Petite Auberge, San Francisco Hotel Review

Petite Auberge is a nice inn hotel in a fantastic centra San Francisco location that allowed me to walk everywhere without relying on public transportation.

For my initial search, I looked for hotel rooms with a maximum rate of $250. Those results were mostly undesirable properties (poor ratings or reviews) or in undesirable areas (sketchy neighborhoods or not in central San Francisco). I prioritized the results but was not satisfied with the top contenders—even for up to $250 a night.

I reluctantly upped my target price to $300. Well, that did produce several additional properties in downtown San Francisco. Along with chain properties—like Kimpton, Joie de Vivre, and biggies like the Marriott chain—I noticed the independent Petite Auberge. I decided that it was a fantastic combination of location, rating, and reviews. And the rate was actually $251, just $1 above my initial threshold.

comfy pillows at Petite Auberge

Petite Auberge Location

Situated on Bush Street, between Union Square and Nob Hill, Petite Auberge is in a great location. It was a quick 5-10 minute walk to Chinatown and an immediate steep walk to the top of Nob Hill. Any closer to Union Square and there would be too much traffic and noise.

Petite Auberge Reviews

Petite Auberge is ranked #33 (out of #237 hotels) in San Francisco on TripAdvisor. While I would love to stay in a top 10 hotel, I was not prepared to pay $800 a night for the privilege.

TripAdvisor reviews for Petite Auberge were great. There were some complaints; there are always complaints, no matter how highly rated the property is. The issues cited, though, were mostly related to not appropriate for business travelers, inadequate breakfast, short of staff on site, and street noise. None of those issues concerned me. When negative reviews mention lack of cleanliness, shoddy facilities, or obnoxious staff, I am concerned.

Still I continued to check around for a couple of days. I cross-checked other websites and apps, to confirm that rates were not out of line—and they were not (same price on various sources).

bed in Petite Auberge San Francisco

After eventually deciding on Petite Auberge for two nights, I left my first night free. I covered my stay at The Mosser Hotel in another post.

On my checkin day, I arrived at Petite Auberge around 1pm. I was told that my room was not yet ready and I left my main bag with staff. When I later returned about 4pm to register, I was told that my bag was already moved to my room. That was really nice. One quirk about the Petite Auberge is that the front desk is often not staffed. The front desk at the sister property, White Swan Inn (two doors away), is always staffed.

My room was a queen room, their basic room. It was quite comfortable for my solo stay—but a couple spending much time in the room should consider a larger room. My room had a comfortable queen bed, plenty of pillows, wooden desk and armoire, and flat screen TV. See above photo of my Petite Auberge room.

 

The bathroom was cozy, clean, and nicely decorated, with a small corner shower.

Petite Auberge bathroom

The entire property is nonsmoking, has wi-fi (I had to request a router reset two times), and several food and beverage amenities. A complimentary bottle of water was in my room at checkin. Additional bottles of water, soft drinks, tea, and coffee are available 24 hours a day. Cookie jars in each lobby (Petite Auberge and White Swan Inn) were always full. A breakfast buffet was wonderful, including fresh fruit, yogurt, pastries, and a hot entree. Last (but not least) is a daily happy hour with wine and snacks (like hummus, olives, and a cheese platter).

This is one of the basement rooms for breakfast and happy hour.

public lobby of Petite Auberge Inn in San Francisco
Petite Auberge public lobby

I would definitely consider Petite Auberge for future stays near downtown San Francisco, Union Square, or Nob Hill.

Petite Auberge is located at 863 Bush Street in downtown San Francisco. Check the best rates at Petite Auberge.

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