Any good recommendations? I’m hoping to spend less than $100/night (yeah, right!) and looking for something between Union Square and the financial district.
If you’re okay with going a few blocks outside of that, I stayed at the Monarch Hotel (Polk + Geary) a few years ago for a little under $100. Nothing great or terrible to say about it but I would stay there again. It’s not “between Union Square and the financial district” so you should map out how long your walk will be and read the reviews before you commit to anything because a stranger on the Internet said something.
Ever thought about a hostel?
Post Hotel & Hostel
589 Post Street, Union Square, San Francisco, CA 94109
is something I came up with using a search on San Francisco Hostels. Can’t testify for it - you might want to look for reviews. Even some rooms here are about $100 and it is in the right place. I don’t think you are going to do better in a hotel. Even the small hotels in the area are quite expensive. I suspect any traditional hotel for $100 will be a fleatrap. I’m sure some Doper will come along with more experience.
I just stayed at the Adante, on that lovely line between Union Square and the Tenderloin. The service was surly and the room shabby, but it was $80 a night.
The San Remo is nice, not quite you location, but I’ve had good experiences there.
That’s where I stayed last time. It was adequate and I’ll stay there again if nothing better comes up. It’ll be a bit of a walk this time though.
Don’t they have the most amazing continental breakfast? It consists of bananas, loaves of Wonder Bread, and a toaster.
I’m all in favor of Mason St., but that’s pretty far north! Is there a bus or cable car?
They had tiny bran muffins when I was there. Meh, they have coffee too.
Nope. 
I like my privacy. And I snore.
Sorry if this was said already:
Just keep scanning the online sites, e.g. kayak.com, hotels.com etc.
Usually, you can find a pattern where the cheapest rates are available only on certain days.
For example, on my last trip, I found that the cheapest airline fares were available Mondays to Wednesdays.
In general though, if you are looking for cheap hotel fares, the best way to get a deal is to call them directly to figure out their usual specials and/or hope they make a mistake.
Good idea. I can also look on Orbitz, since that’s where I booked my flight.
Got it. 5 blocks from Market St, indoor pool, $72/night, just blocks from 3 BART stations.
Bloody brilliant!
Plenty of single rooms in hostels - I think the one I linked to had them. Also multiple bunk rooms. Never stayed in one in the US, but did in Berlin (next door to the North Korean embassy!) and it was quite satisfactory.
However it looks like you found a good one.
Really? I did not know that. I slept in a bunk bed with a bunch of other people a couple of times last year. Did not like.
Question about hostels: If I did find one, would I be allowed to leave my suitcase there during the day?
Found the Cow Hollow Motor Lodge perfectly acceptable to lose my virginity in for I think $79 dollars, though that is way north of where you’re looking and considering that was 15+ years ago probably way more expensive now.
Sounds nice, tdn, which hotel?
I was going to suggest the Grant Plaza Hotel. Parking a car is a pain, but it’s otherwise a pretty good deal for its location.
Yes. If you have a private room, it is pretty much exactly the same as a hotel, except it will probably have good common areas with couches and activities (movies, games, books), a cheap in-house bar, and affordable activity booking. I always stay in hostels when I can, because I like meeting people in the evenings and I find they have better and more helpful service than low to mid range hotels.
In a dorm, you’ll almost certainly have a locker to keep your things in the day, as well as the ability to store items in a locked luggage room. I wouldn’t leave valuable things laying around in plain sight as travelers can sometimes have light hands, but if your things are in a secured area, they should be fine.
In Berlin my wife and I stayed in a private room, while my daughter stayed in a dorm and took showers in our private bathroom. I suspect the beds won’t be of the quality you find in a hotel, no TV, and furnishings are minimal. And you might have to be more careful - in Barcelona we stayed basically on mattresses on the floor with barely any space around them. We were heading for a cruise right after, so we could stand that for a day.
Hostels are often closer to where you want to be. The one in Berlin was three blocks from Checkpoint Charley, and the one in Barcelona was two blocks from Las Ramblas. Any hotel nearly as close to the center of the city would have cost a fortune.