SW Hotel

I was in San Francisco for four days to visit friends, and wanted to book a reasonable hotel in a central location so as not to always have to take cabs (San Francisco's public transportation system leaves something to be desired). The SW is on a pretty loud and somewhat seedy looking block on the edge of North Beach and Chinatown, but is entirely clean and quiet on the inside. The staff was very helpful and friendly, and I had the advantage of a room which faced the inside air shaft of the building, which cut down on noise considerably. Clearly, there was no view, but unless you're planning to spend a lot of time in your room, I'd recommend requesting one of these rooms on the inside of the building. My guess is that they are cheaper, and there is a lot of street noise in this area so the added quiet is the secret bargain. The hotel is a little generic in its decor, which could use a little updating and personality, and there aren't amenities like a gym, but I would happily stay there again if I wanted to book something central, clean and inexpensive in San Francisco.