My husband and I stayed at Hayes Valley Inn in July 2007. The hotel is more of a European bed & breakfast, but with great value. Sure, you need to share bathroom with the other guests, but they were well maintained. There is a sink in evey room, so you won't need to brush your teeths outside yoour room. The rooms were small but also in good shape. Ours faced the back yard of the house = quiet. The breakfast was included in the price and very good with cereals, milk, fresh fruit salad, porridge, bread, cheese, jam etc. Over all this place is great value. The only problem is the parking. There is street parking in the area and a covered garage parking one block from the hotel. The garage parking is very expensive, however.

Situated in a great neighbourhood that we know well, my partner and I were looking forward to being close to our old haunts. However, although I can recommend the neighbourhood I cannot recommend the Hayes Valley Inn.

When I phoned to book the male staff member I spoke to was rather abrupt so I already had my concerns. Once there the staff, although polite, were never particularly friendly or welcoming. The hotel is clean but extremely dated in its appearance. The rooms are very small and although I understand that this is a Victorian building and therefore not of the dimensions we are used to today, I was surprised to find bathrooms that are so small you almost have to step into the bath as soon as you open the door (also the only way to ventilate the bathrooms while they are in use is to open the window - and I’m not convinced that people in a nearby building can’t see in - otherwise every surface in the room becomes wet with steam and the floor dangerously slippy). The shower on our floor was out of order for the 2 nights we were there and on the last morning one of the toilets was blocked. The staff did not appear to be in any particular hurry to repair them. The breakfast was not very appealing, so even though it was included in the price of the room we chose to eat elsewhere.

When we expressed our disappointment on checking out the woman was not particularly apologetic but offered us 10% discount the next time we stayed there. We told her that was would not be returning and this did not seem to concern her in the least.

Looking at the complicated and old fashioned booking system they use (I lost track of how many paper files and folders she had to reference before checking us out) they seem to exist in a time warp where customer service is not a priority and the guests needs and expectations must fit around theirs. It was not a horrendous stay but I strongly suggest you stay elsewhere, even if it takes you out of the neighbourhood.

When we originally booked this hotel I figured that the low price would dictate the type of place. I was completely wrong. The Inn is located in a very charming area with great shops and places to eat. Upon arriving we had accidentally booked a room with twin beds, but the manager was quick to resolve the matter and put us in a queen room at a LOWER rate. My husband was first skeptical about sharing a bath, but as each floor has 2 bathrooms it was more than accomadating. The room was a little small, but ideal since we were only looking for a place to rest. All of the areas were kept very clean. The breakfast was vast in comparison to most continental breakfast. We definitely would recommend this inn.

This is a great little place in a very good location. The rooms are small but comfortable and exceptionally clean and well-maintained. The rooms are tastefully decorated in a European style. I was concerned at the prosepct of sharing a bathroom, but it was just a few paces down the hall, was never occupied when I needed to use it, and was always clean. It may as well have been mine alone. For $70 per night, this place is exceptionally good value. It feels like home. I was going to stay just a couple of nights while I found my way around town but ultimately I extended my stay to 10 nights because I was completely happy with the place. Highly recommended for the budget traveller.