I've stayed at the Buena Vista Mtor Inn many times over the years. I've always liked it because it has great staff and a very personal, down home feeling, and is in a great location with good pricing. It is a great spot for International travelers, and I alwways meet interesting people there.
But this place REALLY NEEDS to be updated and cleaned up - the wear and tear on the place is more than obvious - and there is so much that is outdated, and really just down right dirty - that I would never stay there again. I'm sure I can find a similiar place at the same rate - but one that is clean with new towels and linens and beds and rugs - and clean windows, etc., etc.
The staff was still exceptional and the continential breakfast and coffee are very nice - but the other faults outweight the positive for me.

Thank you to all the wonderful staff at Buena Vista. San was amazing with check in, bookings of tours, information on local restaurants, what and where to see San francisco's best, photocopying maps and making sure i was aok. My back room was quaint clean and roomy and so quiet. Breakfast is basic and quite adequate - juice coffee pastries and fruit.
San Francisco tour bus stops at the front door of the hotel. local restaurants 2 minute walk to Union street, Italian restaurant sensational dining.
San Francisco is such a friendly city and my first visit started off with such smiles and welcomes at Buena Vista motor inn. The rate for accommodation was so reasonable considering I stayed the first round of America's cup trials.
Make sure you visit Union square, Chinese gardens, Haight Ashbury and wear a flower in your hair, cross the Golden gate bridge, ride the cable car and start that early as the queues get so long after lunch even week days, the incredible seafood restaurants at Fisherman's wharf, Pier 39 and be mesmerised by the local seals and buy some of the freshest tastiest fruit ever from the local market at the Pier. Many wonderful memories from this welcoming city.

My boyfriend and I stayed at the Buena Vista Motor Inn recently and we were very disappointed as we were expecting more due to the images and hotel description. We know that it is considered an affordable hotel so we weren't expecting the Ritz but it we were expecting more of a lobby since they described it as "elegant" on their site - its basically a 1980's room.

The room had a very strong perfume smell that didn't go away throughout our stay. The toiletries were minimal and they had small thin blankets to keep you warm. There were no screens on our windows so we couldn't open them - the hotel did offer A/C (wall unit). We stayed with a "street view" but bushes were impeding any type of view that we had.

The staff at the lobby was fairly accommodating - very dull personality though. The sink is disconnected from the shower so when I got ready, I would ultimately wake up my boyfriend since the bathroom wasn't in a separate room.

SF is an expensive city - would I stay there again? No, I would rather save my money and look for a different option.

**Pros: Free parking, convenient location (not much to do though).

Wasn't sure when I would arrive in The City since I was driving down the coastline from Washington State, so didn't book any room. I knew I wanted to stay in the Marina so drove on Lombard Street. As expected there are tons of hotels/motels so chose this property since it looked nice and was conveniently located. The room was OK, but definitely needed some paint since there was multiple scruff marks on the walls and one outlet didn't work since it was barely attached to the wall. No refrigerator or microwave. Guess my expectations were too high. Free parking was a nice bonus unlike properties downtown which charge an arm and a leg. Breakfast consisted of juices, coffee/tea, and store-bought pastries. Oh and some fresh fruit. You are in walking distance of the Fillmore, Union, and Chestnut Street areas, all containing very hip shops and eateries. The front desk folks weren't very knowledgeable about the area which was a bit surprising, since this is a big tourist town. Overall I would recommend, basically for OK rooms and convenience sake.