Best Western Hotel Tomo

Don’t expect to see anything like your normal Best Western here. After taking a few steps DOWN from the street level, you will find yourself in a brightly lit lobby that is home to gigantic ovoid couch, three TVs playing anime videos, vending machines of gadgets, and crazy ceiling murals. Staff are generally helpful and pleasant, but nothing out of the ordinary.

The rooms are decorated in IKEA-like furnishings of natural wood, and a low platform bed. One wall of the room is home to a cute Japanese-inspired mural that covers the whole surface.

Beds are quite comfortable and the television had quite a few channel selections, including a few HBO channels.

The in-room noise levels are not bad for being on the street corner of a major city. We were quite close — maybe 30′ from the restaurant — but were did not notice any excessive noise or smells coming from that area. We did get breakfast at the restaurant one morning but found it only average.

The only two complaints we had were about heating/cooling and parking. The heating/cooling system is quite odd and seems to ignore any manipulation of the thermostat — it seemed to be either on or off which is problematic if you find the room too warm and the sytem only wants to blow out warm air. The parking is very limited, there are maybe 20 – 25 spaces for all the hotel guests. This means you either have to circle around the street hoping to find a spot or park at the Japan Center garage which is more than a block away. This could be a hassle when you realize that you forgot something in the car when you are in your room.

These complaints aside, the Hotel Tomo is a great experience and a great departure from the normal hotel design. It’s proximity to Japantown and short drive time to everything else in San Francisco are a plus.