The Historic Penn Hotel

I wouldn't go back and I don't recommend it. I didn't like it.

I don't recommend it. One of the beds was an inflatable mattress that you had to inflate yourself. During the night, the mattress deflated and had a puncture. There was only one blanket, and it was dirty. I couldn't sleep all night and was cold. The advertising was misleading. We booked a place with two separate beds for two people, but the reality was not as described in the photos. They should warn guests that the second bed is an inflatable mattress and show it as such in their photos. We called the manager immediately upon arrival, and they answered right away, but they never resolved the issue. Additionally, the entrance is very unattractive. There are overflowing trash cans that smell rotten. I will never return to this place.

In general, it’s a convenient location in the heart of Gas Lamp.

If you’re a broke college student looking for a place in the Gaslamp, this might work. I will never stay here again — even if they offered me a free room. First impression: this is not a hotel. There is no lobby. You walk up to a set of double doors next to a taco shop. The entrance is lined with trash cans and looks like the side door of an old, poorly managed apartment building. It smelled strongly like urine. I genuinely thought I was in the wrong place. I arrived early hoping to drop my bag before heading to work meetings — like you would at any normal hotel. There is no luggage storage and no one onsite. After standing outside for almost an hour trying to reach someone, I was told I could rent a public storage locker nearby. That might have been manageable if they had communicated ahead of time that there is no front desk, no staff, and no place to store luggage. Instead, I spent an hour outside that entrance, walking around a homeless man near the doorway, trying to figure out what to do with my suitcase. The check-in process was just as frustrating. I received access codes right at 4:00 pm, but they didn’t include the unit number. So I spent another 30 minutes inside the building trying to figure out which room was mine, with no staff and no clear instructions. This place is marketed like a hotel, but it operates like an unmanaged short-term rental with zero support. The entire experience was confusing, high-maintenance, and stressful — especially for a work trip. I have never written a negative hotel review before, but this one earned it.