Hotel Rex: Sleeping With The Literati

11/09/2003 at 9:40 PM
Tags: Hotels

Hotel Rex is owned and operated by the Joie de Vivre group, the same group that owns the Phoenix (in the Tenderloin). Basically the formula for these two hotels is as follows:

• If you are a rock star, a groupie, or an aspiring rock star, you want to stay at the Phoenix over on Eddy St.
• If you are a writer, an aspiring writer, or part of the literati, hang out at the Rex.

All things being equal Hotel Rex is not the most elegant solution to your lodging needs. The rooms are unimpressive, the elevator is old and a bit shaky, and the property is on the smaller side. However, the staff is courteous, and the location is extremely central. Located on Sutter St, blocks from Union Square, and just a short walk from the central business district, Hotel Rex possesses one of the best locations in SF for tourists and business travelers.

Hotel Rex also has an attached café and an in lobby bar which add to the 1920's atmosphere ruminating from the property. This is not the type of property that impresses you with its design or architecture, nor with its massiveness, instead it provides a comfortable environment from which to explore all that San Francisco has to offer.

The bottom line is this place looks like a library, or at the very least the hotel version of the City of Lights bookstore. If you stay here put on your literary cap and take in the atmosphere of pulp and ink.

Other hotels in the same vicinity of Hotel Rex are Hotel Triton (reviewed here), Sir Francis Drake Hotel, and the Carlton Hotel.