Cheap, clean and friendly

I stayed at this hotel just for a couple night layover between some business and pleasure in Northern California. I got a great deal for 50 bucks a night for a King N/S room through the Best Western website.

The location is great, right in southwestern Soma and it is well maintained and very clean. Its a typical Best Western type Motor Inn. Nothing fancy, but definitely a steal in a vibrant part of the city.

Free parking is a plus, given the headache parking in San Francisco is virtually everywhere in the entire city.

I saw lots of families and people just having a fun time there. Check out The Stud about 50 yards down the street on the corner of Harrison and 9th....its a great gay bar, even fun to hang out in for us straight folk.

Cheap, clean and close to the Giants Ballpark

Stayed here one night as I had tickets to a Giants night game and for the next daytime game as well.

I was looking for someplace inexpensive, clean and close to the ballpark. I got all 3 here.

I booked the room directly on bestwestern.com for $49.00 a night which is insanely cheap for a room in SF. This part of the city is called SOMA (South of Market) and is a bit iffy for a stroll after dark but the taxis arrive within 5 minutes max. Use Luxor Cab they are the most reliable in SF. There's no fancy restaurant or room service - this is a moter inn on the cheap. It did have a coffeeshop which I didn't try because I ate at a bar by the ballpark before the night game and in the park during the day game.

If the weather is unusually warm there isn't a/c but people not familar with SF need to know that the need for a/c in SF is very rare - maybe 3 or 4 days a year AT MOST. Ask if you can get a room facing northwest if you're overly heat sensitive. There was a ceiling fan. The room was immaculately clean, bed was comfortable, bathroom was very clean. It even had a rare for SF parking lot if you are driving.

All in all a great deal for $49.00. It's almost impossible to find even a private room in a hostel in SF for this price.

Great value in SOMA/SF

I'm writing this from my room at the Best Western now. I'm here at an AAA rate of $44.10 (reglar rate $49.95), which includes free parking, highspeed internet, and breakfast. This would be a great value even if the rooms were shabby, but they're not. (That $44.10 rate isn't available every night, larger rooms cost more, and on weekends and busy seasons rates will be higher, sometimes MUCH higher.)

The place isn't much to look at as you drive or walk past--an old courtyard hotel past it's prime. But inside the room---fairly new carpet, wallpaper, curtains, and bathroom fixtures. A Mondrian print on the wall! A couch which folds out into another bed and a coffee table. Comfortable chair and desk, with a reliable hghspeed connection. Small refrigerator and microwave and a second table, apart from the desk, for eating. Not all rooms have the couch. Not fancy furniture but the overall feeling is comfortable. Large ceiling fan for circulation. It's not a dump, like a couple other SOMA hotels I've stayed at that cost more than this one.

Not everyone will feel comfortable walking in this neighborhood, but for me it's fine in daytime. The Street that the hotel is on, Ninth Street, has many fewer bums and homeless than a couple blocks over at Sixth and Seventh. Ninth Street itself is fairly safe for walking in daytime. There are small independent furniture, design, and antique stores in this area of Ninth, and a quirky thrift store across the street from the hotel.. There's an indy coffehouse at the corner and some decent restaurants within walking distance, along Folsom. At night the streetscape feels empty and I would take a cab to and from Union Square or the SOMA nightclubs, for $5-10, depending where you're going.

My only complaint really is that the mattress is soft and mushy. No hotel at this price will be perfect. Try to get a room set back from Ninth Street a little bit. The ones right on the street would be loud I think. If you can live with the neighborhood the Best Western Civic Center is very good value for the money, especially with the free parking.

A great value - don't expect a 5* hotel though

I have to preface this review with a description of what we were looking for on this trip: A clean, cheap place in SOMA to sleep at after a night of partying. That said, my friend and I have pretty high standards so we were preparing to lower them for this stay.

Really couldn't have been more pleased with this hotel. The 3* rating reflects what we got: Very clean, comfortable accomodations. Free parking. A free breakfast (muffins, bagels, orange juice, coffee.) The hotel is two stories, with exterior corridors and some rooms with the classic motor inn "park at your door." We paid $66 for a 'deluxe' room (for some reason cheaper with the AAA discount than a regular room), received room #41, which the check-in clerk said was "a good room - our biggest room." It was huge. Two big queen size beds AND a sofabed. It was also very clean.

Parking was ample and pretty secure. There was a small pool in the parking lot.

Overall, a good stay. If you want to be closer to the tourist sites and have a few extra $$$ to spend, then spend those dollars. The area is just not all that interesting, though it is within walking distance to a good deal of nightlife. The walk up to Market St is a bit sketchy at night though - recommend a cab. As always, you're in a big city, always be a little cautious. That said, it's cheap and clean, and if that's what you're looking for, the Best Western may be the place for you.

Great Value!

San Francisco is an EXPENSIVE city for the most part (it takes $5.00 to

cross their famous Golden Gate Bridge and up to $40 bucks just to park

your car for an afternoon near the Fisherman's Wharf) -- Luckily, we found

this hotel which offered FREE parking and had close access to public

transportation.

The rooms were clean and spacious - everyone at the

front desk was eager to help us learn more about SF and assist us in finding our way around. The hotel had a nice sized pool which our grandchildren enjoyed and a nice-sized free continental breakfast which we enjoyed!

As retired seniors, we always try and stay at Best Westerns across the country because of their standard of excellence and this particular Best Western (Civic Center Motor Inn) was no exception. For travelers looking for reasonable price and great rooms, I highly recommend this hotel.

Best Stay!

The Best Western Civic Center was worth every penny. Our room was clean and very comfortable -- the bathroom was brand new. We watched TV and relaxed while our kids enjoyed swimming in the hotel pool. The following day, we took the Cable Car to the Fisherman's Wharf - the weather was perfect in SF during the month of August! We really enjoyed our stay here in San Francisco - had a great place to sleep and relax - service was superb. Hope this review helps!

Great Price/Awful Location

The room itself was small but immaculate, for the price. The location was not so good. Right on a busy street, with a bar right on the corner. Traffic was too loud, never slept. Continental breakfast was good, but will probably never stay here again.

Good value in SF

I booked this hotel at the last minute, for a weekend when most of the hotels in SF were full. This is in the South of Market area, not close to public transportation, but if you're comfortable walking several blocks to Market (or calling a cab), it's fine. The area felt a little empty after dark, yet I never felt unsafe walking around with a friend. The rooms were the usual budget motel fare and were clean. The flowers in the parking lot area were a nice touch, the staff was friendly, and there were some delicious crisp apples in the lobby. I would stay there again.

Don't Waste your Money

One of the worst hotel i have been at. First of all when you pay over $115 you expect a room with comfort. The room looks like its fitted for a Motel 6 chain...Plus there is no air conditioning in the room. YEA thats right no air condiotiong at the best western that charges more than $100 a room. Better off across the street at the Howard Johnson there rate is lower and they have air conditioning.

ONe more thing!

If you pay more than $100 a night here, you're crazy.

Reserve via BW website and make sure you look for their BESTRATE, usually 79-100 depending on season. Expect to pay way more during the local Gay Street Fairs.