My boyfriend and I spent the last four nights at this hotel and we had a great time! It is a cute boutique hotel with vivid colors and charm. The rooms were small but clean which is always important. The front desk was more then helpful with our questions about the city and always made you feel welcome. The location was great, close to all public transportation,shopping and walking distance to all the great sites in the city. We asked to stay on a higher floor because it is so close to union square and the noise from the streets can get quit loud at night, that helped very much.

Room was colorfully decorated but smallish, and there was a waif of dust all around it. Worst was the front staff. One attendant tried numerous times to sign us in for an airport shuttle. Once we declined, he never ackowledged us again, not even when leaving the hotel. They stored our bags on the last day, but later we found the baggage room wide open upon return. The attitude was pathetic, really, in a city in which the kindness of strangers is everywhere. We would never go there again, ever.

Hotel Bijou is a nice play for young couples or singles to stay in while visiting SF. It's very much a boutique hotel, meaning that the rooms are nicely decorated but very tiny. You also won't find things like continental breakfasts or coke machines because they cater to hip travelers who prefer to go out for that sort of thing. You will find friendly and knowledgable staff who go out of their way to help you. The proximity to Market street can't be beat. As an added bonus, there's a tiny movie theater just off of the lobby that shows movies featuring SF as a backdrop (Vertigo is the house fave). Beware of one thing: if the 70s dance club Polly Esther's is still in business across the street, you can hear the music late at night from certain parts of the hotel.

I've stayed at this hotel twice, and it's a good bargain. The location is good right off Market Street near downtown. The hotel is quite inexpensive, and it's more stylish than many higher-priced hotels in San Francisco. The rooms are small, but there are no cliched floral bedspreads in sight.