I paid $202 to stay at a micro-hotel in SF. Here's what it was like.

Here's me at about 5 feet 3 inches standing just beneath the ceiling at the top of the staircase. YOTEL is San Francisco's latest micro-hotel on Market St. that offers 10 different cabins that range in all sizes. I stayed in the "Interior Sky" cabin, which is a total of 86 square feet. less Here's me at about 5 feet 3 inches standing just beneath the ceiling at the top of the staircase. YOTEL is San Francisco's latest micro-hotel on Market St. that offers 10 different cabins that range in all ... more Photo: Susana Guerrero/ SFGATE Photo: Susana Guerrero/ SFGATE Image 1 of / 50 Caption Close I paid $202 to stay at a micro-hotel in SF. Here's what it was like. 1 / 50 Back to Gallery

Most hotels I’ve stayed at have been the kind of run-of-the-mill options you’d see on any lodging website. That all changed last weekend when I booked my first stay at YOTEL, San Francisco’s new "micro-hotel" on Market Street.

A quick browse through YOTEL's website informed me that they consider themselves as a hotel fit for the "tech savvy traveler" and one with small but "perfectly-formed cabins" made for those who appreciate quality. But when I discovered that their smallest accommodation was a two-leveled space totaling just 86 square feet, I knew I had to check it out for myself. It turns out, unlike the aphorism promises, less isn't always more.

Checking in

It all started Sunday evening when my Lyft driver dropped me off at the corner of Market and 7th streets, facing the historic Grant Building where YOTEL now resides. San Francisco is YOTEL's first West Coast location, which opened February.

As I crossed Market and entered the lobby, I immediately absorbed the modern touches the space had. Steel and glass surrounded the space, there were gray couches with plum accent pillows and matching chairs, and smooth wooden stumps for side tables. (Click through the gallery above to see more photos from my stay at YOTEL.)

Photo: Susana Guerrero/ SFGATE YOTEL's lobby has a modern space with purple accents. YOTEL is San...

A hotel staff member greeted me inside and motioned me to sign in on a kiosk positioned front and center of the lobby, like the ones you'd use to check in at the airport. I learned that wasn't a coincidence. The idea behind YOTEL came after one of its founders was upgraded to first class on a flight. He wanted to create a hotel that combined luxury and compact spaces. The kiosk, for example, is meant to help slash wait time during check in.

In no time, I was handed a keycard and told my room would be on the fifth floor. A club lounge is located the second floor, I was told, where guests could find complimentary coffee. I made a mental note to head there once I settled in.

The cabin

YOTEL offers 10 different room options, dubbed "cabins" — there's that airplane influence again. The largest rooms can fit up to four people. Three cabins are designed with the solo traveler in mind, including the one I booked called the "Interior Sky."

As soon as I walked in, I found myself oohing and aahing as the automatic light switch went on and illuminated the space. My eyes scanned the room to find a U-shaped staircase, tiny work station, standing shower and a vanity mirror. Admiration gave way to shock, however, when I glanced at the bathroom arrangement.

Directly to the right of the entrance was the toilet, completely exposed without the privacy of a door or even cover. It took a minute to process, but it wasn’t a total deal breaker for me. After all, the room is designed for one person. But it was weird, no doubt, considering the hallway was just on the other side of the wall. So much for inviting a friend over, I thought.

Photo: Susana Guerrero/ SFGATE The toilet stands free in the room and is found directly to the...

On the left side of the entrance was a space large enough to store baggage and right underneath that was a drawer that opened to a security box tucked inside. Over on the far corner of the staircase was additional space for luggage. I headed up the stairs to see where I would be crashing for the night but stopped short to see the view outside my window.

YOTEL’s website describes the “Interior Sky” cabin to have no views, which is a true statement for the most part. Fortunately, a large window that nearly scaled the wall from floor to ceiling still offered natural light. The caveat was that chicken wire covered the window and only offered a mere glimpse to the outside world.

Finally, I climbed the remaining few steps to the mezzanine level where my bed was located. When I reached the top, I realized my head nearly grazed the ceiling. I’m 5 foot 3 inches, and that’s rounding up, so I could only imagine how cramped it would feel for someone taller.

The bed lay flat on the floor and to get into it I had to climb one final step that forced me to crouch down in order to avoid thumping my head against the ceiling. I lay down and looked at the TV mounted on the wall at foot level. In order to watch TV, I’d have to maneuver my feet at an angle so there'd be enough clearing to actually watch anything.

The weirdest thing I noticed was above my head. Not only did the ceiling show exposed cement, but there was also a smoke detector covered with blue masking tape in the shape of an “X.” I found it odd but assumed it was just in my room. However, the next morning a TripAdvisor review I saw written by another guest noted he too had blue tape over the fire alarm in his cabin.

“The smoke detector seemed to be held on with blue masking tape,” wrote TripAdvisor user lebelgo. (It's worth noting that overall YOTEL's rating on TripAdvisor is pretty good; it has four stars with 81 reviews since it opened.)

Photo: Susana Guerrero/ SFGATE The fire detector was covered by blue masking tape during my stay....

Between the blue masking tape and the exposed cement, I wasn't sure if the hotel was still under construction or if this was all part of the aesthetic. When I asked YOTEL about it afterward, Isabelle Matter, general manager at YOTEL San Francisco, apologized about the tape and said it wasn’t the “kind of finishing we aspire to.” She said she would follow up with the hotel operations team about it.

As for the unfinished-looking ceiling: “The hotel was, however, designed to have a bit of industrial feeling on the inside with exposed brick and steelworks,” Matter said. “As with most new properties, there are a lot of snagging in the first few months of operation and all customer feedback is extremely welcome.”

The club lounge: expectations vs. reality

After fully exploring my tiny room, I decided to grab coffee. I moseyed over to the club lounge, which was totally empty when I walked in. The sleek room had a hefty wooden communal table, leather and metal seats, couches, TV and more private nooks for additional seating. In contrast to my brightly lit room, the lounge leaned more on the dim side, but it was still charming.

I quickly located the complimentary coffee. I'm not sure what I was expecting, to be honest, but when I saw that it came from a vending machine my heart sank a little. It had nine beverage options, except that the word "OUT" was taped on half of them, so my choices were limited to four. There would be no cappuccino for me. I went with the classic coffee with cream and sat down at the communal table.

Photo: Susana Guerrero/ SFGATE The coffee vending machine was complimentary but it didn't have...

About four guests, who I'll describe as millennials, sauntered through the hallway just outside the club lounge but didn't step in.

There’s no denying this hotel is hip. I started wondering about the YOTEL guest archetype the more I sipped on that vending machine brew.

Matter explained that during the six months since opening, the average guest has been somewhere between the age of 25 to 45. They’re the typical “digitally-savvy” guests that like to make decisions based on recommendations and selects boutique hotels “without the hefty price tag.”

“We call them Generation YO!” she told me.

Is it worth it?

With that, let’s talk about prices. The rate I paid for a one night stay on Aug. 4 was $173.47 for the "Interior Sky" cabin, booked directly through YOTEL's website. After taxes, my tab rose to $202.

A few days later, I browsed hotel options and found that the Hilton in the Financial District offered rates for $199 before taxes and $231.74 after taxes. That's the rate for a room with a king size bed and San Francisco skyline views.

To be fair, YOTEL doesn’t exactly describe itself as budget friendly.

“A $200 [and up] room rate is fairly affordable and value-driven for a brand-new hotel property in SF,” Matter said. According to Statista, a marketing and consumer data website, the average cost for an overnight stay at a hotel in San Francisco during July 2019 was about $200.

Though that may be the case, there were some features, or rather a lack thereof, that made me question the price. My cabin, although sleek, impeccably clean and comfortable, was in fact ... tiny. For $202, you could find other accommodations in San Francisco that offer a little more leg room.

Parking is not available, nor does the hotel have a bar — at least not at this time. YOTEL plans to debut a rooftop terrace and bar on the 10th floor later this summer.

TripAdvisor user lebelgo, my fellow YOTEL comrade, told me he wasn’t pleased with the rate he paid after booking the hotel on Hotwire.com.

Lebelgo told me he decided to book a night in San Francisco since he would have an appointment in the city the next day. The hotel was selected for him through the travel site's "hot rate deal," which doesn't give you the name of a hotel until after you've booked. The site described the accommodation as a three-star hotel.

"I paid $110, plus various fees which brought the total to over $150," lebelgo said. "This was a complete rip-off. While there may be some rooms in the hotel which are 3 [stars], this room definitely was not."

He was assigned the Interior Sky cabin, just like me. He also claimed that Hotwire said the cabin was large enough for two people — which, as it turns out, it is not.

"I would certainly point out that I did not get what I paid for, since one cannot call a room with no furniture, a mattress on the floor, and no space to even sit up in bed a 3 [star hotel]. If that's not a rip-off, I don't know what is."

Lebelgo was frustrated to say the least, but his irritation seemed to be directed more towards Hotwire for misleading him rather than with YOTEL. On the bright side, he mentioned he appreciated the high-speed internet.

I also appreciated the fast internet and how surprisingly quiet the night was. Aside from the occasional cooing pigeon outside my window and a couple of distant sirens, it was remarkably quiet given the hotel's mid-Market location.

The morning of my departure I awoke well rested and headed down to the lobby to check out. A man stood near the lobby exit behind a table with the kind of thermal coffee dispenser you'd typically see at Noah’s Bagels, along with small coffee cups, napkins, sugar and pastries. I wandered over and asked if that was complimentary too.

He told me it wasn’t, but said I could grab free coffee in the club lounge where I had previously been the night before. I didn't want vending machine coffee again so, out of curiosity, I asked how much he was selling it for. He told me it was $3, but I declined. Something about buying thermal dispensed coffee from a tech-centric hotel just seemed silly.

---

Susana Guerrero is an SFGATE producer. Email: Susana.Guerrero@sfgate.com | Twitter: @SusyGuerrero3