Thanks to the previous reviews, I knew to expect tiny rooms, small elevator and an urban environment. I was pleased to find the rooms and bathroom clean and cozy -- and I checked the bedsheets as soon as we arrived. The street noise was significant, so I was glad we had brought along a white noise machine.

The staff were very friendly and helpful, both on check-in and when I was trying to get a taxi. It's a tiny hotel wedged into a busy and a bit sketchy city block, so I appreciated the personal touch and attention. The rooms were nice but also tiny -- I was glad to get two adjoining rooms for myself and my daughter so we could use the shower in the larger room. the bathroom in the smaller room would've been hard to use. I liked the design touches in the rooms: plant in the shower, nice choices of accessories. They do a lot with what they have.

When we showered in the morning, we left the bathroom door open. The steam set off the smoke alarm intermittently for about 10 minutes. This was inconvenient for us and I hope it didn't wake up any other guests! Another note: if you use the 25% discount at the adjoining diner, make sure to tell the waiter before you order or they won't honor it. And avoid the potato pancakes, which were thick and tasteless. Everything else was yummy.

This hotel is in a great location to visit the city. The hotel itself has small rooms and that could use a renovation. The windows are poor to isolate the exterior sounds and there is no central heating.
The room was quite clean and had a competitive price.
There are homeless people around but they are everywhere in this central area. This shouldn't be considered as a negative point for this hotel. If you want to avoid that you'd have to chose a different area, not just a different street.

We were not looking for a high-end hotel, but somewhere to get a good night's rest before each day's sightseeing. This hotel has a European feel (small elevator and one-person front desk), was very friendly and clean. Victoria at the front desk made us feel very welcome.

Room was modest in size. Bed comfortable. Bathroom large. Towels a little small for American tastes. Good hot water. Windows can open for fresh air. There is Wifi, and also there are a couple of computers available.

There was bottled water in our room waiting for us and sometimes apples available for a take-along snack. No coffee maker in room, but coffee shops just a few steps outside front door.

Touchstone provides a discount for the restaurant next door, though we did not eat there because of other arrangements. The restaurant and menu looked good, though. Loads of good places to eat in the neighborhood.

Suggestion to management: put a second waste can in the bedroom, not just in the bathroom. Put a towel bar near the bathroom sink. Provide a box of tissues.

I enjoyed the European feel of this hotel. The place is not super clean but they have the best showers and water pressure I have ever experienced in a hotel. Indeed the location is ideal as it is within walking distance to many of the tourist attractions. But you must run the gauntlet of homeless and mentally ill each time you leave your room. There is no nice peaceful stroll down the street without being hit up for cash or the smell of pee in the air. I realize this problem exists everywhere, but when you are on vacation is really sucks to be in the middle of this depressing scene. We went to get in our rental car and a guy was pooping behind it while other homeless people were leaning up against it hanging out. The majority of the union square area is like this. Mostly at night it gets worse. Everyone says the location is great but I have to say I disagree. We paid a little more the next evening to stay near the Fishermans Wharf and it was well worth it. We felt safer, it was cleaner, and we weren't bothered for cash at all.