Hotel Vertigo is a modern twist on a familiar favorite - a landmark redux. The hotel is the site of the Empire Hotel made famous in arguably Alfred Hitchcock’s best work, Vertigo. It’s ideally nestled in a charming lower Nob Hill pocket of San Francisco, just slightly off the beaten path of bustling Union Square. Hotel Vertigo is at the nexus of a lively wheel of energy with its spokes outstretched to Union Square, the theater district, Convention Center, Market Street, Westfield Center, City Hall, the Opera House, and Nob Hill. There’s a sense of movement and excitement all around inviting guests to jump in and get caught up in the whirl.
Star Rating:
Local Attractions:
Steps away from Academy of Art Institute. Walking distance to Union Square and cable car lines. Walk to Great American Music Hall, Civic Center and other music venues. Hastings College is also walking distance.
May 17, 2013
Rhiannon L, Milton Keynes, United Kingdom | Trip type: Couples
We arrived at Hotel Vertigo at around 10.30am due to an early flight. We were not expecting to be able to check in at that time, however the receptionist advised...
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We arrived at Hotel Vertigo at around 10.30am due to an early flight. We were not expecting to be able to check in at that time, however the receptionist advised that they had one room available and they had no problem with us checking in early. We were really pleased with this and glad that we would be able to get some rest after an early start! The receptionist also gave us plenty of maps and information on the area which we found really helpful. Our room was on the second floor, overlooking an internal courtyard. It had 2 queen beds and a nice flat screen TV on the wall. There was also facilities for making tea/coffee. The bathroom was nice with a modern shower (no bath) and plenty of toiletries. The was also a big cupboard in the room with a safe. The only downside of our room was that the walls were paper thin and we could hear other guests walking along the corridor and even talking/watching the TV inside their rooms. This disturbed us while we were sleeping on a few occasions. The hotel is nicely decorated in bright orange with quirky animal statues around. The corridors could do with a coat of paint, but very nice apart from that. There is no breakfast, but coffee is available each morning and there is a wine hour between 5.30 and 6.30pm each weeknight, where you can help yourself to a glass of local red or white wine. There is also a computer available for guest use and a small gym, which we used once and enjoyed. The area is not bad, around 10/15 minute walk to Union Square. There are plenty of cafes nearby and a good pizza shop next door. We were aware that this hotel is bordering on the edge of the Tenderloin district, so whenever we left the hotel we walked east until we hit Powell, rather than cutting through some of the not so nice roads. Overall we enjoyed our stay and would consider returning here again in the future. « less
“Great, modern & incredible value”
May 13, 2013
Nat1609186338, London, United Kingdom
Was so impressed with the modern, quirky decor & the incredible value in a very expensive city for hotels. Would absolutely say you must stay here. The service was great,...
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Was so impressed with the modern, quirky decor & the incredible value in a very expensive city for hotels. Would absolutely say you must stay here. The service was great, loads of space & a nice clean room. « less
“Nice and beautiful place”
May 11, 2013
Stefanie B, San Francisco | Trip type: Couples
very clean, nice people. easy check-in and check-out. valet parking was a bit expensive, only point missing was the opportunity for room service. couldn't find that. but i would recommend...
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very clean, nice people. easy check-in and check-out. valet parking was a bit expensive, only point missing was the opportunity for room service. couldn't find that. but i would recommend it! the location is very central, you can easily get to every place you like to see.
May 11, 2013
Tony_Abscess, Madrid | Trip type: Friends getaway
This hotel is a basic budget hotel, but a bit above it.
This is an old hotel and not new, it may have had a make over at some point...
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This hotel is a basic budget hotel, but a bit above it. This is an old hotel and not new, it may have had a make over at some point but it is quite old in places. There is no breakfast and the coffee served by the die of the lobby in the morning is just that, a vacuum flask of coffee with some creamers in a wicker basket. Oh, there is a vending machine to the side to get a treat from, but it does not look used much and is quite expensive compared to just popping to the shop.
As an aside San Francisco is quite an expensive part of California, everything seems a bit too pricey. The frequent drugstores/pharmacies scattered around are way overpriced and the fruits and things they sell often not that fresh, so turn over does not appear to be happening so watch out on what you get.
The Hotel has one computer which has a printer it ran out of paper but was replaced without fuss, the only problem was demand for it is quite high and being placed in the lobby you can't relax and do your business without hassle at times.
The area is okay and you can get to union square in 5-10 mins, but a block or two away and you do see a lot of the people affected by America's model of Capitalism and influenced by on Friedman economics.
Some rooms are better and fresher then others, so ask to see your room first. I have stayed in a room with a broken light so watch out for this.
Some bathrooms have a very large shower room and no bath and others have been modernised I.e. very small with bath. The mixers don't work well on the combined bath tap come shower selector so watch out as you will get both running at the same time, you have to pull it up but due to faulty instillation both run at the same time and that means no power shower and wet feet.
The safe they use is of a very poor design, if they tell you not to put your laptop inside listen to this advice wisely it will NOT open again if you do.
The vertigo affect can be had on the top floor. Go up to the top in the lift walk out to the stair way quickly and lean forward over the rail!
Watch out for worn bed linen and scratched up furnishing, some rooms are better served.
There is no AC so if this bothers you don't stay here. There is a low spin ceiling fan but that won't help you if you like it cold. Don't know what this place is like in winter for heat, but may be a problem.
Watch out for security if you have a room on the fire escape and keep your windows closed when you leave the room as you can walk across from either adjacent room.
But an okay hotel, you could do a lot worse in San Francisco and for more money better but why spend more if you don't want to?
There are a couple of cafes close by where you can get some breakfast, but my advice is to go a little further as there is much better closer to the main strip.
In the room you do get a tiny coffee maker, be careful when making tea from it as it will taste of coffee by nature of its design.
They stopped the minibar service and there is no room service, but there is a sort of fridge (ex minibar) but it was in no way cool.
Telephones were a complete mystery to use, even the staff were perplexed on how to work it!
San Francisco is a nice place to visit once in your life for the cable cars and street cars. But hire a car and travel out a bit and enjoy California as even the people who are from San Fran get tired of the fog and the lack of sun that this state is known for. « less
“And now for something a bit different”
May 10, 2013
Jane2901, Canberra, Australia | Trip type: Solo travel
Hotel Vertigo has a relaxed atmosphere, clean comfortable rooms and helpful staff. There are a number of small cafes and public transport nearby. The rooms are certainly different decorated in...
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Hotel Vertigo has a relaxed atmosphere, clean comfortable rooms and helpful staff. There are a number of small cafes and public transport nearby. The rooms are certainly different decorated in orange and white and the stair case is unique. For me the only drawback was the distance from Powell Street BART. On most days it was fine but with luggage and up hill it was a bit of a struggle, so take a cab if you are in this situation. « less
Read management response to this review.
Management response from Haiyi Hotels, Manager
Dear Jane2901,
Thank you for a great review! We are extremely pleased to hear how much you enjoyed your stay. We sincerely appreciate the time you took to provide your comments and feedback. We hope that you'll join us again soon, and we look forward to your return to the Hotel Vertigo.
Best Regards,
Luis Morales Hotel Manager
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These reviews are the subjective opinions of individual travelers and not of TripAdvisor LLC nor of its partners.
Details
Check In:
3p
Check Out:
12noon
Year of Last Renovation:
2009
Floors:
6
Rooms:
102
Corridors:
All Rooms Have Interior Hallways
Non Smoking Rooms:
102
Handicap Rooms:
Suites:
6
Room Windows:
Windows Do Open
Cleaning Frequency:
Daily
Meeting Rooms:
0
Dist. to Food/Bars:
0.3 Mi
Dist. to 24hr Restaurant:
0.3 Mi
Dist. to Nearest Gym:
0.3 Mi
Policies / Expenses
Cancellation: 24 hour from day of arrival
Nightly Parking:
$35
Total Taxes:
15.60%
Total Misc Fees:
$0.00 USD (mandatory resort fees/taxes)
Occupancy Tax:
14.00%
City Tax:
1.50%
Parking Fee:
35.00 Per Night
Porterage Fee:
3.35 Per Item (one way)
Additional Person Fee:
20.00 Per Person
Rooms Wireless Internet Fee:
0.00 Per Day (complimentary)
Avg. Continental Breakfast Cost:
0.00 Per Person (complimentary)
Room Types - Hotel Vertigo
Executive King
1 king bed with 300-thread-count linens. Street, building, or interior courtyard view. Custom porcelain "horse head" lamps. Leather wingback chairs. Table or desk. Wireless Internet access (surcharge). Phone with voice mail. In-room safe. Cable TV with complimentary HBO. Coffeemaker. Bathroom accented with crocodile-patterned tiles, walnut vanity, and specialty sink. Rainshower. Nonsmoking only.
Mobile Special - Room Selected at Check-In
Double Occupancy
The flat-screen TVs offers premium TV channels. You will have a shower/tub combination, as well as complimentary toiletries and a hair dryer. A safe, a wake-up call service, and daily housekeeping are among the conveniences offered. This room is Non-Smoking.
Vertigo Queen
1 king or 1 queen platform bed with white tufted-leather headboard. 300-thread-count orange and white linens. Renovated in October 2008. Custom-designed, porcelain horse-head bedside lamps and leather wingback chairs. Contemporary wall art. Desk. Complimentary wireless Internet access. 32-inch flat-panel TV. iPod dock. Two cordless phones with voice mail. Compact refrigerator. Bathroom with white crocodile-pattern tiles, dark walnut vanity with specialty sink, and oversized rainfall showerhead. Vertigo-branded bathrobes. Hair dryer. In-room safe. Iron/ironing board. Ceiling fan.
Petite Double
One Double Bed
The flat-screen TVs offers premium TV channels. You will have a shower/tub combination, as well as complimentary toiletries and a hair dryer. A safe, a wake-up call service, and daily housekeeping are among the conveniences offered. This room is Non-Smoking.
Vertigo Double Double
Two Double Beds
The flat-screen TVs offers premium TV channels. You will have a shower/tub combination, as well as complimentary toiletries and a hair dryer. A safe, a wake-up call service, and daily housekeeping are among the conveniences offered. This room is Non-Smoking.
Amenities - Hotel Vertigo
Air conditioning
Alarm clock
Baggage storage facilities
Breakfast in room
Central location
Complimentary breakfast
Complimentary newspaper
Concierge service
Credit card accepted: Mastercard/Visa
Credit card accepted: American Express
Credit card accepted: Discover
Credit card accepted: Diners Club
Credit card accepted: JCB
Electronic key card
Elevator
Express Check-Out
Facilities for the disabled
Hairdryer available
Internet - wireless
Internet is Complimentary
Ironing facilities
Movies in room
Non-smoking rooms
24 hours opened
Office or business center
Pets allowed
Private bathroom in room
Quiet location
Radio in room
Refrigerator
Safe in rooms
Self controlled heating/cooling system
Shower
Tea and coffee making facilities
Telephone
Telephone in all rooms
Television
TV - Free Cable
TV - Free HBO
TV - Free Showtime
Travellers cheques accepted
TV room
Valet Parking
Voicemail
Pet Friendly?
Yes! Pets are allowed.
Airport & Shuttle Information - Hotel Vertigo
SFO is approximately 13 miles. There are several door to door shuttle vans that range in price, approximately $15 one way, per person. Taxi is approximately $40 including tip.
Airport Shuttle? Sorry, no airport shuttle available.
Local Shuttle Info: Supershuttle, Lori's and others take travelers door to door for approximately $15 per person one way.24 hours a day.
Testimonials: Why use Hotel Planner?
"I found this site by surfing the web. As I have to book rooms for other school functions. I will definately use you again as well as reccommend you to others. Thank you so much." M.T. - Florida Panhandle
"I will definitely use you in the future. You saved me on this one as space was really tight that week in DC." K.T. - New York City, NY
Based on 586 traveler reviews 
Value
Cleanliness
“Great, modern & incredible value”
“Bit above your basic hotel”
Executive King