder.
Despite off the cool design, you get a very functional room, with a luggage rack, a comfy chair in the corner, outlets at the bed and desk, as well as a safe in the wardrobe, a wall-mounted TV, coffee/tea facilities and a mini-fridge!
While the hotel is in an older building and this room faced another building (no view, sorry), there was plenty of light.
The bathroom is also reasonably large: The shower-over-tub combination utilizes a partially transparent double curtain on a curved rod. The wall had a funky, knobby surface – also a unique look. The metal sink is in a black countertop with enough space to store your toiletries. We liked the thick, clean towels and the provided “Pure” toiletries. There is also a hairdryer on the back of the door – a much preferred location instead of the “search every drawer in the room” game.
The Executive King Room on our second stay was even bigger, with a sofa and couch table near the entrance and the bed on the other side.
In between is a large work desk with chair on one side and a large wardrobe on the other. This room featured some interesting light fixtures and a deep purple bed-throw to add some color.
The windows were facing a narrow atrium – no view, but enough light! The metal sink in a black countertop is in the bedroom, allowing two people to get ready in parallel. It’s a little narrow with limited space for your toiletries.
The bathroom has a toilet and a large, walk-in shower with a partial glass wall.
Oddly, this (more expensive) room didn’t have a safe, but had a hair-dryer, fridge, coffee maker and TV you could swivel between the bed and sofa. The headboard had built-in USB ports – a great feature to charge your gadgets and even use them while plugged in!
Both rooms were stylish and functional and I’d happily stay in either one again. The free WiFi internet was reliable and fast at close to 10Mbps and you can connect an unlimited number of devices. If you like a little extra space, the Executive King room is well worth the small upgrade fee at check-in!
Restaurant/Facilities: The Diva has a small gym on the ground floor, with cardio equipment, weight machines and free weights for a good workout. While it won’t rival your gym, it’s better than many boutique hotels in San Francisco!
You have access to a Starbucks from the hotel lobby for your coffee fix or breakfast, very convenient to grab something and go back to your room. There is also the independent Colibri Mexican Bistro on site. I ate there years ago and it was good, but we didn’t go on this trip!
Bottomline: Hotel Diva was our favorite of the three boutique hotels we stayed at on this trip! At a price of $156 for the Deluxe King (booked via Travelzoo) and $147 for the Executive King (booked via hoteltonight) the Diva is great value for San Francisco. You get a stylish room in the heart of the city and friendly service, making this a bargain I wholeheartedly recommend and will consider myself for future stays!