May 18, 2013
lucyrider, Leeds | Trip type: Solo travel
Hotels in San Francisco are fairly expensive, but The Opal is good value for money. I've seen some negative comments about the breakfast, but I was very pleased - juices,...
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Hotels in San Francisco are fairly expensive, but The Opal is good value for money. I've seen some negative comments about the breakfast, but I was very pleased - juices, coffee, tea hot chocolate, boiled eggs, bagels, toast, muffins, cream cheese, jam, fruit and yoghurt - not a bad spread at all.
The decor is a little outdated, but the hotel was clean and my room was quiet and the bed was very comfortable. Some people indicated that the area was a bit "sketchy", but I felt perfectly safe and the staff were very welcoming. I would recommend this to someone that was on a bit of a budget - and my only negative is that it's probably a bit far out if you want to walk to the touristy bits - about 40 mins walk away from Pier 39 etc. « less
“Not posh, but clean and nice”
May 10, 2013
Leslie W, San Diego, California | Trip type: Family
My son is a student at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and he had many performances in and out of the University this past year. We flew up as...
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My son is a student at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and he had many performances in and out of the University this past year. We flew up as often as we could to see him. With this comes lots of expenses, and since we weren't there for the hotel stay, we were always looking for something close, clean, nice and affordable. We stayed at multiple other hotels and this was the best for the money. The location is pretty good and the front desk was very friendly and helpful. I'm a stickler for a clean room/bathroom and bed. The Opal had all of the above for me. I would probably stay there again, but our son is transferring to another school somewhere else, so I'll keep you posted on those hotels next year:):):) If your on a budget, but want a nice clean place, this should do just fine, and I've stayed at many high end resorts, not to sound like a brat, but I'm picky, ha! Enjoy the city it's awesome!!!!! « less
Read management response to this review.
Management response from DIerk Demers, General Manager
What a great review! Thank you for posting. We try to know what we are and what we can and cannot do here at The Opal. We do not have the infrastructure to provide a full resort experience or to provide the services that you get from some of the big brand hotels. What we can do, however, is offer a clean room and a friendly staff at a reasonable price. I am so glad that you enjoyed your stay and thought that we were a good fit for the money. Good luck to your son in his future endeavors!
Best Regards,
Dierk Demers General Manager
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“Nice hotel....really dodgy area!”
Apr 22, 2013
bikinilondon, London | Trip type: Family
We booked the Opal at the last minute and thought that if it was on Van Ness then there shouldn't be a problem. Little did we realise that there are...
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We booked the Opal at the last minute and thought that if it was on Van Ness then there shouldn't be a problem. Little did we realise that there are two very different ends of Van Ness! As we drove up to the hotel we saw a drug deal and I jokingly said to my husband ' I hope we are not staying in drug alley hotel'.....famous last words.....we looked up and there was the Opal. Oh god we thought, what have we done! We unloaded our suitcases (didn't want to leave anything in the car) and went to our room; we opened the door and found....a really lovely room, with a seating area and two double beds, everything was very clean and tidy. It was very large for all of us ( 2 adults and 2 kids) and we had room to spread out a bit. It's a really lovely hotel, but in a very dodgy area. We were only staying the night, so we didn't mind, but we would have preferred being at the other end of Van Ness. « less
Read management response to this review.
Management response from DIerk Demers, General Manager
I am glad that we could at least be a pleasent surprise to an unexpected beginning to your night in the city. We are indeed right downtown and thus are in the heart of everything you can unfortunately come to expect in a big city. Van Ness is typically well patrolled and we do have 24 hour security, both of these things keep our area relatively clear of certain elements of the city. However, patrolling public sidewalks and side streets can only do so much. Luckily, our area is soon to get brand two new developments right next door which should help invigorate the entire neighborhood.
We are glad that you enjoyed the hotel once you got into the property!
My wife and I stayed just one night and had the whole next day to kill before meeting family.We left our bags at the hotel for the day and when...
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My wife and I stayed just one night and had the whole next day to kill before meeting family.We left our bags at the hotel for the day and when we got back for them they invited us to a small buffet and wine for free.We were already checked out,awesome gesture opal well done.Its clean and friendly from cleaners to desk we will return.mulley out « less
Read management response to this review.
Management response from DIerk Demers, General Manager
I am very glad that our team invited you to wine hour! It is, unfortunately, not something that we can do every day, but it is a great way to relax after a day seeing the city. It is also nice because all of the wine we provide is local California wine. We are very lucky to be in an area that has so many different things to offer. It is my sincere hope that you come visit us again soon. Demers Out.
Firstly, my wife and I came to San Francisco on our honeymoon and stayed at The Opal for almost a week. It was the best value we could find that...
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Firstly, my wife and I came to San Francisco on our honeymoon and stayed at The Opal for almost a week. It was the best value we could find that wasn't already completely booked and didn't blow the budget. The staff was friendly and the room was clean and quiet.
The room, however, was fairly small. Maybe 10' x 12'. The bathroom and shower were tiny. (I am assuming this has to do with the age of the place. It looks like an old building.) The complimentary continental breakfast was served from 6:30am until 10:00am daily. It got crowded around 10, but I always had a place to sit. (For those who don't know, "free breakfast in a hotel usually means, toast, bagels, coffee and maybe some fruit. I don't know why other reviews on Google give a bad mark due to free food.)
Information on free Internet was misleading, and I am disappointed about this. I never could find this "free wifi in the lobby". The wifi connection lead me to the same place each time no matter my location and stated that ONE complimentary day of wifi is offered. At 12:45 am Saturday morning, I get 2.86mbps down and 2.98mbps up in my room on the outer edge of the building on the 5th floor. (Strange. Usually down is faster.) I didn't have any hard wired device to test the alleged free Ethernet in my room.
This city has such an extensive public transit system that I do not feel this hotel's location is a real advantage. The MUNI pass for one week is very inexpensive at under $30.
The ENTIRE city smells like weed. I am shocked that the hotel does not have any odors to speak of.
On the up side, this city is CLEAN. I never saw litter ANYWHERE. This was a shock. Every block had at least two trash cans, most with recycling bins built in. There are no ashtrays, however. So smokers are forced to put cigarettes out on the side of a can and throw the butt in with the trash. Most places have the sand trap area on the trash can lid or the plastic tower thing specifically for cigarette butts... Or is this only in the South?
Tips for those traveling to San Francisco:
The stores charge $0.10 to give you a shopping bag (it's a law), so find one of those $1 shopping bags, or better yet those cheap huge blue ikea bags and bring it every time you go out.
Restaurants rarely give free refills of anything but tap water. Ice is used sparingly, even in ice water and iced tea. You have to ask for more.
Bring a jacket. At the VERY least, a windbreaker. It's in the 70's in the daytime in the sun, but the temperature drops to the 40's and 50's with strong gusts of wind at night. Tourist shops make a killing off selling jackets to people like me who forgot their jacket.
Wine tasting tours do not cover wine tasting fees. The tour I took covered the fee at ONE winery which let us sample two wines. A taste is only an ounce (give or take 30ml) of wine. We has to come up with an extra $50 to complete our wine tour in Napa Valley.
Buy a week MUNI pass instead of renting a car, and ride the busses, cable cars and street cars. I did, and I got to where I needed to go quickly and safely. The cable cars were so fun, we rode them 6 times. There is no place to park in San Francisco for under $25
Management response from DIerk Demers, General Manager
Thank you for the response. Your review was very detailed and accurate. Thank you for commenting regarding the breakfast! We have Mel's next door if someone wants a more substantial breakfast, our complimentary breakfast is there to help people who want to grab something quick and head out the door. I completely agree that our rooms are on the small side and that it is indeed because of the age of our hotel. Sometimes the term, "they don't build them like they used to" goes both ways! You seemed to have a little trouble with our internet, let me explain. Our internet routes you to a page where you can sign in by either entering your name or a VIP pass code. It allows you to log in for 24 hours at a time, but you can sign in again after the 24 hours for free. The 24 hour limit is just so that our wireless is limited to current guests rather than anyone getting a code and then using our internet whenever they want. Additionally, there is an option for faster internet for $2. People are often confused by our internet and I urge anyone who stays with us to ask our guest service agents for assistance.
Again, thank you for the response and we hope you stay with us again soon.
Best Regards,
Dierk Demers General 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:
3pm
Check Out:
12pm
Floors:
5
Rooms:
164
Suites:
15
Meeting Rooms:
0
Policies / Expenses
Cancellation: 30 days in advance of arrival date for all groups
Deluxe Queen
1 queen bed. 150 square feet. City view. Desk. 27-inch television with cable service, featuring premium channels. Complimentary wired (high-speed) Internet access. Direct-dial phone with free local calls. Voice mail. iPod docking station. Clock radio. Coffee/tea maker. Hair dryer. Iron/ironing board. Daily housekeeping available. Air conditioning and climate control. Cribs (infant beds) available. Window opens. Wake-up calls. Non-smoking.
Deluxe Two Queens
2 queen beds. 250 square feet. City view. Desk. 27-inch television with cable service, featuring premium channels. Complimentary wired (high-speed) Internet access. Direct-dial phone with free local calls. Voice mail. iPod docking station. Clock radio. Coffee/tea maker. Hair dryer. Iron/ironing board. Daily housekeeping available. Air conditioning and climate control. Cribs (infant beds) available. Window opens. Wake-up calls. Non-smoking.
Deluxe, One King Bed
1 king bed. 250 square feet. City view. Desk. 27-inch television with cable service, featuring premium channels. Complimentary wired (high-speed) Internet access. Direct-dial phone with free local calls. Voice mail. iPod docking station. Clock radio. Coffee/tea maker. Hair dryer. Iron/ironing board. Daily housekeeping available. Air conditioning and climate control. Cribs (infant beds) available. Window opens. Wake-up calls. Non-smoking.
Deluxe Two Doubles
2 double beds. 250 square feet. City view. Desk. 27-inch television with cable service, featuring premium channels. Complimentary wired (high-speed) Internet access. Direct-dial phone with free local calls. Voice mail. iPod docking station. Clock radio. Coffee/tea maker. Hair dryer. Iron/ironing board. Daily housekeeping available. Air conditioning and climate control. Cribs (infant beds) available. Window opens. Wake-up calls. Non-smoking.
Amenities - Opal Hotel
Air conditioning
Alarm clock
ATM
Baggage storage facilities
Central location
Complimentary breakfast
Credit card accepted: Mastercard/Visa
Credit card accepted: American Express
Credit card accepted: Discover
Credit card accepted: Diners Club
Electronic key card
Elevator
Facilities for the disabled
Fax available
Fitness and health centre
Free local calls
Garage
Handicap accessible
Central heating
Ice Maker
Internet - wireless
Internet - ethernet
Laundry facilities
Non-smoking rooms
24 hours opened
Office or business center
Private bathroom in room
Private car parking
Radio in room
Self controlled heating/cooling system
Shower
Telephone in all rooms
Television
Voicemail
Pet Friendly?
Sorry, pets are not allowed.
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Based on 526 traveler reviews 
Value
Rooms
“Nice hotel....really dodgy area!”
