I didn't think not having air con would matter in November in San Fran but we caught the hot spell so the room was very hot. Very cute but small rooms, though some are larger than others. Get a room not next to the elevator as it is noisy. Nice breakfast and lovely staff

We visit San Francisco annually; used to live there. Booked our flights before realizing that I had booked for the busiest week in San Francisco tourist history: Fleet Week, Blue Angels, Bluegrass Festival, SF Giants playoff games, 49er game, America's Cup sailing, Madonna concerts, Folsom Street fair...it was all on. I guess I should have wondered why this property had availability when the entire City was all but sold out...

Reservations didn't work on-line, but the receptionist was great on the phone. Check in was next door at the adjacent property...Petite Auberge is really an annex of (annex to?) the White Swan Inn. Being a "Joie de Vivre" hotel gave me some assurance the place would be OK. We booked for three nights; nothing much else was free.

Room was OK, a little overly 'chintzed' - the faux Laura Ashley look - but the gas fireplace was everything I had hoped it would be on cool SF afternoons and evenings. The fireplace was indeed the best part of the stay. No desk, and we rearranged the room to be able to see the television (other than while standing)...it would be tough to be there on business.

I've lived in a lot of cities - and this is the noisiest hotel I have ever been in. There must be a bar or club that is adjacent - after our first night we went strolling around looking for it but couldn't find it. There was some girl who from 1 - 2 AM just screamed '[--]!!! LET'S RIP THIS PLACE UP!!!' over and over again. They closed the place and the party continued in the street. All the rooms open on to an alley and a parking lot, so any noise echoes like crazy.

As the property is on the edge of the Tenderloin, there tend to be a fair number of homeless folks in the area. And they get into their fare share of incoherent shouting matches in the nearby allies and streets. In the wee hours.

At 5.30 every morning, someone took a couple of large trash receptacles bouncing down, and then back up the stairs. I suspect it was from the mystery bar.

Sorry to be a downer - but the noise pretty much ruined every night for us from midnight to dawn. Not much sleep.

The breakfast was OK. Nothing special. THEY HAVE GREAT COFFEE!!!

Don't park a car at the hotel. Valet parking is about $35/night, and the minimum wait to retrieve it is 20 minutes. Our last morning, they lost the remote key for the 'keyless' ignition and it took 45 minutes to get the car.

One night we returned at around 11 PM and asked the lone person at the White Swan (as Petit Auberge is locked up tight) to please call the valet. He said he'd get to it and took the key. I'm not sure why but he started the car and left it unlocked...with a lot of our belongings in the car. I had to come back, track him down and lock the car and wait for the valet myself. I asked why he had left the car unlocked - and he gave me a hard time.If not already so sleep-deprived, I would have gotten his name.

Summary: I would not stay here again - there are lots of better choices in SF. Very, very noisy. Cute, but not user friendly. And some staff that need to find another line of work.

Right off the top the important question; would I stay here again? Without hesitation I would say yes. Petit Auberge is a clean, comfortable, secure place to stay. It is convenient to Union Square, Nob Hill, Chinatown, Embarcadero, Cable Cars, busses, etc.

True to its name Petit Auberge is petit but the staff was exceptionally friendly and helpful, our bed comfortable and what could be wrong with a place that has a cookie jar in the lobby?? The breakfast included in the rate was quite good (eggs, meat, fruit, croissants, cereal, juice and such) and the complimentary afternoon wine and hors d’ouevers was most enjoyable. Coffee and tea were always available.

Petit Auberge does NOT have lots of amenities. If you need a gym, pool, concierge, bellman, restaurant, bar, spa, meeting rooms and the like you’ll want to stay elsewhere. San Francisco is notoriously expensive and in a town where three and four hundred dollar hotel rooms are standard our room for under $200 a night was a gem. We had what is described as a “cozy queen” and cozy it was! But we don’t come to town to stay in a room we come to see the sights and experience the culture so a small rooms suit us fine. An earlier review suggested this might not be the best hotel for business. If you need work space you might try a hotel that caters more to business travelers. We did used the Wi-Fi and found it worked quite well but it is unsecured.

An earlier review mentioned the floors are squeaky and you will hear some street noise. They offer ear plugs if you need them. The entrance is about 8 steps up from the street. If you have mobility problems you may have difficulty accessing this property. Once inside the hotel there is an elevator, it is tiny but your grandmother or great grandmother would recognize it instantly.

Nob Hill, Union Square and Chinatown are within easy walking distance. On 2 occasions we walked to the Ferry Building (about 1 mile…and downhill) and I walked to and from the BART station at Market and Powell Streets. The Powell and the California Street cable car lines are each 2 blocks away.
If this particular Joie de Vivre Hotel doesn’t meet your needs they have 5 or 6 more so check them out.

Nice, clean hotel with affable staff, most of which were at the adjacent White Swan. Breakfast which was included, was adequate. Hotel is old and you can hear lots of squeaky noises from the room above. Currently there is construction in the adjacent building with noises starting as early as before 7 AM.