My husband's company placed us at the hotel during a trade show. The hotel is in a nice location near Union Square and within a couple blocks of many restaurants and tons of shopping. The hotel has a nice artsy feeling to it, which makes it unique. The rooms were a bit small, but not real uncommon for downtown San Francisco. The bed was comfortable with fours pillows and decent lighting. The tv was very small and only came with a handfull of channels, which did not include HBO or Showtime. You could however rent a current movie for $13. The room only had an armoire with one side shelves and the other side hanging space, which also is where the ironing board is kept. Not too much space for suits and business attire to be hung. The bedroom and bathroom were clean, but the bathroom was very small. It had a tiny 12" x 12" counter and a toilet that took 2 flushes to flush.

The hotel has a restaurant downstairs, that we didn't get to. We did order room service, which was very expensive and disappointing. The oatmeal with dried fruit contained a bowl of oatmeal with 1 strawberry on top. Also, we set up a wake up call, that never actually came.

This hotel is good for people who are not picky, and don't require a lot of space or services. The hotel is clean and cute and well located at a relatively affordable rate.

We stayed at Hotel Rex during a recent business trip to SF. The downstairs bar was still open at 10 pm when we arrived, and served us a complimentary glass of wine (because we had signed up for their Joy of Life Club before getting there). Very cozy bar with lots to read and a pleasant bartender.

Our room upstairs was also cozy and spacious at the same time. It had everything we needed, though the bathroom was a bit small. An open window to an empty lot full of vegetation was kind of nice... we hate being in a room where we can't open a window.

Breakfast downstairs in the cafe was delicious. And the location was great. We walked to Chinatown for gifts to take home, to the Apple store to buy an iPod, Starbuck's to get coffee, somewhere to get a pedicure and to a local museum and a few galleries. Despite being in the middle of everything, the room was very quiet at night.

I went to San Francisco having never been before and as a lone traveller. The travel agent assured me that I would like this hotel and that I would enjoy it more than going to a big chain which I would normally do.

The hotel is very clean and comfortable, safe and secure. They had a way of making you feel welcome and at home. The standards are high and your room is very clean. My bed was very comfortable indeed. The business centre was free and had excellent internet access. I would say that it was excellent value for money and the staff were very friendly and extremely helpful. It felt like a family business as they were all so genuine. The only thing to let it down was the café at breakfast time. They need to have extra staff then to clear the tables and bring the food out. As I had to wait 20 minutes to be seated when there were 3 empty tables that just needed to be cleared. But the staff were very apologetic and quick once inside.

I am so grateful to the travel agent as I was right in the heart of things and easily able to get to all the attractions and find great places to meet the wonderful locals.

Stayed at the Rex July 8-11, 2008. Two adults, two children. We had a room with two double beds. For an old hotel in the heart of the city I was pleased with size of the room. The beds were quite comfortable, the room was tidy, and the bathroom was clean. After our first day seeing the city, we returned at about 7:00pm to a room that had not seen maid service. We informed the front desk. They were apologetic and offered to have it cleaned then, but, being tired and with 2 young kids to tend to, we declined. The rest of the stay was pleasant, however I would have expected some sort of gesture (comp the in-room movie we watched or something) for having forgotten to clean our room.
The location of the Rex is nice if you want the Union Square scene. There is a Cable Car stop at the corner of Powell and Sutter, which is very convenient. We also found two charming, good and kid-friendly restaurants within a block of the hotel (Max's and the Cozy Cable Car Cafe).
It is a busy part of town, and there is a strong contingent of homeless folks approaching you on most corners. A bit annoying after a while.
I would likely stay here again if I crave the Union Square location. However, next visit...if it's just me and my wife...I will opt for a B&B in the Cow Hollow / Pacific Heights area. I bit quieter there and, IMO, a better selection on restaurants.