Priceline Hotel: 2.5* San Francisco (Civic Center South-Hayes Valley) Hotel Whitcomb

[Colfax]

I ended my week in SF where it started, back at the Whitcomb, with three other hotels in between. And I liked Whitcomb best.

$52 was rejected and $55 accepted. Whitcomb was $89 on 2/22 and $99 on 2/23.

LastMinuteTravel had Whitcomb for $61, so Priceline beat LMT this time. Last week LMT was cheaper than PL.

Bids placed through the BetterBidding PRICELINE link.

[yellowdog]

Thank you for sharing your win with the board and using our PRICELINE link to begin your bidding :)

Good to see that you could return to Hotel Whitcomb :)

Yellowdog.

[Queerasmoi]

I had a nice time at the Whitcomb too last week, but it definitely has its quirks. My room had no 3-prong outlets except in the bathroom, and very few if any spares at all, which made me wonder how to charge my netbook. My friend brought a power bar in from Oakland and it turned out there was some sort of block that the TV is plugged into that includes one spare 3-prong outlet in it. So I plugged the bar into that, and my netbook into the bar.

The Internet was slow but you get what you pay for. The login screens didn't always work and it sometimes stalled. The TV had a greenish cast to it, and the tint controls were locked out.

I was able to borrow a bike while in town, but unlike many hotels I've stayed at, they asked me to put it in storage rather than in my room. Minor hassle.

Earplugs were helpful as I was facing the street, with the F streetcars squealing all night.

[Colfax]

Earplugs were helpful as I was facing the street, with the F streetcars squealing all night.

It's funny but I enjoy that streetcar noise--to me it's "good noise"--and when I stay at Whitcomb I always request a room overlooking Market Street. I like seeing the City Hall rotunda out my window too, and you only get that on the Market side. Many of Whitcomb's "no streetcar noise" rooms look out at a blank brick wall or into another guestroom. There are tradeoffs then and a "quiet room" often means less light and less view too.

You'll find the same split opinion over train noise at the Chancellor Hotel, where the Powell cable car passes in front. On TripAdvisor there are many reviews like: "My room looked right down on the cable cars. It was great! A genuine SF experience." And other reviews say "My room looked right down on the cable cars. I got a migraine and will never stay there again."

The noise that bothers me is the noise between rooms when walls are thin--TV noise, conversation, etc--and I've never had a thin walls issue at Whitcomb.

Whitcomb strives to please and if you request I expect they'll put you away from Market Street. The majority of their rooms face away from Market so that's an easy request to fill. They're also pretty good about giving one bed or two, on request, even to Priceline customers.