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The Mosser Hotel
Rating Details »
Neighborhoods: Union Square, SOMA
54 4th Street
(between Jessie St & Stevenson St)
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 986-4400
54 4th Street
(between Jessie St & Stevenson St)
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 986-4400
- Price Range:
-
$$
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107 reviews for The Mosser Hotel
It took me two days to figure it out but i finally did -- this place reminds me of a hostel! Its like i'm in europe all over again but without the B.O.. Small (tiny really), well appointed rooms with modern touches. Crispy sheets, big screen TV and everything as economical as possible due to the space limitations
They have eco friendly soaps and biore samples, they straightened my stuff and didnt mind that i lost my key. Keep the window in the shower closed to avoid an uncomfortable interaction with your neighbor.
The worst part was the crazy slow elevator. Make sure you get a floor on the lowest floor you can or be prepared to take the stairs.
I found this place through Orbitz and stayed a night. The best thing about it was the location - right near Union Square, BART Stations, and easy to get around. The shuttle bus service that picked us up the next morning for the airport was a plus too.
This place is a cheap hotel where you get value if that's what you seek - simple, cheap, almost hostel like.
I can't complain about the service either...friendly and courteous.
Now the not so good...the hotel is old on the outside in. The outside looks kind of traditional, almost archaic but so do the insides. It would help if they did some renovation there.
My room was a small one bedroom that had a view overlooking the side street The Mosser was located on - this was another minus. Because of the thin walls and windows you can hear people walking and talking in the middle of the night, as well as the cars driving by.
As others have said the very small sink is attached to a wall in the room, not inside the bathroom so that's a little awkward.
Perhaps the most unpleasant experience was I think this hotel is haunted....
2x throughout my stay the old silver radio box beaneath the tv would turn on by itself, and static would play. The first time during the day I thought nothing of it and turned it off. The 2nd time was in the middle of the night and the static was loud, so loud it woke me up. My gf who stayed with me also woke up in the morning feeling bruised and battered, like someone or something had hit her while sleeping.
If you decide to stay good luck!
I had received warning about the 'not-so-niceness', interminably slow elevator, and the bizzare-o windows in the shower well in advance of my stay here, so when I arrived prepared for the worst I was actually pleasantly surprised! Now if I'd gotten stuck with a hall bathroom, that might have been quite another story. I did get placed on the top (8th) floor and spent each morning watching the slow crawl of the elevator floors blinking up: 1....waaaait for it...2...wait wait wait....3 (you get the idea).
They've updated the rooms so that it feels more modern, but you can tell they're a little worse for the wear these days. Just some minor annoyances: it took a considerably abnormal amount of effort to guarantee I was spitting directly into the teeny-tiny, awkwardly positioned bathroom sink; there was some mold in the shower; and the showerhead must have been from the 1800's -- I'm barely over five feet, but just barely fit up under it. No hotel bar or free wifi is also a bummer BUT this hotel is way affordable and so convenient to where I needed to be!
CAVEAT EMPTOR...PARVUS.
As a currently-unemployed chick shelling out magnus money for an executive MBA, I am on a BUDGET. So when I had to fly in the night before classes to attend a networking dinner, The Man was not happy. Being of the newly-frugal converted, I triangulated between Yelp reviews and http://Priceline.com to find the Best Value. ie, Cheap, Not Scary and Close to School.
For the $57 + $7 or so in fees (thank you, William Shatner and the FeeChopper!) I was kinda expecting sketchville - and based on some of the reviews, some kind of euro-version of those Japanese coffin-chambers.
When I checked in, the lobby was clean and brightly lit - and a continental breakfast was promised in the morning. The room was ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE, CLEAN, had fun little IKEA-esque decor and fairly high ceilings. I had not only a cute window seat but a private bathroom with shower. Because this was just a crash pad, I wasn't too concenred by the lack of desk space, etc.
The downsides were the noise from the raging nightclub next door (I was on the second floor, and too tired to ask for a relo) and inadequate light-blocking from the wooden blinds. The pillows also kind of sucked. Had I brought earplugs and a mask, two of those things would have been solved. But, as it were, I didn't get much sleep. The next morning, I discovered that there were some rooms with a SHARED bathroom...and that kind of creeped me out. I don't think I could have done that.
The one weird but noteworthy amenity was a trial-packet of Biore facial cleanser propped on the oddly-positioned vanity mirror...like the kind of trial they put into newspaper circulars. Odd to include but I thought, hey, kind of thoughtful. But unusual. Though when I checked the included coupons, they expired in 2007 (!?). Hmm.
But, in sum...I was safe, could pee without leaving my room, and cut my usual SF hotel stay by 70%. So what did I expect for $60 in the city? So I give this place four stars. But please, please, bring gear!!
What a gem of a find for a poor-ish, single woman who wants a nice place to stay smack-dab in the middle of San Francisco. I went the cheapest route for a single room ($69 a night per weekday, $80 on the weekends). You get the bare essentials, but it's efficient, clean, modern, yet has the vintage vibe of an older building.
I didn't miss having my own bathroom as there was never a wait to use the marble lined wash-rooms in the hallway. My room was right next door to the hall shower (also all marble) so I could time my visit there after the quiet whoosh of water running had ended. I did have my own sink in the room which was handy.
I stayed a week in that little room and loved coming home to it after a long day of hitting all the sites. Comfortable, safe, clean, and even design-y! What more could a girl want?
If you're used to staying at places like the Wynn in Vegas, or even a fancy suite at the Marriott across the street from the Mosser, you probably won't think this is a 4-star hotel. However, as far as hotels go for me, this place has everything I want in a great location, so 4 stars it is.
I just stayed at the Mosser for the second time... this time I went cheap ($50/night thanks to Orbitz!) & got a room with a shared bath. If you are concerned about not being able to shower or go to the bathroom when you want, I only had to wait one time for the shower, and both the bathroom & shower were clean (and tiny, but I expected this). The rooms are small, but so is my budget... so the bonuses are that it has friendly staff, and is near the BART & a bunch of Muni lines. I always travel with earplugs & an eye mask, so I didn't have any problems with noise or the light coming in from the hallway window above the door. Do this, and you'll be golden.
Nice and warm Hotel in the middle of San Francisco. The rooms are quite small as usual in the US but mine was amazing! Clean, bright and cozy with the famous fire stairs in my window...
The staff is very nice and very efficient. About the location, you have got everything you need in the front door. The streetcar to everywhere, buses and even the BART train who takes you to the SFO Airtport...
I loved this place and I definitely will recommend it to everyone.
For the price, the very best stay I have ever had. The reviews alerted us in advance of how small the room would be. They were small indeed, but SUPER comfortable and well decorated. A retro modern kind of feel. The valet service in particular stood out to us. We traveled with our dog but he could not stay in the hotel with us. The valet took extra care to make sure we traveled with the car to the parking garage and that our dog had what he needed to be comfortable. Almost forgot, everything was noticeably clean. Best part, was we were only a block from Moscone, which is where my work event was being held. Well done Mosser. 10 out of 10, and then some.
The price and location was the biggest draw. I've stayed at the Pod Hotel in Manhattan (a posh little hostel) so I didn't mind the small room and sink in the corner.
I did however mind the fact that the walls were so thin that I heard the people above us, below us and to the sides of us all take a shower. I even heard our neighbors unpack and hang their clothes in the closet. Another ding for the fact that some rooms, like our's, have window facing directly into the window of another room in the hotel. Needless to say, we kept our blind closed the entire stay.
Overall though, the hotel was modern and clean with a very friendly staff. It's located smack dab in the middle of the Sony Metreon, Moscone Center, the Container Store, Old Navy and more... For 3 nights the total came out to be about $60 a night for a room with a private bath. Not bad!
While in town interviewing with Yelp, they booked me a queen at the Mosser.
Pros:
Friendly Staff
4th Street
Nice (albeit small) room with 32" TV
The building was clean and had a lot of character
Cons:
The rooms are really small
While planning a last minute SF trip from OC with the boyfriend, I was raving that it was a must that he book this hotel to stay in for one of our nights in town. The Mosser's website and photo galleries from third party sites looked really appealing and trendy.
I'd have to say, the hotel actually has a premium location right off Union Square - close to shopping and eateries, you can walk around, catch a ride on the BART or hop on a trolly towards fisherman's wharf.
My particular experience fell pretty flat. This hotel kinda has that whole old-town tenement kinda feel (shared hallway bathrooms), built high vs. wide, etc. The hotel staff is pretty friendly, but at the time, their elevator wasn't working - which for being a girl, and a heavy packer on top of that - was not good news to the BF and I. We lugged our bags up narrow staircases up to our room. Immediately after opening the door - your bed is literally 2-3 feet away. The decor is really nice - however, very swanky-ikea style. My boyfriend surprisingly booked a "romance" package, and has rose-petals, a bottle of champagne, and some little goodies, along with a gift certificate to the adjoining restaurant - Annabelle's.
Fortunately, we had an in-suite bathroom, cramped, but @least we didn't have to wait inline for the shared bath in the hall. The best thing about this hotel is the location. I'd (for sure) have the BF skip on the "package" next time, but I'd stay here again just for the convenience.
What to say about The Mosser...
I was super excited about my 4 day trip to SF with my "ex" bf. We decided to stay with his brother for 1 night and stay at The Mosser the other 2 nights. The hotel came highly recommended from his brother and aunt/uncle so I figured it should be nice. Last minute, we booked the room. Got a pretty good discounted deal on http://hotels.com. Got a room with a shared bathroom (broke young professionals). I didn't really mind the shared bathroom so much. I've already experienced it once during my stay in NY. I was actually happy with the clean bathroom, nice and new shower/tub. The only problem was that our room was all the way down the hall but the hotel did supply a little metal basket that you can bring your toiletries with you in.
The room itself was extremely small!!!! SOOOO SMALL!!!!! We got a queen bed which took up 90% of the entire room. While the little decor the room had was decent, they made the horrible decision to attach a tiny tv by a pole to the foot of the bed. Which when you think about it made sense, in order to save space HOWEVER, I had to sleep on that side of the bed so my foot kept hitting the pole.
The coffee and muffins were convenient. I am huge on coffee, good or bad just need the caffeine, so it worked out for me. I wish they had free wi-fi. You have to pay like $15 a day for unlimited internet which was a major bummer.
My overall trip to SF was horrible so although the hotel wasn't exactly what I was hoping for... It was the highlight of my trip... LOL.
We decided to save some money and go with the shared bathrooms. At $70/ night, it was a bargain too good to pass up. The hotel seemed very clean, which is a great quality for a hotel to have. The room was a bit tight, but we were rarely in it, so that was no big deal.
While it was a tremendous value, we were on the 4th floor facing the west (I believe) and right above a restaurant. While it wasn't terribly noisy, it seemed there was a vent blowing hot air directly into our room. Also, one night it was particularly strong smelling, but the remaining nights were better. Overall, the location couldn't be beat, the room was clean, and the price was right. For that, we were willing to sacrifice a little and had a great experience.
The location is great, my friend and I got a deal on a website so we got a deluxe room with the bathroom en suite for $82 a night and we were on the 8th floor. The hotel is really nice and our room were like dorm room size, which we can overlook because we lived in dorms before. The bathroom was a different story however. The bathtub was plenty big, but our sink was so insane! It's so tiny, and I am only 5ft.3, and I was struggling to wash my face, water spilled all over the sides onto the floor. My friend and I would constantly knock over our toothbrush, soaps, etc. Eventually, I started washing my face in the shower. The noise wasn't so bad, nothing to complain about. Really awesome coffee for breakfast too!
I got love for The Mosser! The location is awesome (it's at 4th and Market). The rooms are small, but stylish. The restaurant next door has really good food and the bartender even stayed open for like an extra hour for me and a friend because we were swilling the patron and tipping well. Some people complain about the noise, that was probably me lol. This is my spot when I hit Frisco. They even have a recording studio! I've been dreaming of going down there with a big ol crew and renting the studio and having mad bottles of champagne and just living The Mosser dream. It's super cheap too. On the weekends, rooms are typically somewhere in the mid 70s after taxes. Try finding that price with this location. Good luck mawphucka!
I have two words for The Mosser: CREEPY WINDOW!!!
I have a lot of stuff to say about this hotel, but let's start with this creepy bathroom window. (I'm including a picture in the photo section, so please go check it out)......... There is no ventilation in the bathrooms except for this, when you slide open the window you are greeted by a brick wall 5 inches away. I never stuck my head out to peer into the pitch darkness. Such a FAIL.
Ok secondly.... the room was did NOT have a queen sized bed like they said. When you call down to the desk they inform you that its a "custom made queen size".... not a standard queen size. In actuality, it was a double-sized bed.
The room was small as all hell, the bathroom had a sink, but no counter. The bedroom window was facing a brick wall also (until we complained and switched rooms). The guy named manuel at the front desk was very rude.
Also, one of us were also locked outside the room in pajamas because the front desk de-activated the room key in error..... some rooms include amenities such as toothpaste and shampoo... and others dont, (this has nothing to do with price, its apparently luck of the draw according to the front desk clerk).
Soo I kind of have mixed feelings about this place.
I went to San Francisco for three days, and decided to leave it up to my friend to choose a hotel for us to stay in. He had never been to San Francisco, and I had only visited with family for a few hours. We wanted something close to the center of the city for a decent price. I was thinking of staying at a hostel because it was more in my budget or something cheaper and a little farther from the city.
Anyway, so we get to the hotel, and everything is fine, until we get to the room. My friend didn't do much research and didn't know that the room's were really small, and I didn't know anything at all. We were both pretty surprised at how small the rooms were at first, and the whole 1 bathroom and shower per floor situation. I wasn't too happy about that on arrival. I also thought the $30 dollar valet charge sucked :(
However, we honestly weren't even in the hotel at all. We just slept there and we were gone all day, so it didn't really matter. The bathroom and toilet situation was completely fine, the only thing for me was that the shower was either really hot or cold for me, not sure what was up with that.
Pros:
-Cheaper than all the other hotels nearby
-Close to stores/restaurants
-Beds are comfortable :)
Cons:
-Tiny rooms
-Their free breakfast is just some tiny flavorless muffins
-Girl at the counter although sweet and with good intentions, can't really help you out because she doesn't understand you and you don't understand her.
-No free wi-fi!
This place isn't bad, but for the budget I had and the accomodations, I would have rather stayed at a hostel or somewhere a little farther from all the action.
This place takes me back to my college days when you took a shower in communal bathrooms with your shower shoes and caddy.
My bf and I were running the San Francisco marathon and thought it was best to stay in the city the night before our race. We got a room from http://hotels.com, and were pretty surprised to learn that there would not be a bathroom attached to our room. We would have to use a shared shower and bathrooms. The room was pretty tiny, just enough room for a bed, and the tv didn't work (which for a tv junkie like me was a huge blow). Honestly for what we were doing the room served it's purpose and the bed was pretty comfortable but for an extended stay this would not be the place for me.
I will never, ever recommend this hotel to anyone. Ever.
1. I booked a room on Expedia w/ a queen bed & private bath. When checking in, 2 guys at the front desk insisted that I booked a room with a double bed instead and wanted me to pay extra for a queen bed. I showed them my reservation and they insisted that I 'requested' a queen bed. ummmm, no.
2. The rooms are tiny. Imagine your bedroom, only smaller. The sink is in the room and the bathroom is big enough for two only if one person is in the shower and the other is on the toilet. Our room looked directly into someone else's room, so that was nice.
3. Breakfast includes horrible coffee and store-bought muffins. Not didferent kinds of muffins, one kind of cheap muffins.
4. There was black mold on the ceiling, over the shower. When we were checking out, I brought this issue up to the guy at the front desk and he didn't even flinch. Awesome.
The only good thing going for this hotel was its location.
My room was a corner room with a twin bed. Though it was small, I felt that there was enough space for me and my stuff. I mean, how much space could a person have, you know? I actually liked to stay in my room -- it was sunny (corner room = 2 windows) and cute.
I didn't have a problem sharing a bathroom & shower with other people, because the hotel staff kept them clean.
The complimentary coffee and muffins in the morning were delicious!
Everyone was super friendly.
However (yes, HOWEVER...)
I'm hard-of-hearing, so I use closed captioning and subtitles when I watch TV and movies. I switched on the hotel T.V. only to find out that there was no option to switch on the CC. I went downstairs to tell them, and a concierge went upstairs to my room. After a few minutes of fiddling around with the T.V. remote, she shrugged and said "sorry" before leaving.
I'm in no means a high-maintenance guest, but I'd appreciate a little more effort than that (or an even more heart-felt apology). Oh well.
With all that said, I highly recommend this place. You can't find anything better than this for $60 a night.
Staff was very nice. Hotel was interesting. Muffins in the morning were good. They seems to be homemade or something. Coffee was good. Would have been nice to have more breakfast items. Overall my stay was fine.
This hotel was definitely inexpensive, but others of the same price are roomier and have better service and cleanliness. The person downstairs providing coffee and muffins for the Continental Breakfast looked and acted like he was hired that morning off the street.
They appear to be cutting costs in both service and management, and it shows.
There's nothing painfully bad or exceptionally good about the Mosser. The location is very convenient, both for tourists and those wanting to sit outside of Yelp HQ in hopes of spotting Yelp-ebrity Darwin. The rooms are clean and functional: nothing plush about this place.
There was only one person at the front desk (out of 3) that had any idea what he was doing, but thankfully he was very helpful. I much prefer this place to whatever hotel is next door where all the doormen/valets stand around and catcall all day and night.
After 5+ stays at The Hotel Mosser I now consider this my home in SF, which is quite unfortunate. My experience this past week at the Mosser:
I jumped in the shower in my TINY little bathroom. While washing my hair I turned to the right...and noticed that the window in my shower is open. Apparently this window leads into the window of the shower of the room next to mine. And there just happens to be a guy showering, who is watching me shower as well. I screamed bloody murder and slammed my window shut. 20 minutes later peeping Tom comes to my room dressed in his military uniform to apologize for "scaring" me. I accepted creepy peeping Tom's apology and went back into the bathroom only to notice he had written me a note that says "HELLO" on my shower window. Creepy!! But it got even creepier when he left me another "hello" the very next day.
So if you're looking for an affordable hotel with peeping Toms and very tiny rooms book your room today at The Hotel Mosser....
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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10/5/2007
There may have been hope for The Mosser Hotel if my last stay in SF hadn't been at the Harbor Court… Read more »
Hmmmm, this is a tough one.
I'm about as far away from high maintenance as you'll ever find. I don't need central air, I don't need room service, I don't need a mini-bar. I just need a comfy place to rest my head on when I'm away from my familiar bed. I've slept on floors and hard surfaces all across this country... and I rarely have a bad thing to say. Hardwood floor with a pile of dirty clothes for a pillow? Whateves... it's free.
The reason it's so hard for me to complain is because every time I stay at the Mosser, my company covers the cost of my visit. A free stay in one of the coolest cities in America? That prospect leaves very little to complain about... especially in this crappy economy. Unfortunately, I can't help but bitch and moan.
I've stayed at Mosser three different times so far, and each of those times, I've had bursts of extreme unpleasantries. From construction workers hammering away on water pipes at 3:00 in the morning to hearing a couple have LOUD sex five doors down the hallway, it seems like a full nights rest is hard to come by. Sure, it can be argued that intercourse among guests of the hotel is normal and beyond the control of the hotel itself... but how about working on the acoustics a bit? Those walls are PAPER thin. I'm pretty sure I could hear the dude in the room next to me farting. That's how sensitive those dividers are.
On top of the walls, the beds are really, really hard. It's arguable that a firm mattress is the best way to attain a good nights sleep, but no dice para moi.
How about the toilets? You'd think I was giving birth all week long. The porcelain in my bathroom got clogged two different times during my tenure. Disgusting.
Elevators? Staying on the 8th floor, I'm sure I could run up and down the stairs three times before those silver doors open and welcome me inside. Not a good bet when you're running late for a morning conference.
If I were a paying customer, I'd be severely bummed out. I'm still not stoked, but getting back to the beginning of this review, my stay was free... so complaining almost seems unfair. I can't magically shine a turd, however... so two stars for my pals 54 Fourth Street.
You know when you're talking to an acquaintance, and they have something on their face, a crumb or a smudge of frosting or something, and you decide not to point it out, because they will probably manage to wipe it off in the course of the conversation? And then they DON'T wipe it off, and you realize you have now crossed the point at which you can comfortably tell them they have something on their face? Because now YOU look like an asshole for not telling them earlier?
That's how I feel about reviewing The Mosser Hotel now. I'll feel like an asshole if I give it two stars. If I had reviewed it (i.e. told them they had food on their hotel-face) after my first stay here, several months ago, I would have felt really comfortable with the ol' two star. On that visit I lay awake every night in a miniscule room, on a twin(!) bed, listening to the deafening noise of the street directly outside and the conversation of every hotel guest within a 70 foot radius of my room. I vowed never to return.
And yet I did return, as my company graciously put me up here once again. And this time I had a TV, and a slightly bigger room, and the people at the front desk were just so darn friendly....dagnabbit! The Mosser has had that food on its face for too long. I have crossed the point of no return when it comes to the two-star review.
No wi-fi, no room service, no minibar, no ability to use the sink without smashing your head against an ill-advised shelving system directly above the faucet, walls that seem to be made of paper mache....but hey, very nice staff and very well-located. Three grudging stars.
There isn't really much for me to say about the Mosser. It was a fine experience. The bed was comfortable, and the shower pressure adequate.
I don't have much to complain about.
Except the elevator smelled as though someone had vomited in it. Not recently; maybe about a week and a half ago. And then they cleaned it, and covered up the smell. But there's still that lingering unpleasantness that I bet a lot of people can't quite put their finger on. I, however, have a lot of experience with vomit.
I don't have much to rave about either.
Except they provided some nice samples in the bathroom, such as "A Girl's Guide to the Fresh Life" panty-liners. And there was a motion-sensing stereo system. Whenever I walked up to it, it would turn on. Quite remarkable technology for a place that provides neither air-conditioning nor free wireless internet access.
A mostly useless anecdote:
When I arrived, a small Hispanic gentleman got in the elevator with me, laboriously toting a rolled up rug taller than both of us. They were renovating the 3rd floor. He looked at me; I motioned to my sandwich and said, "I'd rather be carrying mine than yours."
He just stared at me blankly. Either he didn't speak English, or my joke was lame. I'm going to go with the latter.
So I needed a place to crash in the city on Wednesday evening after attending a friend's going away party and my lovely co-worker recommended me The Mosser. I was a little skeptical at first... $44 for a room in the heart of San Francisco? But hey, I checked the website and they use flash! Talk about fancy.
When my friend and I arrived, we were shocked to see how beautiful and elegant the hotel was. Very cute classic 1920s decor. The receptionist was great and check-in was a breeze.
Our room was a shared bath with a queen bed. That means bathrooms were down the hall, which I didn't mind. They were like, actual real bathrooms! Very clean and nice, although I should probably remind myself to bring flip flops next time. The room was, I guess lack for a better term, "cozy". I didn't really care, this was just a place to crash. Anyway, the only downside was that the bed was obviously not a queen. I sleep in a double at home and I know a double when I see one.
I went downstairs to complain and the receptionist insisted that it was a queen. The conversation went something like this:
Me: it's clearly a double...
Receptionist: no... it's a queen
Me: by queen you mean double?
Receptionist: no, queen
Me: no it's a double
Receptionist: actually it's a queen...
That went on for about 5 minutes then I finally threw in the towel and went back up to my double sized bed.
Other than that, the experience was great. We had a TV, closet with robes, and tons of that fancy freebie stuff like shower caps, soap, lotion, and maxi pads. Despite the small bed, and the cozy, drunken, lesbianic sleep over I had with my friend Jessica, I was happy with my stay.
Hmmm, I seem to like this place a bit less with every visit. It's not TERRIBLE, so don't get me wrong...but more of a "hostel" environment.
The rooms are adequate, bordering on...cramped. No AC? Bummer when the downtown traffic makes a midnight breeze prohibitive.
Lacking SERIOUSLY in amenities: No gym, no room service, no free wifi, no pool, no nothing. Like I said, a hostel.
It's clean, and the door people are always fantastically friendly...It's just sort of, eh.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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2/8/2008
Ok, I'm going to go out on a limb here and give the Mosser 4 stars...here is why:
First off, the… Read more »
I love old time San Francisco. This hotel was built in 1913 and originally known as the Keystone. It was one of the new hotels built in the downtown section of the city after the earthquake of 1906.
I love the Victorian architecture and molding of the wood. The rooms are small. The wall sound system in the room was kinda cool. I made sure to request a room with a private bath as I am not into communal bathrooms, showers and toilets.
The elevator needs updating. It is slow and if it is Prime Time for usage you are in for a wait.
I like the location. Walking distance to bars, clubs and shopping. With MacWorld coming up, this maybe an options for some out of town guests of mine.
My very first time at the Mosser, I was soooo excited to stay in such a quaint boutique hotel. My room was the perfect size for little ol' me, the crisp, cool summer wind was so refreshing (no AC units in room), and the yummy complimentary chocolate chip muffins and warm coffee were a great way to start my morning.
But as time went on, along with a few more stays, this "cute" little hotel turned into a slight pain in the rear end. On warmer days, AC is needed, if not, you come back to a stiff-smelling room. Getting ready in a bathroom with no counters is tough--where does my brush go? My curling iron? Hovering over the tiny sink to wash my face creates a big water world mess on the floor. My TV kept going out and the stereo randomly would turn on at night--haunted? I's skayerd! Just getting to and from meetings takes forever because they only have one elevator--I'm one for stairs, but going UP in heels after a long day really sucks.
The straw that broke the camels back was when I left my two expensive cashmere scarfs hanging in the closet. (These were no ordinary scarves. They were soooo soft and delicate; they never stayed put on my neck. They always slipped away. I looooved them!) On my way to the airport, I remembered and phoned the hotel to let them know. I was told I'd be contacted after they put a call through lost and found. After a few days, I never received that call, so I followed up. All I was simply told, "They were not found." No apology, no "is there anything else we can do?" I know for a fact I left them hanging in the closet because A) they weren't in my luggage when I got home and B) I know I left them hanging in the closet! If I ever return to the Mosser and see ANYONE wearing my scarf...
They get two stars because the bellhop is such a sweetheart and keeps it real; and the second star is for the location. It's in the heart of the city, me thinks.
I was actually kinda afraid to Yelp this hotel thinking that the secret may get out and it'd start booking up months in advance. But in this economy I think that's not likely for a few years. :-P
So, the truth is, for the bargain hotel price range, I'm LOVIN' this place. Great location, clean, modern, urban-y, and actually kinda cool.
Yeah, so there's no air-conditioning and you may need to crack the window above a busy street. Just turn on the ceiling fan and pop in some earplugs. For this price, I'm so willing to deal with that. The beds are comfy and nice. I slept great here.
Zzzzzz.
It's funny how some boutique hotels pretend to be better than chains, but simply are not. It seems saying you stayed at a boutique rather than a Holiday Inn warrants a higher price tag. It's what the fashion industry calls label whoring.
After staying in everything from castles to historic B and Bs, to quaint country Inns, I've come to realize that some boutique hotels are no better than typical chains. They offer nothing out of the ordinary. There are no personal touches and the amenities are no better. In fact, they often offer less. So what's with the pretense? Beats me.
Case in point: The Mosser in San Fransisco.
The website offered some decent specials and the photos suggested understated but attractive rooms. However, our "deluxe" queen room was dreary and cramped. I've stayed in small European hotels and pensiones before -- these are fine given the history and personality of the rooms. Our room at The Mosser was a different beast altogether.
Here's the breakdown:
The Mosser deserves four stars for the location and convenience: a stone's throw from a Bart and Muni stop and within walking distance to Union Square and many attractions and venues.
Four stars for the strong morning coffee. Crucial, yet uncommon in American hotels.
Four for the concept: guests can choose between cheaper rooms with hall/shared WCs and showers. Or they can pay extra for the "deluxe rooms" with private bathrooms. This is a brilliant business move. Kudos to The Mosser, for that.
Two stars for the room: Our deluxe room was clean but utterly depressing. It had all the ambiance of a dormitory, made worse by the views of air shafts and buildings that blocked all sky or sun. But we figured the Lady-in-the-Radiator white noise might be better than foot or street traffic.
The bed proved comfy and our first night was fine. However, on the second morning, we were awakened early by random door slamming. These walls are thin, folks. Motel thin.
One star: No coffee maker or electric kettle and French press in the room. These don't cost much but they can make even the bleakest room more comfortable. I suggest The Mosser provide these in the *inferior* deluxe rooms. (I'm certain there were better deluxe queens to be had)
Here's my gripe: hotels -- especially those touted as "boutique"-- should seriously make EVERY room satisfactory. Consider how EACH room can be made more comfortable. If you are the manager or owner, ask yourself if you would enjoy it, return or recommend it to others. If there is a room at your hotel that leads you to answer "no", do everything you can to improve it.
There's a difference between a "special rate" for a good room vs fair/discount rates for inferior rooms. If you offer a discount for the latter, disclose all shortcomings to your customer upon booking. You may discover they are willing to spend more for a better room. Why risk losing a return customer if you can help it?
Before staying at The Mosser, we had never been prompted to change rooms. When I arrive at my destination, the last thing I want to do is haggle. Perhaps I expected more from The Mosser. Given the reasons above, I cannot justify a better rating.
All I wanted was to get some sleep. Sure, I stayed at hotels for other purposes - I mid-day tryst, a drunken after party, free HBO - but this time I just needed some shut-eye. Not happening at The Mosser. If it's not the unbelievably thin windows and street noise that keep you up, it could be the fantastically slow elevator that sounds like the space shuttle preparing to launch every time it goes up.
If you can still sleep through those, good luck trying to sleep through the mysterious pipe fairies. I've heard little pings and pangs from pipes in the walls here and there at different hotels, but never like the ones at The Mosser. The only logical conclusion I could come up with to explain this erratic, yet constant *Ping* *Clang* coming from the walls is drunken fairies trying to find their way home through the pipes, only to be banging into them non-stop.
Yet, I must give The Mosser an "A" for effort. Just as the crowd applauded an 8-year-old me after horribly failing a cartwheel during the dance recital, I applaud you, The Mosser. I had very nice service the entire time I was there, and it's a great idea, reviving an old hotel and actually keeping the rooms the original size. The hotel seems like a European hotel now, with the shared bathrooms on certain floors and teeny tiny rooms and no air conditioning, which is great for those of you into that sort of thing. To me though, give me my good ol' American hotel room with a giant bed, 31 pillows and a plasma TV any day - for about the same price I think.
Thumbs Up:
-Nice service
-Free coffee
-A certain... j'ne se qua.
Thumbs Down:
-Noisy pipe fairies
-Two pillows. What about my knees?! They need a pillow too!
-Noisy, noise, noise. The Grinch would definitely not enjoy it.
I have to be honest.
I really hate to do this for two reasons. One - I was put up in this hotel and two - there is a chance I will be coming back to stay at this hotel. But I have always believed that honesty is the best policy....thus my honest bad review.
It is five a.m. right now. I am lying in my hotel room at the Mosser, and for the second night in a row, I have barely slept more than 20 consecutive minutes at a time. Could it be the dump trucks outside my window (which has to be open because of the lack of air-conditioning and the default ninety degree temperature of this eighth floor room)? Could it be the old run down air duct outside my window that sounds more like a small percussion band, than heating and cooling product? Could it be the paper thin walls and the people who have come in and out and in and out all evening long?
Either way I have completely given up on the idea of sleep during my stay here. I would love to be able to watch my TV....only it is broken. I would love to surf the web..... only there is no internet access. I could even order some room service and have an early breakfast....only they don't offer it. I can't even take a nice relaxing morning bath because the bathroom is not only the size of a broom closet; I have found more than one piece of evidence proving it's non bathing conditions.
I talked to the front desk on two different occasions and it seems like they have heard about all of this at least 200 times, from 200 guests, in the past 24 hours alone. They are less than thrilled to deal with these problems, and really offered defensive excuses more than solutions....I get it....I would not want to have their job either. But a returned smile never killed anyone.
I wanted to like the Mosser. The concept is charming. Their potential is definitely there. The execution was not.
I left my brand new Skinceuticals face wash in the shower. You claimed it wasn't there. My luggage said otherwise. It's pricey, nice shit, so I hope whoever has it now at least has sensitive skin.
Boo. Karma catches up to you.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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5/22/2008
The front desk was on top of everything. They were waiting for me with open arms when I showed up at… Read more »
Oh little Moss. Over the past year, I've spent about four weeks here. I feel a special place in my hear because of how familiar you've become... and whenever I think "San Francisco," you'll immediately pop into my mind.
Ode to the Good:
-muffins downstairs are a-ok
-you'll feel cozy. real cozy. and never get lost in your room.
-location in the heart of it, baby
-though I've come here for conferences, it's pretty reasonably priced
Lament to the Bad:
-I'm too short to actually see into the mirror in the bathroom. Think of us, you tall designer people, who placed that mirror there!
-You don't control when the heat is on.. sweating your balls off (ok, I don't technically have balls. But the phrase fits there, no?) in your room is uncool.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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10/10/2007
The Mosser is kinda like a little hotel playing dress up.
Rooms are pint sized and they've made lots… Read more »
It's ok. Renovated a couple years ago, but still not the freshest place. Think IKEA and Euro (small sq. ft). It's a total party hotel - where you go just to crash. Definitely not a place to spend the week when there are tons of other hotels in every borough that are of a higher standard for an equal price.
Blahh. It may look nice online, people, but seriously this place sucks. I hate to be that harsh, but it does. The girl working at the desk could not answer any of my questions as far as where streets were, she just handed me a map. I couldn't figure out if that was because she didn't know or she didn't speak English, because the only things she said to me during the entire check in process were "credit card" and "3rd floor."
Ok, so I get off the elevator and the first thing I see down the hallway is a door with a communal bathtub behind it!! Are you serious?? Ugh, maybe I'm just a big fru fru but there is NO WAY I'm using that! Blahhh! Gross!
So anyway, I enter my room and am shocked. I guess I should have done my research, because now I see that every review says the rooms at the Mosser are tiny. This room was beyond tiny. The twin bed takes up the whole room. The TV is a mini one, and its attached to the bottom left corner of the bed, so you have to maneuver around it to walk around the bed, which is pretty pointless in the first place. Its way easier to just crawl across. The bathroom is just a toilet and a shower (which I don't mind at all, seriously, I'm perfectly fine with only showering!!) and the sink is located in the corner of the room.
Blahh what a waste.
P.S. I blame this encounter on my roomie, who booked it online without giving me a chance to check it out first.
It's 7:30 am and I cannot sleep! I am lying in bed at my room at the Mosser Hotel and the traffic outside is so loud that it has interupted my sleep and continues to prevent its return!
The bed is uber comfy. The room itself, albeit small, is surpsingly conducive to relaxation...a nice color palette and a light fan whirring over head. But the noise! I mine as well be sleeping on the balcony. Oh wait, there isn't one!
Which leads to a list of other things that do not exist: dressers, a desk, air conditioning, free wireless. Unless I am doing something wrong, I believe you even have to pay just to watch the flat screen TV.
Alas, I find myself enjoying my stay here. The hotel has a unique boutiquey old-world charm to it, the room is a perfect size for a single occupant and the staff is very nice. They even let me check in almost 4 hours early!
And the location cannot be beat, which essential for an out-of-towner who isn't familiar with the city.
And that being said, I think I shall start my day early and explore some more of SF. Cause going back to sleep is just not in the cards right now!
