We stayed at the Maxwell for three days for a conference in May 2008. We loved the location, near public transportation, and about a 5 minute walk from Moscone West. Unfortunately, that is about all good I can say about the property.

Our room was very small and the elevator was horribly slow. Some days, only one elevator was running due to upcoming renovation. We encountered peeling wall paper, chipping bathtub, and a horrible view of the adjacent building.

The staff was competent, but nothing outstanding. The bathroom was very small, to open the door we had to wedge ourselves up against the bathtub. The shower itself did not provide much water, but it was sufficiently hot.

For the price we paid, I suppose I can't complain too much, but if given a choice I would not stay at the Maxwell again, at least not until it undergoes a major renovation.

Me and my boyfriend have been visiting the city for years. We always like to try new places and we decided to try the maxwell based on its' proximity to the masonic center, where we were going to a concert. The location is excellent, it is within walking distance from everywhere we wanted to go, like cool bars and restaurants. the staff was very friendly, and our room was small but cute. We've stayed in many older hotels and are not phased by small rooms or hallways. "Charming' would be how I would sum up the decor.
However, the only reason I'm not giving this a glowing review is because of the noise. I'm not talking about other guests, but the maid service at 8 in the morning! After hearing loud talking and banging around in the next room, I assumed it was guests loudly getting ready to leave. However, when I heard the vacuum cleaner, I realized it was the maids being loud from approximately 7:45-9:30am!!! What the hell?? checkout time is not until noon (another plus in my book) so why wake us up at 8 in the morning??? I was furious and almost considered calling the front desk or banging on the wall but decided against it. I might consider staying there again, but I will be sure to request a room far away from the gathering of the maids in the wee hours of the morning.

My friend and I wanted to head out to San Francisco for Memorial Day weekend. We booked this hotel through the vacation package option on Priceline. The only thing we knew was that we wanted to stay in the heart of the city. This hotel is definitely in a fabulous location for the 'big city' feel. You're within walking distance to all of the major department stores (Macy's, Neiman Marcus, Saks) and other great shops. The restaurants around the hotel are excellent and you're a couple blocks away from Market St. which is where most of the bus and trolley lines pick up. The hotel itself is old, they're actually remodeling it this fall, but it has a really cute old Hollywood feel to it. The rooms are tiny, ignore the pictures on the site, you won't get that room. But they are plenty big for people who are there to see the city and not hang out in the room. It does get loud at night as there are a few bars that have late closing times, but turning on the air conditioning unit completely eliminates the crowd noise. The beds are comfortable and the rooms are clean. This was the perfect hotel for a weekend stay!

I was attending a conference at the Westin and got a room at the Maxwell. I did not realize how close it was to the Westin. Perfect for the conference. Lower priced, Max's a good restaurant, and great location. I did not need a big room so the smaller room people write about was not a problem at all.