Pros

  • Central Chinatown location
  • Air-conditioned rooms with mini-fridges, plus suites with sitting areas
  • Mezzanine features a comfy, simple lounge and casual dining area
  • Business corner with a PC and printer available to guests
  • Secured underground parking (for a fee)
  • Three conference rooms and optional catering service
  • Concierge service with tours and restaurant reservations
  • Free continental breakfast plus tea and coffee
  • Free Wi-Fi throughout
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Cons

  • Some rooms have tube TVs
  • Rooms can be loud due to street noise and other guests
  • Coffeemakers are only available in suites
  • In a seedy area, near strip clubs
  • Few on-site amenities; no gym
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Bottom Line

The SW Hotel is an 81-room, mid-range hotel in San Francisco’s Chinatown. Rooms and suites have Asian decor and come with mini-fridges and air-conditioning, but some have dated features such as tube TVs. The hotel offers concierge services, luggage storage, free breakfast and Wi-Fi, a mezzanine with patio furniture, three meeting rooms, a business corner, and an underground parking garage. Visitors may want to compare rates at the Hotel Kabuki, located in Japantown.

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Amenities

  • Cribs
  • Internet

Oyster Hotel Review

SW Hotel

Scene

Mid-range Chinatown with Asian decor, a breakfast room, and a mezzanine lounge

The SW Hotel is a small four-story building that offers a reasonably priced stay -- with rooms to match -- in the heart of Chinatown. The building was constructed in 1913 and opened as a hotel in 1999. The lobby and other common areas feature Asian furniture and paintings, as well as Chinese wooden carved details and tile floors. There are also two elevators. There's a lounge area on the mezzanine level with comfy sofas and Asian furnishings as well as a cafe with light-wood tables and chairs. Hallways have dark carpeting and white walls. Toward the back of the hotel is a large, tile-floored breakfast room with simple wooden tables and chairs.

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Location

In San Francisco’s Chinatown, close to City Lights Books

The SW Hotel is located in Chinatown, within walking distance of Grant Avenue and Old Saint Mary’s Church. It's just around the corner ffom City Lights Books and there's a gift store, an optician, and a frozen yogurt shop just below the hotel. The immediate area has plenty of shops, Chinese restaurants, bars, and markets -- as well as strip clubs, and the area can feel seedy at night. The Mason Street and Broadway Street cable car stop is three blocks away. It’s a five-minute drive to both the Financial District and Fisherman’s Wharf. Lombard Street is 15 minutes away by cable car. The San Francisco International Airport is 45 minutes by car. 

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Rooms

Bright rooms with Chinese furnishings, flat-screen TVs (not in all), and mini-fridges -- plus suites with wet bars

The hotel offers Double, Two Double, King, ADA Queen, and Queen Rooms, as well as Suites with separate bedrooms. Units are carpeted and have Asian-style wooden furniture and pops of green and purple decor. Rooms are air-conditioned and most come with writing desks and ironing boards. Some rooms have dated furnishings, such as tube TVs, while others come with flat-screen models. Adjoining rooms are available and rollaway beds and cribs can be requested. Suites have wet bars with coffeemakers and sitting areas. Bathrooms are small, but come with granite countertops, hairdryers, and either shower/tub combos or walk-in showers. 

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Features

Three meeting rooms, a business corner, free breakfast, and an on-site parking garage (for a fee)

The SW Hotel offers a free daily continental breakfast along with tea/coffee throughout the day. The lobby has a business center with a writing desk, a PC, and a printer, and Wi-Fi is free throughout the hotel. For guests with cars, there’s an underground parking garage available for a fee. Three conference rooms -- the Broadway, the Columbus, and the Grant -- fit up to 120 people. The mezzanine can also be rented out for private functions. Catering is available on request.

See More Features

Oyster Hotel Review

SW Hotel

Scene

Mid-range Chinatown with Asian decor, a breakfast room, and a mezzanine lounge

The SW Hotel is a small four-story building that offers a reasonably priced stay -- with rooms to match -- in the heart of Chinatown. The building was constructed in 1913 and opened as a hotel in 1999. The lobby and other common areas feature Asian furniture and paintings, as well as Chinese wooden carved details and tile floors. There are also two elevators. There's a lounge area on the mezzanine level with comfy sofas and Asian furnishings as well as a cafe with light-wood tables and chairs. Hallways have dark carpeting and white walls. Toward the back of the hotel is a large, tile-floored breakfast room with simple wooden tables and chairs.

See More Scene

Location

In San Francisco’s Chinatown, close to City Lights Books

The SW Hotel is located in Chinatown, within walking distance of Grant Avenue and Old Saint Mary’s Church. It's just around the corner ffom City Lights Books and there's a gift store, an optician, and a frozen yogurt shop just below the hotel. The immediate area has plenty of shops, Chinese restaurants, bars, and markets -- as well as strip clubs, and the area can feel seedy at night. The Mason Street and Broadway Street cable car stop is three blocks away. It’s a five-minute drive to both the Financial District and Fisherman’s Wharf. Lombard Street is 15 minutes away by cable car. The San Francisco International Airport is 45 minutes by car. 

See More Location

Rooms

Bright rooms with Chinese furnishings, flat-screen TVs (not in all), and mini-fridges -- plus suites with wet bars

The hotel offers Double, Two Double, King, ADA Queen, and Queen Rooms, as well as Suites with separate bedrooms. Units are carpeted and have Asian-style wooden furniture and pops of green and purple decor. Rooms are air-conditioned and most come with writing desks and ironing boards. Some rooms have dated furnishings, such as tube TVs, while others come with flat-screen models. Adjoining rooms are available and rollaway beds and cribs can be requested. Suites have wet bars with coffeemakers and sitting areas. Bathrooms are small, but come with granite countertops, hairdryers, and either shower/tub combos or walk-in showers. 

See More Rooms

Features

Three meeting rooms, a business corner, free breakfast, and an on-site parking garage (for a fee)

The SW Hotel offers a free daily continental breakfast along with tea/coffee throughout the day. The lobby has a business center with a writing desk, a PC, and a printer, and Wi-Fi is free throughout the hotel. For guests with cars, there’s an underground parking garage available for a fee. Three conference rooms -- the Broadway, the Columbus, and the Grant -- fit up to 120 people. The mezzanine can also be rented out for private functions. Catering is available on request.

See More Features

Best Rates

Amenities

  • Air Conditioner

  • Babysitting Services

  • Basic Television

  • Business Center

  • Cable

  • Concierge

  • Cribs

  • Free Breakfast

  • Internet

  • Kids Allowed

  • Meeting / Conference Rooms

  • Rental Car Service Desk Onsite

  • Supervised Kids Activities

Disclaimer: This content was accurate at the time the hotel was reviewed. Please check our partner sites when booking to verify that details are still correct.