For my trip to San Francisco last month, here is how I decided to stay at Petite Auberge and my thoughts about the property.
My goal was to find a hotel in a central location so that I could walk everywhere without relying on public transportation.
Another goal was use a $500 prize I was fortunate to win from Expedia in a Twitter chat. While I hoped the $500 credit would cover 3 nights, I quickly realized I would be lucky to have it cover 2 nights. My visit to San Francisco was a few days before a large week-long technology conference, which created higher than usual hotel rates and tighter availability.
When I searched for hotel rooms with a maximum rate of $250, 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, figuring I would pay the difference. 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.
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.
Rating. 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.
Reviews. Reviews for Petite Auberge on TripAdvisor and other sources 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 Expedia rates were not out of line—and they were not (same price on Expedia, direct through hotel and other sources). When I finally booked my two nights at Petite Auberge, I was charged a total of $84; those darn hotel taxes.
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.
Anyway, to get to my room on the top floor I took this classic European style elevator.
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.
The bathroom was cozy, clean, and nicely decorated, with a small corner shower.
 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.
And I especially liked this upholstery pattern on a set of chairs.
 I would definitely consider Petite Auberge for future stays near downtown San Francisco, Union Square, or Nob Hill.
Petite Auberge
863 Bush Street
San Francisco, CA 94108
1-800-365-3004
http://www.petiteaubergesf.com
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Petite Auberge, San Francisco Hotel Review For my trip to San Francisco last month, here is how I decided to stay at…
