Hotel Tomo
1800 Sutter St, San Francisco, CA, USA
Neighborhood: Japantown
Check availability as rates may vary for dates. Best rate guaranteed.
Recycling is great for household goods but as it turns out it’s even better for hotels. Formerly the Best Western Miyako Inn, the Tomo is part of America’s great surplus of cheap-but-uninspired mid-century budget hotels, re-designed and re-purposed into a boutique hotel that takes its style cues from contemporary Japanese pop culture.
That “Best Western” isn’t still in the name as some kind of ironic joke — the Tomo, oddly, is a partnership between the venerable cheap-motel chain and Joie de Vivre, the hip and homegrown San Francisco boutique hotel group. And if the words Best Western still put you in mind of floral bedspreads and Gideons bibles, you’ll be quickly disabused by one look inside this place.
It’s not just the crisp lines and bright futuristic furnishings; it’s the murals on the walls, the video installations in the lobby, the iPod docks and LCD televisions in the rooms, and in the “gaming suites,” the PlayStation 3s and Nintendo Wiis. There’s a vending machine in the lobby selling t-shirts and toys from Giant Robot, and the shop itself is just blocks away — you’re in the heart of San Francisco’s Japantown. What there isn’t is anything that could rightly be described as luxury; this is still a Best Western, after all, but pretty much anything you’d need is close at hand, from a wealth of restaurants (Japanese and otherwise) to the Kabuki Springs & Spa.
- 125 Rooms
- Style: Cutting-Edge
- Atmosphere: Lively
- 47 Guest Reviews
- Hotel Tomo
- 1800 Sutter St
- San Francisco, CA, USA
- Neighborhood: Japantown
Hotel amenities and services
- 100% non-smoking hotel
- 24 hour concierge
- 24 hour front desk
- 24 hour gym
- Bar
- Business center
- Central air conditioning
- Free wi-fi
- Lounge
- Luggage storage
- No pets allowed
- Offsite gym facilities
- Restaurant
- Self service parking (charges apply)
- Shopping area nearby
- Wake-up service
Other San Francisco Bay Area hotels
47 Guest Reviews
All reviews are from Tablet guests with verified stays.
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- Naadhira
- Stayed February 2013
- Rating: Good
What I liked:
great location, comfortable bed and cute deco
What the hotel could do better:
Nothing, had a wonderful stay!
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- Gina
- Stayed November 2012
- Rating: Good
What I liked:
The staff was very welcoming and accommodating.
What the hotel could do better:
Nothing, had a wonderful stay!
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- Mark
- Stayed December 2012
- Rating: Fair
What I liked:
Location is excellent. Japantown is just across the road, and Fillmore Street very nearby. Also, there is a very cheap and efficient bus service to the city centre (Union Sq) just outside.
What the hotel could do better:
The anime theme was very limited - the room I had was just a standard hotel room with a mural on the wall. That was the full extent of the theme.
The hotel room was very standard and the bathroom a little dated. For the standard of the room, I think the hotel was expensive.
