The Dakota Hotel is staffed by the same people who work at the Adelaide Hostel. I'm not completely sure how that works, but when you book with the Adelaide, you may be sent here to get to your room. It's literally across the street, so it's no biggie to cross over.
The interior is definitely unique - it has a vintage and hipster vibe that I enjoyed. Stepping into the front desk, I'm greeted by a nice Asian clerk and electro swing music. The elevator is an antique and it's super cool. You have to give them a $10 cash deposit for the key, so have money on hand (or use the ATM).
I stayed in a four female room, and was pleasantly surprised to meet three Chinese travelers! We got along well and I even had one friend me. Mini funny story: the language barrier was a challenge (we spoke different dialects) and I thought they were students until one woman clarified in English they were all in their 30s and practically twice my age - awkward! But they were total sweethearts and took care of me as if I was their daughter. My room was very clean and tidy with two bunk beds, a large closet, and a private bathroom. It reminds me of a quaint little apartment. The view is very nice (I was on the fifth floor) and you can see a lot of SF at night. Also, the shutters were dust free - wow, that detail in cleaning! The sheets are white, the bed is decent, and the blanket a bit scratchy, but warm. There are also fairly large lockers to store your backpacks, and if you don't have a lock, you can buy one at the front desk. I also got a mini-fridge and microwave in my room.
I explored other parts of the hotel like the kitchen and common area. The common area has lots of couches and books for the weary traveler to relax with. It also has two computers, but they're relatively slow, and for some odd reason, only Internet Explorer is on there. The kitchen is really nice! It's also clean and there is a communal fridge where you can label your food and leave it there. You have to handwash the dishes you use, but that's only fair considering it's a hostel. No cooking after 10 pm though - although who cooks that late? Just grab some food from the numerous late-night restaurants/bars.
Oh yeah, I should probably mention this: FREE BREAKFAST!! Woo woo! You can cook your own food, but they offer orange juice, milk, tea, Quaker oatmeal, bagels, bread, various jams and spreads (boisonberry is a strange berry), and best of all, NUTELLA! Toast and nutella with a cup of milk makes any morning start well. :)
Rules they have for travellers are no sex in the room (neither with strangers, the love of your life, that frog that claims to be a prince/princess, or yourself - get a private room if you're going to do that), no drugs/drinking, and quiet hours are from 10 pm to 7 am. The security seems strong too - I was reading in the common area when a group of loud guys came in around midnight and two staff members immediately asked to see their keys and which rooms they were in. They politely explained at the doorway how guests aren't allowed at that hour and got the strangers to leave. They handled the situation really well in my opinion. There are cameras everywhere, so they know what's going on.
Overall, my stay was very cozy and it felt like I was staying at a friend's home. I'd definitely recommend staying here! Another useful fact is that it's a quick bus ride or walk to ethnic neighborhoods like Little Saigon (already in the Tenderloin), Japantown, and Chinatown. There is also a BART Station nearby for longer trips. I wish I stayed longer so I could do the weekly activities like spaghetti night, bar crawls, or walking tours with these two local guys. (J-Jo, I believe? It's free and he and his friend show you around while explaining the history of SF.) read more
