The Sofia Hotel

My stay at the Sofia Hotel was peaceful and restful. Even though the hotel is historically over 100 years old, the rooms are modern and clean. What I like is the walking proximity to nearby restaurants and the MTS trolley line.

Being a boutique hotel, one needs to bear in mind that overall size and spacing is very noticeable. Thus, my room with two double beds, was much more smaller, compared to identical rooms from non-boutique hotels. The elevators, while generally prompt and responsive, are narrow and can only accommodate four people at a time. If you're either a tall, wide or heavyset individual, staying at this hotel might be challenging for you. The parking lot ($40 per day for hotel guests) behind the Sofia is also small and sometimes will require cars being parked right behind each other in the same lane.

The location is great. The bed was pretty comfortable and clean.

The bathroom sliding door got stuck after used a couple off times. The shower handle fell down wvery time I touched it. the piece of furniture behind TV was sticky and dusty. In all the pictures with the hotel I saw nice restaurants/ coffee places at the first floor outside the hotel. In reality everything looks abandoned. I have wished to know that ahead. They are working to open a Stabucks store, which is good, but at least to say under construction and maybe get a discount for the discomfort.

The location couldn't be better, since we went to the opera two blocks away; everything from Little Italy to the waterfront is easy and safe walking. But the best is the small rooms (yes small can be exquisite) that are fully redone with everything in great detail and design. This all stands out from the "big box brands" as a unique choice. Consider strong not trying to pay for parking anywhere you stay downtown. Rideshare, or use the wonderful rail system, or walk. The only downside is there is the hotel restaurant is not yet running wince COVID.

Staff went above and beyond. Check-in was great. A staff member upgraded us to a corner room when she found out it was for a special occasion!! We were missing our TV remote and they sent someone from maintenance up right away to address the issue.

The bathroom mirror and counters were a little less clean than I would have liked. The nook with the coffee maker and ice bucket had a thin layer of dust on the ice bucket. We ended up cleaning any glassware prior to using it and using one of the small washcloths to wipe things down.

the staff was super helpful and friendly and patient

the hallways weren’t very well lit, there were not enough toiletries in the bathroom

Very nice hotel, super friendly and helpful staff and excellent location (easy walking access to Gaslamp District, Little Italy and the waterfront/Embarcadero. We definitely will to stay here again on our next visit to SD. Also, a weekend (free) stroll with Pamela (offered by The Sofia) is a bonus - she does a great job explaining the history of the downtown area.

The only negative was the high cost for parking ($40/day), but it was advertised up front, appeared to be the rate for the area, so no knock against the hotel for this.

The hotel's location is excellent. Beds are comfortable, it's perfect for 2 friends. The room has both a fridge and a microwave

Watch out: when I checked it I was charged a mandatory fee of 21$ for "hotel ameneties". I double checked my reservation and saw that I had already paid for it when booking in booking.com. It took a few minutes to explain it to the hotel staff and they cancelled the excessive charge. Room is compact, there isn't much space besides what's needed for the bed and bathroom.

Emily was very pleasant and profession. There was a other gal there who helped me and was apologetic who I think was a manager. I appreciated her efforts.

No valet parking which was ok but parking was not handled well. No permits given at check in. Parking was unorganized. The sign said if you're staying at hotel tell contact for parking. There was no one around then I found the attendant who said I had to pay for it through front desk so I called front desk and the girl said I had to pay for it after but I had no permit showing we were a hotel guest so I ended up just getting a parking ticket and paid the full price. In the end the hotel was great and refunded me the difference. There just needs to be more precise protocol for hotel guests who park there. Also there wasn't anyone to help with luggage.

It’s a boutique hotel at a reasonable price. The rooms are well organized, not cookie cutter style. You can tell you’re in an old, historic building, but it is well maintained, clean, updated, etc. It’s only a couple of blocks from everything downtown - very convenient. I really enjoyed the staff. They were friendly, helpful, and seemed to genuinely enjoy working there. I think that’s a doubly good sign at any hospitality establishment.

My only quibble was with the temp on the AC. It was quiet, but didn’t cool my room quite as well as I like. I mentioned it to the staff and they did address it, though I think the system might not be up to the task.

Bed was soft. Towels were HUGE! loved how clean everything was. Staff was kind and attentive. Would stay here again. Loved that they have water filling stations throughout the hotel

Parking is an extra $40 a night. Water and Ice machines are on every other floor, while we were able to get ice on ours we had to walk to another to fill our bottles.