This is a very pretty, small hotel situated in Nob Hill, only a 3 minute walk to the cable car and 5 minutes to Union Square.
I stayed three nights at the Petite Auberge in Sept/Oct 2012. When I arrived there they discovered that my room had not been made up and immediately upgraded me to a deluxe room. It was wonderfully appointed with a gas log fire, a huge bed, desk, sitting chair, couch etc. Double glazing kept the noise out too. The staff were very friendly and the manager gave me lots of hints of what to do and see (particularly some of the less touristy things like historical walks etc). Breakfast was included but i have to admit the bed was so comfortable that i slept in every day and missed breakfast. There was also a lounge with free tea/coffee/biscuits/fruit etc.
This was my first trip to the US and my first trip traveling alone and i have to say that my experience at this hotel completely relaxed me and had me walking around San Francisco with a smile on my face.

I found Petite Auberge a very comfortable place to stay. The room had the little things that make a place comfortable: sitting chairs, good light for reading in bed, lots of shelves in the bathroom, a full length mirror, lots of drawer space, free wifi. And that doesn't even touch on the free breakfast and h'orderves w/ wine! I always find it a hassle when traveling to just sit down to relax a glass of wine in the evening or get a lite breakfast, so I really appreciated it. The buffet breakfast was sausage, quiche, fruit, various baked goodies, oatmeal, cold cereal, and toast. Not a big fancy affair like a B&B, but clearly better than the "continental breakfast" a lot of hotels serve. There was a small breakfast room, plus a sitting area with several small couches. This would certainly be a nice area to sit around drinking coffee all morning.
I was there on a weekday and they shared a front desk with the White Swan two doors down.
The building is older and squeeks a bit. We didn't have problems with loud neighbors, but I imagine there could be problems.
The location is good -- a few blocks (though with a hill) from Union Square.
One thing I didn't like: the floral wall paper. Yuck!

Great place with very friendly staff. Excellent location and amenities like breakfast and evening reception. Can't imagine staying anywhere else. Valet parking is easy and we needed our car at 4:45 am on Christmas Day- no problem for them. They set a high bar for service.

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, bottled water 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 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.