This may be my fault for not reading reviews, but ...

This may be my fault for not reading reviews, but I did check out the rating and website - which was deceptive, to say the least.

I came to SF for a week-long business trip and had to book a hotel last minute, The Urban Hotel looked perfect - great food, bars, sightseeing all around, and open rooms! However, this is absolutely not a hotel.

I went to my room to find a window facing a cement wall and no bathroom, ran around the hall to discover community bathrooms & showers - realized this is a hostel - and a clean one at that, but it would not meet my needs. My low rating is not for the quality of the HOSTEL, but for the way my needing to cancel was handled.

Despite having a full house the night before, they allowed me to check in early (before 3). After 20 minutes in my room and trying to figure out my options, I cancelled my reservation for that night and the rest of the week just after 3 - where I was told I would need to pay for that night (ugh, but understandable and I did not argue) and I needed to wait until 4 for the manager. At 4, the manager is nowhere to be found, but the woman at the front desks calls her and hands me the phone, over the counter, with a line of guests waiting. The manager tells me I have to pay for 2 nights because they have a 24 hour cancellation policy. I explained my reasoning and the time I cancelled (since I had to wait for an hour) to be interrupted consistently and met with absolutely no understanding, I don't even think the woman heard a word out of my mouth. I'm not one to cause a scene, especially when people are trying to check in and enjoy their stay, I just had a different situation and had to leave. Rather than meeting me with the same sensibility, the manager eventually ended with "I hope you understand' - and a 10% discount, and hung up - leaving me and the woman working the front desk confused.

So, I was charged $637 (that's with my discount), $300 is rough enough, but I could understand that. Again, the hostel wasn't bad, the manager was just INCREDIBLY unprofessional and offered no understanding. I could add on I had been travelling for 4+ hours with no food and I came down with a cold the day before - so I was not feeling well - maybe I'm overreacting - but $637 is no joke, especially when having to find somewhere else to stay because this place claims to be a hotel.

Proper advertising and a 50% refund would be appreciated, Urban.