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.

Went there to get my Philippine passport. The staff is friendly but you really have to do your…read morehomework before getting there. Make sure you have all your paperwork. The security guard at the lobby will tell you where you need to go. The office is small and clean and they have a TV while you wait. You can buy a book of stamps on a separate floor (they don't sell one-offs).

I went in today with my son to renounce his Filipino citizenship (unfortunately!!). People in…read morenotarial section were very helpful and professionals, especially Ms. Elizabeth who helped me organized my son documents and I'm so glad that we don't have to wait longer to process my son documents. Thanks PCG SFO!

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!

No one answered the phone anymore???? I've been calling for days and months and no response of any…read moresort. Beyond frustrating!!!!!

Great Customer Service at this location. TREASURE is a treasure. She was very friendly and gave me…read morethe directions that I needed. She answered all my questions about the local area and even recommended a few great places to eat. Will stay here again. Thank you for being so courteous and helpful Treasure.

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.

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.

Maintenance needs to be available during the day had issues with the door and the front desk guy…read morehelped. Kyle at the front desk was super welcoming and kind

We were only staying in San Francisco for a night, so we used this spot as simply a bed to sleep…read morein! Staff was friendly during our stay, storing our bags when we arrived before check in. The rooms are spacious and clean, yet a bit dated. The breakfast was a step above the normal continental breakfast you usually get, as they served up fresh breakfast tacos. Not as nice as some of the hotels in the city, but a great option if you're looking to save a few bucks or stay close to the airport. Downtown San Fran was about a 30 monuute drive.