War Memorial Gymnasium

Great hotel & location

No shops nearby. Friendly and professional staff.

I’m hoping someone reads this review because I wish I had read reviews before booking. First, this hotel is not affiliated with Embassy Suites. That’s what I assumed when I booked, but it’s actually a completely separate hotel called The Embassy. It’s located in the Tenderloin District, one of the rougher areas of San Francisco. The location was not clearly advertised when booking, and if you’re a solo female traveler, I would strongly recommend avoiding this area. They even lock the front entrance door, so at times you have to ring a bell to be let in. That alone should tell you how rough the neighborhood can be. To be fair, the towels and linens were clean and the staff was friendly, but the hotel itself is very dated and worn. The building has an old charm, but the moment we walked into our room it smelled like cigarette smoke, even though it’s supposed to be smoke-free. We had to notify management.There is no air conditioning, only an old furnace system that may or may not work. Luckily San Francisco weather is cool, so opening the window helped, but the street noise is loud, which may bother some guests. Also, the photos on Expedia are heavily filtered and misleading compared to the actual condition of the hotel.Amenities are minimal, only a small fridge, no real extras, and the TV isn’t Bluetooth enabled. If you just need a cheap place to sleep, it may be fine. But if you prefer cleaner, more modern accommodations or are traveling alone, I’d recommend staying elsewhere.