Stayed here for the weekend. Open atrium in lobby is nice place to grab a drink/snacks at evening…read morereception (daily 5-6:30pm) or catch up with old friends. There was a celebration when we arrived. Everyone seemed to be enjoying the small bites and drinks in the atrium. The rooms are standard, bathroom tiny, but the separate living room with couch, TV, and desk is great. Made to order omelettes in the morning are the best. Loved the pics around the hotel of SF.

this stay was incredibly disappointing. The pool was completely unusable due to extreme…read moreovercrowding and unsupervised kids/teens running wild. There was no staff presence enforcing any pool rules or safety guidelines at all. Multiple sports teams were staying at the hotel, and the hallways and common areas were chaotic the entire stay. For context, I traveled with my own three children, so I fully understand that kids make noise and traveling can be hard. This went far beyond normal family travel. There was absolutely no enforcement of quiet hours during bedtime hours, with kids and teens running around loudly late into the night. The lack of management and rule enforcement made it impossible to relax or enjoy the stay. We would never stay here again.

I'm writing this review because I wish I had read Yelp reviews before booking. I booked this hotel…read morethrough Expedia, and the photos and description gave a very different impression than the actual experience. First, this hotel is NOT affiliated with Embassy Suites, which I mistakenly assumed when booking. It's a completely separate hotel called The Embassy. Pros * About 15 minutes from Fisherman's Wharf * Affordable stay compared to most San Francisco hotels * Friendly staff * Clean towels and linens * Charming older building architecture Cons The hotel is located in the Tenderloin District, one of the rougher neighborhoods in San Francisco. The location wasn't clearly advertised when booking. If you're a solo woman traveling, I personally wouldn't recommend staying here unless you're comfortable navigating rougher areas. The front entrance is often locked, so you sometimes have to ring a bell to be let in, which gives you an idea of the surrounding neighborhood. While the building has some historic charm, overall it felt dingy and worn. When we arrived, the room had a noticeable cigarette smoke smell, even though the hotel advertises itself as smoke-free. We had to notify management about it. There is no air conditioning, only an old furnace system that may or may not work. San Francisco weather is cool so opening the window helped, but street noise is loud, which could bother light sleepers. The photos on Expedia appear heavily filtered and misleading compared to the actual condition of the hotel. Amenities are very minimal -- only a small fridge, no real extras, and the TV isn't Bluetooth enabled. Bottom Line If you're simply looking for a cheap place to sleep and plan to spend most of your time out exploring, this may work. But if you're expecting modern accommodations, accurate listing photos, or a safer-feeling neighborhood, you may want to stay elsewhere.

The hotel itself had a retro feel (which was nice). My room had no a/c, and there are wood pieces…read moreon the window tracks to prevent one from opening them, no coffee pot, giant size tv, bed was alright, but the walls were thin and whoever was next door had their tv blasting till 6 a.m. The room looked retro (which I totally liked). The bathroom also had a retro look. The biggest issue I had was no ac no open windows. My overall experience wasn't good.

Compared to over a decade ago, the process is a lot smoother. Submit an application online and…read moreonce you get approved, passively wait for the preliminary review at home until it gets approved ( takes about 2.5 weeks if you never had a visa, and approximately 1 week if you had one previously) and once you get the status to submit your passport, that's when you go. I printed my application, but they only needed my passport at the time of visit. Just make sure you have everything you need mentioned in your application. There is two lines from the door. The one on the left is to drop off your passport, among other things and the right is for pickup. Highly suggest dropping off your passport later in the week and picking up earlier in the week if possible because everyone wanted to drop off on Monday and pick up by Thursday. I went at 1030am on Monday and waited for 45 minutes before I reached the door and didn't get submit my passport until 12:30pm. It also takes longer because they went from three open counters to one due to their lunch breaks. There were no line for the pickup. On Friday, there was no line for the drop off, but a longer line for the pickup.

tl;dr Recommend doing the online visa application prior to coming to reduce overall wait time…read more Entrance on Geary Street. I've heard horror stories of people waiting in line for hours for the Visa application. Fortunately, since they switched to an online application Fall '25, the process is much smoother. You go through security check, pick up a number and wait in the waiting area. I came around 11am and waited about 45min. Handed off my passports and was done in less than 5min with pickup in 3 days. At pickup, came around 9:30am and was able to grab the passports and visa within 15min. Overall, a very smooth experience!

This review is for tatkal passport renewal by mail. This is the most prompt and professional…read morevisa/passport related experience I've ever had from any embassy. I applied for tatkal by emailing ckgs on Monday morning and the request was approved by Tuesday afternoon. I had already prepared all the documents and was able to ship everything on Tuesday evening (overnight). The online application was a bit confusing at first but fairly simple to complete. From Wednesday I started receiving multiple tracking emails and texts informing me where my application was being sent and processed. By Thursday, my new passport was shipped back to me (again with many tracking updates that let me plan my flights/itinerary), also overnight, and I received it on Friday. I flew out on Sunday. Unbelievably fantastic service, and again, very professional! Email application to receiving the passport in hand = 5 business days, including shipping time. So do factor that in when you are calculating the time it'll take to renew the passport if you aren't doing this in person at the embassy. Totally worth the extra charge and am very grateful for the service. PS. In the interest of time, I took the passport photo with my DSLR at home, corrected using one of the numerous apps online to fit the size requirements and printed from CVS. Pretty much took less than 1 hour.

Easy street parking. Organized website that tells you what to bring to the consulate. Friendly…read morestaff who deliver on your request by the end of the day. Wonderful experience. I'd go again if I needed to.

They are professionaly trained employees of our Phil. Government.So proud of them.So easy to get…read morewhat you needed.Fast service they know what they doing.Helpful in a way that you feel so important to them.First when i got my dual citizenship it took me only minutes. They called my name right away.

I'm disappointed with my recent experience at the Philippine Consulate. When I asked for…read moreassistance, the staff member who helped me was noticeably rude and dismissive, especially after realizing I don't speak Tagalog. Clear communication is important in any consulate, and I felt uncomfortable and unwelcome. Additionally, I was charged more than expected because the fees weren't explained to me upfront. Transparent information about costs should be standard, especially for people who may already be confused or unfamiliar with the process. I hope the consulate can improve its customer service by offering more patience, clear explanations, and respect for all visitors--regardless of the language they speak

Can't rate them correctly since I couldn't get connected. The various numbers from their official…read morewebsite that I've tried weren't working, and mail boxes were full. We had to use the 3rd party visa service paying extra on the top of the regular fees for acquiring E-Visa.

Update to my review 5- years ago re: Visa exemption for Viet kieu (and their family)...I went this…read moreweek and the process was even better! Tips here: 1) Go in-person to visit: Fastest processing & nice people when talking live 2) Check opening hours: Time said 9am open, I showed up at 8:45am and door was already open 3) Download, print, complete application before coming: https://vietnamembassy-usa.org/consular/visa-exemption 3a) Vietnam's photo size is different vs USA passport photo size! 4) Pay fee in cash ($100) for expedited...waited only 15 minutes! Good luck!

I had this booked mainly for location since I was spending most of my time around South San…read moreFrancisco, Colma, and Millbrae. It's close to the airport and there are a few good spots that are walkable or a short drive. It's not fancy, not quite motel vibes either, just a very standard stay in an area where choices were limited that week. It works if you just need a place to sleep and travel conveniently. Cleanliness in the rooms was not it for me. There's a noticeable smell on the floors, like damp carpet mixed with old stains, and once you catch it, that's it you cant unsmell it. The room felt sad. Stained surfaces, dusty vents, dirty windows and curtains, little maintenance things that made it feel unkept. I don't need luxury, but I do need clean. The laundry room was also limited. One machine was out of order so everything overlapped and turned into awkward waiting. Front desk service was fine when someone was there, but a few times no one was at the desk and you're just standing there unsure if anyone's coming. The fitness room is weak. It looks claustrophobic online but is manageable in person if you really need it. Small, kind of dingy, very limited equipment. I noticed the same piece of trash sitting there for three days straight and there were no sanitizing wipes, just clean towels, which tells you how often it's actually checked. Coffee was actually pretty good and I had multiple cups during my stay. The lobby dining area was fairly spacious and well kept. Hot breakfast stayed stocked and the waffle station was a nice touch. I will say, there was an incident my first night that made things feel a little unsettled for a moment. Staff handled what they needed to handle, and the person who helped me later that night was calm and professional when it counted. Location and coffee really carried this stay. Pet and parking is convenient for a fee if you have a car or your furry baby.

WHY I WENT HERE: - business trip…read more THE LOOK (FROM THE OUTSIDE): - located off Gateway Blvd and Corporate Dr - located in the same plaza as Embassy Suites by Hilton San Francisco Airport THE LOOK (FROM THE INSIDE): - the lobby is pretty open - the seating for the breakfast area is pretty spacious and colorful - there's 2 elevators here; at the time of my stay 1 of the elevators was out of service - the fitness center has all the basics; interesting that there are huge thick floor mirrors resting on the wall opposite to where you go on the cardio machines; the disinfectant wipes were either dry or unable to be removed to use on the machines to disinfect them - the continental breakfast has a good mix of hot, cold, and shelf stable items - loved the "welcome" banner personalization on the room TV CUSTOMER SERVICE: - unfortunately wasn't able to use the Hilton App to utilize the Digital Key initially; had to go to the front desk to get issued an old-fashioned key card (once I did that of course my digital key worked) and obtain a parking pass to put on the dash to indicate I'm a guest

We came here to get some questions answered about our citizenship status answered. Upon arriving,…read morewe had to open our bags and search through and go through the metal detector and given a numbered ticket. The staff was ever so friendly and helpful in answering all our questions and gave us the information required about my status and other information. Although I'm quite fluent in my Japanese, I chose to speak in English while my mom spoke in Japanese. Our assistant was fluent in both which made the process super expedient and beneficial. Located on the 21st floor. Easy parking at the basement @$6 per half hour. It took us less than that to get our questions answered.

Trying to register my son's birth (he is half Japanese) for his citizenship and its the third time…read morewe have to redo his application because they're horrible at communicating (even though my Japanese wife talks to them in Japanese). They've sent it back because of tiny things like commas, and then they told us after sending it that he has to have the same last name as my wife (they didn't tell us the first time they saw his application). For a Japanese organization, they are surprisingly inefficient and and not very good at communicating even in Japanese we've wasted so much time and money paying for postage.

I must say this is not a bad location just minutes outside of the city in the Bio Bay Area…read more We ended up booking this hotel due to the astronomical cost of the hotels in the city for a conference. Granted this hotel is a little dated, but the room was very spacious and very clean and it had everything that I personally would need. They do offer a free breakfast in the morning, which is fine and it's nothing special, but it will save you money from having to buy breakfast when you're in the city. The staff is very friendly and welcoming for the most part and there is one gentleman that really stands out as being an outstanding staff member in his name is Howard, who works at the front desk overnight. I had several questions and he gave me very good answers and made me feel welcomed. Across the street from this hotel is an amazing walking path that will take you around all of the biotech buildings and the view is incredible and it's very relaxing. Note that there is no fast food restaurants or any restaurants in the immediate walking area. You would need to catch an Uber to go to a mall or a restaurant.. after the conference concluded for the day, I quickly grabbed something downtown and took back to the hotel to watch TV and relax and eat. This restaurant does have a pool which is inside which looks very clean and well presented and they have two seating areas outside and one area has a gas grill and those were well maintained as well. Every morning I needed to catch either an Uber or Lyft to the city. Any average cost is anywhere from $23-$49 depending on the time.. So the bottom line would be if I'm back in San Francisco and attending an event in the city. I would definitely consider this hotel again for my future stays.

I rarely do reviews for hotels, but Howard at the front desk really impressed me and deserves a…read moreshout out. He was very friendly and informative. I stayed for New Year's Eve and they had a little event for guests until 7PM and also had later breakfast hours on New Year's Day, knowing guests will most likely want to sleep in. Breakfast was fine, nothing superb, but it was included with the stay so can't complain. Coffee and Tea was offered throughout the day so that is a nice plus. The room was clean and had everything I needed. It was nice that the living space and the bedroom had a door to separate them since the couch doubled as a pull-out bed for privacy and the bathroom was separate from the sink so someone can use the sink/vanity while someone was showering. Parking was sufficient since they had overflow parking across the street. Do be careful about parking in the back because some spaces are marked only for Double Tree guests since that side of the parking is shared. I will definitely stay again when I'm visiting the Bay Area.

Hola! Tenía que actualizar mi Reseña. Bueno ase unos meses renové otra vez mi pasaporte. Tengo…read moremejores noticias. El servicio ha mejorado. No contentas las llamadas ya que todo lo asen por correo electrónico. Pueden ir en persona a preguntar pero solo le darán cita si ace cita por correo electrónico. La respuesta es rápido. Pero las citas están bien largas de espera. Hablando de meses. Ahh otra cosa. Mejor vayan a tomarse la foto donde ellos autorizan sino van ha perder mucho tiempo. Ya que la mayoría de veces la rechazan. Bueno el precio es cómodo. Lo malo es que igual el pasaporte dilata mucho pero mucho en llegar asta 4 meses. Todabia desgraciadamente no tenemos tecnología de punta: ya que los pasaporte son enviados y traído a nicaragua para ser procesado. Espero algún día esto cambie y se simule a otros consulados con mejor tecnología y servicios.

I have been calling the embassy of Nicaragua in Miami, LA, and San Francisco. This is the second…read moreweek I am trying to talk to someone. However, I have spent hours after hours and no one answer the phone. What is going on? Is no one working at the Nicaraguan embassy? What kind of service is this? What a great disappointment for tourists like me who wants to support Nicaragua tourism because the embassy reflects what the country may be like. I feel bad that perhaps is irresponsible from the embassy workers not to provide outstanding service to the public. I wonder are they getting pay or are they volunteering? Bad customer service since they do not answer ever the phone within the time that they posted of open hours. So, how can I get the information I need?