The Best Western Americania did many things well, considering the price. The hotel has a nice lounge, retreat, and lobby. The hotel even had a fully functional restaurant called “Custom Burger”. Don’t let the name fool you, for the money, the meals are outstanding, and if you listen carefully, you might be able to hear Jay-Z on the radio in the background.

As for the room, it had many amenities you would expect: Ironing board, Iron, plenty of towels, TV with free cable and WiFi. The beds were serviceable, the linen clean. For that matter, the room was clean throughout. The bathroom and shower showed very little signs of wear. The carpet appeared clean, the furniture, if sparse, was clean. The water pressure was great, with hotel water only seconds away.

The only negative I could say about the hotel is the noise level. It seemed like the walls were paper thin. Sirens and car horns could be heard clearly in the room. Other hotel doors opening and closing could be heard, and the worst part was when someone walked down the stairs (nearby to my room) or across the walkway in the floors above, it was like someone beating on a large bass drum. I am, however, a light sleeper, so others might not have these issues.

In summary, the room was clean, the staff was very friendly and knowledgeable, and the price was fair. The location is convenient for downtown excursions (located only a short walk to the BART Civic Center stop and to the Market Street Cable Car stop) albeit in an area frequented by panhandlers, shady characters, and homeless.

I booked a total of 5 rooms for our eclectic group coming into town for the Folsom Street Fair for 4 nights. We were a mixed group of couples and singles, all in our 40's - 50's. I booked this hotel due to the close proximity of the street fair and the reasonable rates. I had originally booked 1 family room, 2 doubles, a king and a queen room, but upon arrival the lovely day Manager Amy had upgraded 1 of our double rooms, and the queen room to 2 family rooms ( They are a bit bigger ) . I had called a few weeks prior and requested to be put on a waiting list for additional family rooms and this was taken care of for me. The rooms were spotless and well laid out. Granted there is no air conditioning but the cool September nights made the rooms comfortable for sleeping. Paying for parking was no big deal at $15 a night. Coming from NYC we are used to paying much more. The location of the hotel is perfect for sightseeing around the city, whether driving or taking public transportation. The hotel has a newly renovated resturaunt and bar. Our group took over the bar on a few nights and the bartender Paul was wonderful. The resturaunt was ok for breakfast, a little pricey but the food was fresh and hot. The hotel pool was maintained well and several of our group made us of it. All our rooms were on the 3rd floor overlooking the courtyard and we never had any problems with noise as suggested in some other reviews. The hotel that weekend was booked solid with the Folsom Fair crowd ( look it up ) and the ADA convention, certainly an interesting mix of travelors, but everyone was respectful and pleasant. We also had absolutely no problems with " street people" as suggested in other reviews. No different than any other city. And certainly no dangers.
The hotel staff went the extra mile for us , from housekeeping to management. A big shout out to Amy for her infecticous smile and the " bubbly" and to Iian, the night Mgr for his pleasant and wonderful ways, and to all the housekeepers that took such good care of our rooms . Tipping your housekeeper is something every travelor should do. Just lets them know how grateful we are. This was by far the best 2 star budget hotel any of us had ever stayed in. It was clean and well lit. The staff was wonderful. The hotel had everything we needed and hoped for. If you are looking for a 4 star hotel, then I suggest you book that $400 a night room somewhere else. We will stay here again for all our SF travel.

Two of my girlfriends and I stayed at the Americania from September 14-19th. It was the most reasonably priced hotel that we could find. At the time of booking, parking was said to be free. That policy changed, before we checked in, but the guy at the desk was very passive, and waived the fee for us. The location of the hotel is VERY close to public transportation (which was clean, convenient and safe). The first day took a little adjusting to the transient people wandering around, but then I realized that my church is located in a similar area...so no big deal. They really didn't bother us at all. The hotel itself was very clean and the staff was pleasant and helpful. Our room was a bit noisy because of the courtyard configuration (and the fact that each door "bangs" shut and echos through the courtyard), but it wasn't a deal breaker. The pool area was nice, but the saunas were out of service (and looked a little sketchy). There were a lot of foreign tour groups coming through the hotel - one group that met in the courtyard at 7AM to have a debriefing, which was annoying.

The newest reviews of this place have been scary and yes, I admit that the area that it is located in, seems a little sketchy but, if you look closely around all of San Fran, there are street people everywhere. So, if you are squeamish, then try to find somewhere else to stay. Otherwise, the hotel was exactly what was represented. While we tried to reserve a NON smoking room, we were told that it would not be guaranteed. And of course, when we arrived it was not available but, luckily, the rooms are well maintained and did not smell. We stayed in a Family suite (apparently, there are only a few of them) on the fourth floor, which was two double beds/tv in one room and another double/tv in a room that was closed off by a door. The room was tidy and clean and the bathroom was nice and newer looking. The room was cleaned every day and fully restocked. The only problem was the noise level and lack of air circulation. There was one ceiling fan in the main room but not in the second room. When you opened the window in that room you were subject to the noises of the street at night and if you closed it, you were warm and stuffy. Two large washing/drying machines on the main floor make mid-vacation laundry possible. Also, most hotels today serve breakfast as included which makes family travelling easier. This hotel did not. The morning hot buffet was $10 and the cold was $7. Not hugely expensive, but something that they probably could consider including as a Family Friendly thing to do . Finding breakfast outside was not easy as the hotel does sit on a street off the main drag and a little bit away from the better area of town however, it is do-able if you can walk a bit. The local transit is easily within two blocks so, if you can, park the car. However, that will mean an additional $15 per day and valet only as parking is limited. The only other comment was that the staff was found to be a little snooty and not very well informed. When asked for a family style restaurant such as "Denny's", staff proceeded to tell us where the local Denny's was. "OK, how about a restaurant like TGIF?" We were then told where the TGIF was......I think they need a little bit more creative thinking at the front desk or a printed list for reference when questions are asked. We found that the stay in this hotel, as a whole, was ok. Certainly, we had stayed in much more cramped conditions and not as clean.