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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- Joe
- Stayed September 2012
- Rating: Good
What I liked:
Location and service
What the hotel could do better:
Nothing, had a wonderful stay!
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- Chaim
- Stayed September 2012
- Rating: Poor
What I liked:
the bed and bedding was decent.
What the hotel could do better:
Lower expectations. This is a a decent two-star hotel in a relatively poor location. It is not a fun, quirky boutique that is deserving of the prices it charges.
An example: the door between my room and the next was taped together with electric tape (someone kicked it open a few night earlier). The staff didn't think there was anything odd about that but was fine with me moving to an equal room.
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- brian
- Stayed September 2012
- Rating: Excellent
What I liked:
The staff was very helpful, the rooms were very interesting and unique, and the location offered many great options for food and drinks within walking distance. (Please excuse the run on sentence)
What the hotel could do better:
Nothing, had a wonderful stay!
