Cornell de France

United States , San Francisco Area - CA
San Francisco , 715 Bush St
Show on Google | Map

100 reviews shown

6/10

Pleasant

14 Mar 2026

Ashlee

Good location. Felt relatively safe for the big city. Parking was difficult. Room was nice but a little dusty other than that no complaints. Tv was extremely staticy. Couldn’t really watch or see what was on the tv. Shower had nice hot water. Hotel was very cute inside. I wouldn’t mind staying again.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

14 Mar 2026

Rebecca

It was a fine stay for what I needed, though the photos they use should definitely be updated to show the reality of the rooms. Very cramped room, large gap under the door, and homier details that are to be expected from a boutique hotel (mounted tv with wires hanging, confusing light/fan switches, stiff bed, an elevator that gets stuck if someone in the 6th floor doesn’t shut the door all the way) but ultimately it reflected the budget price I had paid. Very sweet and helpful staff, decent breakfast provided downstairs, just needs some cosmetic/quality updates that would make guests feel more like they were staying at a quality hotel and not their friend’s “landlord special”ed apartment.

Self

6/10

Pleasant

07 Mar 2026

karapet

Yes

Friends

10/10

Exceptional

07 Mar 2026

Gary

It was a great place to stay. I

10/10

Exceptional

07 Mar 2026

Elizabeth

All great!!!

8/10

Excellent

06 Mar 2026

Sharon

Great location. Beautiful decorations.

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

02 Mar 2026

Raul

The staff was great, location is optimal, rooms are clean and maintained. You need to have mini fridges in your hotel. It’s the biggest disappointment on any trip I take when I am unable to save a meal or store a cold drink.

8/10

Excellent

27 Feb 2026

Janet

I love the Cornell Hotel de France. It is like a small hotel in France. The daily breakfast is good, similar, but a step above American complementary breakfasts. During this stay the hot water would not get hot in the late afternoon. It was fine in the morning.

2/10

Poor

26 Feb 2026

Shlomo

Room - 3/10, staff - 7/10

Self

8/10

Excellent

25 Feb 2026

Arezoo

Everythinlg was good

Self

10/10

Exceptional

22 Feb 2026

Isaac

Good stay

10/10

Exceptional

21 Feb 2026

Elisabeth M

Staff was mostly nice, except for one of the breakfast room attendees, she was a bit snippy.

Business

6/10

Pleasant

16 Feb 2026

Michelle

Good for the price. Very basic. A brick of cold bacon was served on the first morning. Tried to cancel the last of 3 nights with 48 hours notice but the were not flexible. Shared fridge with all other guests. Small things like umbrellas would have been nice. That said, very reasonable price.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

12 Feb 2026

Charis S

Great location. Great rates to upgrade room. Reasonable breakfast. Comfortable for the price but not a luxury hotel. Staff very friendly and helpful.

Leisure Self

6/10

Pleasant

08 Feb 2026

Katie

Friendly staff, felt safe and secure, and rooms were clean enough. It is an older building/elevator, but we only had to use the stairs once while the elevator wasn’t working. They also give just one physical key

8/10

Excellent

06 Feb 2026

Jerome

Clean room. Old property. Great location. Funky and safe little elevator. Door lock was not adequate. Breakfast was excellent by American standards.

Business

10/10

Exceptional

06 Feb 2026

Jose R

Tiny and Mighty. Everything you need, conveniently located. Friendly and respectful staff

Business_and_leisure Family

6/10

Pleasant

05 Feb 2026

Brendan

My shower did not have hot water both mornings. I let the staff know after the first. The sink had hot water but after running the shower for a while it never got beyond even mildly warm.

Business

6/10

Pleasant

05 Feb 2026

Jeanne

The photos of the rooms online was not what our room looked like. We specifically chose this hotel for the charm and ambience, which the lobby & hallways had, but our room had a bed that was too big and brown laminate office furniture (2 big night tables and a large office chair). It overpowred the small room and made me feel like I was in a motel 6 - very disappointing.

Leisure Partner

6/10

Pleasant

02 Feb 2026

Flavia

The room was ok, but there were some pigeons nesting outside the window and they made a lot of noise at night. The bathroom was disappointing. There was no exhaust fan so it was very humid after a shower, and there was mould in some places. Also, the shower drain was clogged. We complained on the first day but it was never resolved. We even removed a lot of hair ourselves (which was gross) but it made no difference. Cleaning of the bathroom could be way better. To close it off, the shower water was cold 3 days in a row. We had to take cold showers in the winter, which was not nice. Breakfast was good though, and staff was kind.

10/10

Exceptional

31 Jan 2026

Angela

clean room

10/10

Exceptional

29 Jan 2026

Yekaterina

The whole hotel is an experience, the design, attention to details are incredible.
Rooms very clean and cozy. Staff is very friendly and accommodating. Will be coming back !

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

24 Jan 2026

Norma

Better than I expected. Lobby staff very Nice. Hotel & Room Nice & Clean. Very Cute hotel, quiet no street noise. I definitely will stay at this hotel Again Excellent Location. Parking lot across the street. Our room included a Bottle of wine very tasty. Thank you

Business_and_leisure

4/10

Poor

16 Jan 2026

Phil

We had plan to stay three nights but check out after one night. This was not the room I booked! Very disappointed!

Leisure Partner

4/10

Poor

11 Jan 2026

Gary

It's a cute place, older amenities. Problem was no heat in the room. Has old radiator type system but was turned off. Room was ice cold. This is January. Complained and they turned the heat on, but was shut off again during the night. Asked for a space heater which never came.

Leisure Partner

6/10

Pleasant

07 Jan 2026

Bjorn

Not as nice as the pictures present. Feels a bit run down, and in need of an upgrade to the bathrooms, bedrooms etc. The beds were comfy and fine. Overall its about what you would expect for staying in downtown SF.

Partner

2/10

Poor

06 Jan 2026

Sanaz

They did not have any available rooms and informed us that our room was under renovation and not ready. As a result, we were transferred to another hotel in an unsafe location. We were dissatisfied with this arrangement, and no effort was made to address our concerns.

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

04 Jan 2026

Ray

We enjoy this hotel with European flair. Great breakfast included.

Friends_and_family Friends

10/10

Exceptional

02 Jan 2026

Marina

Good location. Nice hotel.

Leisure Partner

6/10

Pleasant

31 Dec 2025

Araceli

Close to Union Square

Leisure Family

2/10

Poor

27 Dec 2025

Precious

I had the most horrific customer experience and was treated like thrash by a little white boy who worked Dec 24th afternoon shift at the reception .
The only reason could be because I am black , but my Christmas Eve was ruined by his smelly behavior .
It was until I raised my voice and yelled that he decided to change my room after lying they had no other room to move me too because he thinks I am deserving of the room by the road .
I paid for a premier queen room and I didn’t get that , didn’t get the complimentary free bottle of wine that comes with each room .

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

19 Dec 2025

Ann Marie

Close to Union Square, Chinatown, cable cars, other transit. Easy to get to Embarcadero, good walking. Hotel is lovely, quaint touches, feels French. Breakfast daily, simple but ample and good coffee. Will definitely return.

Self

8/10

Excellent

17 Dec 2025

Justine

A unique hotel in a good location, nice touches, coffee available on return from a day out, nice breakfast...

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

13 Dec 2025

Ana

We had stayed at this hotel summer 24 and it was wonderful. It's a great location, they are updating the property so the rooms are quaint but modern. I booked through Hotels.com and was supposed to receive a bottle of wine. Never got it, left messages for both the hotel and hotels.com - no response, no wine. The restaurant is gone, but the breakfast buffet was still there. Not too exciting, bacon was extra greasy, oily and the waffle maker was always sitting with a stuck waffle (need a new non stick version!) Other than that it's the same type stuff you get everywhere but with croissants & baguette rolls. Was supposed to get maid service daily, but had to request it after the second day of no service. So, the location and room are nice, they didn't have our room choice so they gave us two rooms which was nice. The TV in the second room didn't have cable, just antenna so that was odd considering it was across the hall.
All in all, clean, comfortable hotel but no bells or whistles - just well located at the top of a hill but close to metro and walking distance to great restaurants/shopping.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

10 Dec 2025

Steven

Beautifully designed, maintained with a great theme of art work. Definitely take advantage of the “real breakfast.” Staff is very nice and helpful and most importantly, the location is perfect.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

09 Dec 2025

Kai

Cant say enough good things about this hotel! The walls in the public areas and the rooms are beautifully decorated with hand-painted details. Each floor is themed after a different French artist, and decorated in their signature art/style. The former restaurant in the basement, which is now the breakfast space, has medieval French/Joan of Arc themed decor.
My room was very quiet and comfortable, and I barely heard any street noise despite the hotel being located in a very busy area near Union Square.
Breakfast was delicious, and definitely a step above a basic continental breakfast.
The price was amazingly reasonable, especially for such a nice place in such a central location.
There is also a beautiful old original elevator, which is a fun experience all by itself. It reminded me of several European hotels I’ve stayed in.
I’ll definitely be staying here the next time I visit San Francisco!

Self

10/10

Exceptional

09 Dec 2025

Nia

Room was clean and comfortable, staff was friendly. Overall great stay.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

07 Dec 2025

crystal

Easy walk from bart

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

05 Dec 2025

Connie

The hotel was clean and has charming decor.
The staff were friendly and accommodating.

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

01 Dec 2025

Kristi

Very cute, hotel located

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

24 Nov 2025

Gregory

Asked front desk about parking gave us a roundabout poor directions

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

23 Nov 2025

Griffin

Cute!

10/10

Exceptional

14 Nov 2025

Keith

Wonderful breakfast! Great staff!!!!

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

14 Nov 2025

Selena

Clean room, staff friendly, no parking though

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

11 Nov 2025

Candace

Room was musty. It’s very old school, actual key for room. Small room but good location.

8/10

Excellent

04 Nov 2025

Meaghan

Water temperature was good, comfortable bed, amenities worked as promised.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

03 Nov 2025

Justin

Really enjoyed its location!

2/10

Poor

02 Nov 2025

Lori

Unfortunately, I did not stay at the property due to the condition of the accommodations and a significant discrepancy between the advertised amenities and what I experienced upon arrival.
When I checked in, I immediately noticed an unpleasant odor throughout the hotel. The room assigned to me was very small, dated, and not clean. Additionally, there was no air conditioning, which made the room uncomfortable. When I raised my concerns with the front desk, I asked if another room was available, but I was informed that the entire building does not have air conditioning. At that point, I requested a refund.
The young man at the front desk explained that since I booked through Expedia, he could not process the refund directly, but assured me that his manager would approve the refund once Expedia initiated the request. However, I have since been informed by Expedia that the hotel is denying the refund. I absolutely would not stay there would not recommend it to anyone.

Update: we have sent the hotel multiple emails because they have denied our refund even though we did not spend any time in the hotel. They have not responded to any of our request and have also stopped responding to Expedia.

Business Self

8/10

Excellent

28 Oct 2025

Alex

Lovers of French art and convenience on a budget, look no further.

Leisure Self

4/10

Poor

26 Oct 2025

Eileen

This is not a 9+ hotel. It’s old. Loud. No AC in my room. Linens look old and terribly off white. Can hear everything from hallway. Bad decision.

Leisure Self

2/10

Poor

20 Oct 2025

YooJin

Smells funky, broken shower, no fridge, etc.

Friends_and_family Friends

10/10

Exceptional

18 Oct 2025

Maurice

Wonderful, unique,nice room, comfortable beds, nice breakfast, freindly staff,

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

14 Oct 2025

suzanne

Food was fresh. Close to a lot of Transit. Lovely Service. Beautiful rooms.

Friends_and_family Friends

2/10

Poor

14 Oct 2025

Enrique

Carpet was dirty, heat didn't work, shower hot water was hot, no refrigerator in the room

10/10

Exceptional

14 Oct 2025

greg

Great location. Quiet room. Great service

8/10

Excellent

11 Oct 2025

David

Quant and Cozy Downtown Experience

Cute, quaint, European style hotel in downtown SF. It’s about 1.5 blocks from Chinatown. This hotel does not have AC, so fans are definitely needed in warmer weather. Our room was very small (cozy Queen) with a tiny bathroom, which was a challenge for two adults. Breakfast was included and was great. Would stay again but just in a larger room!

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

09 Oct 2025

Lowell

After seeing that the hotel has earned a 9.0 rating from previous guests, we were quite surprised by what we found. Our room was spacious, but little else was positive. The hotel is in sore need of love. Many things in our room were broken--door to bathroom wouldn't close, soap dispenser ripped from wall, torn curtains, bed frame sticking out such that we banged our shins on it several times, etc. Free breakfast buffet was pathetic. Front desk staff was kind and helpful, but breakfast staff not at all. Definitely would not stay there again.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

08 Oct 2025

Chen

The hotel is very nicely decorated and fits the old French-style aesthetic pretty nicely. It even has an old-fashioned elevator, although this does prove to be inconvenient during busy hours as it is quite slow. The hotel itself isn't super large, but the room and bathroom were very clean and spacious. The included breakfast was also tasty, although it didn't have a huge amount of variety. The front door is protected with a lock that guests use a key fob to enter, so the hotel feels quite safe. However, I noticed that the receptionist is not always present, so sometimes I do have to wait a few minutes for someone to help me.

Business_and_leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

30 Sep 2025

Deb

I thoroughly enjoyed my stay at Cornell. I was staying solo in the city and wanted a convenient and reasonably priced hotel that I could walk to my son's apartment. Cornell was perfect. The full breakfast was an added perk. I would definitely stay here again. Thank you!

Leisure Self

8/10

Excellent

30 Sep 2025

Raymond

Quaint French hotel with vintage vibes, attentive staff, good breakfast, and excellent location for trolley and Chinatown access.

Leisure

6/10

Pleasant

29 Sep 2025

Crystal

The hotel had a terrible smell. I am sensitive to smell. I bought Febreeze and it made it tolerable. On the plus side, excellent location. Shopping, dining and the cable cars close by. Also had a room with a nice large vanity in the bathroom which made getting ready so much easier.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

29 Sep 2025

Natasha

Friendly staff. Walkable to Chinatown. About a 30 minute walk to Oracle Park. Several dining options located near by. Would definitely stay again.

Leisure Family

6/10

Pleasant

27 Sep 2025

Faizel

Breakfast area was busy and all empty tables were not bussed/dirty. So I opted to make a plate and take it up to my room, no problem I thought. BIG problem, some kitchen staff woman came over and barked at me to only eat in the dining room. So I sat and ate on a dirty table as fast as I could. Maybe clean the tables so people dont get yelled at?? other than that its an OK place to stay.

Business_and_leisure Friends

8/10

Excellent

25 Sep 2025

Stephen

Old style hotel. Feels like an apartment building with key fob and metal door key. Very boutique. Good for a night or two.

8/10

Excellent

25 Sep 2025

Mari

Clean safe great beds

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

22 Sep 2025

Janet

The Cornell Hotel de France is a must stay for frequent visitors to SF. It is like being in an old hotel in France. The wall prints of famous French painters along with hand painted details on the walls was amazing. The complementary breakfast was in a beautiful room in the basement where the high end French restaurant used to be. I loved the old elevator with the metal grate.

Leisure Partner

4/10

Poor

17 Sep 2025

Matt

Avoid here

Business Self

10/10

Exceptional

15 Sep 2025

Andrea

This was our second stay at Cornell Hotel de France. We love the location, friendly staff and decor. Our room was big enough and quiet enough on the 5th floor. We enjoyed the breakfast downstairs in the dining room.
We mostly walked and took public transit all over San Francisco. But one night, we did take advantage of Waymo self driving cars and we highly recommend it. Waymo is a very good driver and gets you safely to your destination.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

15 Sep 2025

Shelley

San Francisco Gem

Is it a bright shiny new hotel? No. Is it a charming San Francisco gem yes! The rooms are typical San Francisco Victorian. The bathrooms have been updated. The amenities are lovely. The included breakfast is wonderful. My only suggestion was to update the mattress it was fine but not fabulous. I would definitely stay again and recommend this hotel to anyone that wants San Francisco charm with out the corporate vibe.

Friends_and_family Family

8/10

Excellent

13 Sep 2025

Ross

Cheap and in a good location. Breakfast was ok

The location was good, not far from china town and market street. Small rooms with no extras, not even a kettle, but good for the price. The breakfast was ok with a selection of items, eggs always cold and bacon overcooked, tepid water if you want tea but the coffee was ok. They advertise a discount at the next door japanese restaurant but there isnt one anymore so they should update this. Wifi is good but annoying to keep logging into every so often. If you want cheap but basic, more private than a YMCA but comparable price then this place is great.

Self

8/10

Excellent

11 Sep 2025

Harry

The staff was very kind and energetic

Business Self

8/10

Excellent

06 Sep 2025

Gabrielle

Staff was nice and there were good breakfast options. Parking was a headache and made me anxious but overall we were good! The hotel itself is so cute and definitely worth staying at!

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

30 Aug 2025

Tom

Design and decor and overall condition of the hotel make this the most interesting hotel I've stayed at in SF.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

29 Aug 2025

Erdong

My son really likes the breakfast.

10/10

Exceptional

23 Aug 2025

Ursula

Lovely place.

Leisure

6/10

Pleasant

23 Aug 2025

Staci

Cute! But…

Room was not terribly clean. Bathroom floor had hair and hair bands from previous guests. The door to the room did not have any way to double lock it from the inside. As a woman traveling alone, I did not like this although the hotel itself seems very safe. The heater in the room didn’t work, which I did not know until I work up freezing in the middle of my last night’s stay. The pillows: 2 were fine, the other two were lumpy (possibly old down?) and terrible. The room looked nothing like the photos online. It was fine for two nights given the price, but it could be such a nicer place!

The deal was great

Self

6/10

Pleasant

16 Aug 2025

Kacey

We have stayed at many hotels in SF, so for the price of this hotel, we knew it would be on the older side. My only complaint would be the shower. It was covered in black mold. Pretty gross! I will say the breakfast was pleasantly good and especially for the price that it was included in the hotel cost.

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

11 Aug 2025

danixa

I’d say this hotel is “okay” for its price range. The place is very very very old and it looks like it. The sheets clearly have been used significantly and it shows/feels. There’s lots more they can do to renovate or just upgrade the place but for the price range it’s kind of expected. Friendly service at check-in/front desk.

10/10

Exceptional

10 Aug 2025

Grant

Very nice and comfortable room. Staff was excellent. Great location near downtown and cable car. Enjoyed my stay there.

Leisure Self

8/10

Excellent

10 Aug 2025

Benjamin

The included breakfast was a bit poor. It was adequate, but the eggs didn’t look very appetising and the bacon was half overdone and half undercooked. The croissants were dry and not made with real butter. The hotel food is a long way from its ‘French” identity pretends.

The room was incredibly comfortable with a lovely bed, and it was well maintained through the whole stay. A very clean hotel.

The style is charming, as is the old lift/elevator. The staff are lovely and helpful. It has good facilities. It’s in a really lovely location- which is super important.

Leisure Partner

4/10

Poor

30 Jul 2025

Verified traveler

There was construction the entire day our whole stay. From like 8am until at least 5pm. There was nothing about it on the website.

6/10

Pleasant

28 Jul 2025

Anh

The location is great. The hotel itself is very old. The rooms are extremely small. Facilities in the room are old and not functioning very well.

10/10

Exceptional

20 Jul 2025

Rene

Good service

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

19 Jul 2025

Daniel

This place was amazing! I would stay there again

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

18 Jul 2025

Bayar-Undral

Free wine and Breakfast was great except that waffle machine did not work. Bath was not cleaned completely upon arrival.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

17 Jul 2025

Mark

Beautiful hotel. Very comfortable. The breakfast was wonderful, as was the staff. Very close to public transportation & restaurants.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

16 Jul 2025

Curtis

Great little cozy hotel in perfect location. Would stay again if in the area!

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

14 Jul 2025

Juan

10/10

Exceptional

11 Jul 2025

Adam

This hotel is charming and unique. It’s not fancy but it’s clean and the staff were all helpful. We would stay here again.

8/10

Excellent

06 Jul 2025

Manfred

Great location - tiny bathroom

Very clean hotel. Central location. Tiny bathroom and small room (no A/C but not ready needed ). Daily room service and very friendly staff. Overall not a bad place to stay. There is no hotel parking but a parking garage is across the street for $40/day.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

01 Jul 2025

Muang

Cute hotel but I didn’t like that it didn’t have air conditioning.

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

29 Jun 2025

vijay

Excellent maintained place. Lot of places in the vicinity,

Business_and_leisure Family

6/10

Pleasant

27 Jun 2025

Lori

Great for an overnight. Loved the vibe of the hotel but would need a larger room for a longer stay.

10/10

Exceptional

26 Jun 2025

Suzanne

We had 3 nights at this charming B&B. Friendly and helpful staff and a clean, comfortable bedroom. A continental breakfast is served, plus scrambled eggs and either sausage or bacon. Parking is available across the road in a parking garage at $40 per night and you can take the car out once a day. The cable car stop is literally at the end of the block and is great for getting to Fisherman’s Wharf. A short walk to China Town. The area felt safe around the hotel. We enjoyed our stay.

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

25 Jun 2025

Serena

To find if you want to experience an old-fashioned

Surprisingly well appointed rooms. It’s a very old building, but I loved the Steines of all the furniture and the cute old-fashioned. Caged elevator was a hoot. Very clean and comfortable.

Business

8/10

Excellent

24 Jun 2025

Ricardo

Good cost x benefit and great location. Very close to the transports.

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

22 Jun 2025

Amy

Good coffee in lobby

10/10

Exceptional

22 Jun 2025

Joann

Quaint simple room with a window to let in the cool San Francisco air. Loved the history of the building. Located near many great places to explore just by walking. Staff was friendly and very helpful. Breakfast was good.

Leisure Self

6/10

Pleasant

18 Jun 2025

Dorian

This property is in a good location, the furniture old, no parking for this property,Overall is ok place to spend 2-3 night

Leisure Family_with_children

10/10

Exceptional

18 Jun 2025

Rebecca

Absolutely perfect, quaint, adorable stay!