The Red Victorian

What can I say about such an amazing and unique place? The staff is wonderful and the facilities are great, but honestly you can find plenty of places that can offer you that.
However, only here can you come home to find an acrobat/​contortionist playing violin in the ‘lobby’ one day, an impromptu live chamber music show the next and a theoretical mathematician giving a lecture on… well I’m not sure what it was he was talking about on another day.
No one place is perfect for everybody, but if you’ve got an open mind and an adventurist’s heart, jump on in, the water’s fine!

It’s hard to describe the Red Victorian — it’s unlike anywhere else I’ve stayed. It’s constantly evolving. It’s a co-​living space, hostel/​hotel, co-​working space, and an event space. It’s full of wonderful, unique people. It’s a home for all pass through. I’ve stayed here for 3 months now, been witness to the evolving house ethos, which feels like is beginning to stabilize around openness, community involvement, and respect. There is a constant influx of people who seldom feel like strangers, staying here or attending various events put on by the house and others who rent out the living room space. There is constant thought put into what the Red Vic should be, and a taking more seriously of this space being a home (e.g. respect and enforcement of quiet hours, addressing complaints of those who stayed in early days). A human touch runs through the community, so while it may not be run like a perfect business, I’ve never been so happy to call a place home.

The Red Victorian purports to be an inclusive, supportive and collaborative community. As a former volunteer at the wonderful, now-​defunct affiliate repertory movie house, I had very high hopes for my holiday stay with my girlfriend. What an appalling travesty it all turned out to be.
I made my reservation on October 6^th – well in advance of the Thanksgiving holiday. (Note: I had to write a brief essay about myself and send a photo before they would «approve» my reservation.) Everything was reconfirmed, payment taken and I just awaiting the email with the door entry code for the facility. Instead, on November 25, (Just one day before Thanksgiving!!!) I received an email cancelling the reservation. No apologies, no explanation and no contact number – just an amazingly brief «Sorry for the inconvenience» notation. Unbelievable!
I tried in vain for hours to reach someone to find out why and even travelled to the Red Victorian in person to try and find someone to talk to. This definitely put a huge damper on my vacation.
Eventually, I reached a representative via telephone. After a tense negotiation, I was offered a room in the Red Victorian’s sister accommodation, The Embassy, and a one night refund.
You should know that on arrival at The Embassy, it was a mess — the result of a Thanksgiving party which I absolutely can excuse but not the noisy music making that went on into the small hours, despite all the signs around the house stating that noise should be at a minimum after 11pm. The following morning, the house was still in disarray, the ground floor shared facilities completely unusable.
The Red Victorian’s emphasis on supportive, interactive and collaborative communal living can only be interpreted as an advertisement for selfish living. Thank you for the one night reimbursement — you should really have offered to reimburse the whole trip.

So, I’d been in the café before and was super stoked to stay here on my return trip to San Francisco with my husband to see the Grateful Dead’s ‘Fare the Well” final 50 year celebration tour. I made my reservation months in advance thinking everything was fine.
Well, just a few weeks before my trip I receive an email saying my reservation had been changed to a much smaller room and one without a private bathroom. SERIOUSLY PEOPLE?
Since when did any hotel have the right to change a reservation without consent? So, I quickly picked up the phone and of course as the other reviews indicated… no one answers. I leave several messages over several days, no one returns my call.
Apparently, these people will email you but won’t talk to you. This place MUST be run by Millennials. I ended up cancelling my reservation and fine, this place doesn’t get my business. I was a bit stressed having to find a new hotel so close to my vacation, but it all worked out and I assume for the better.
I know this place is run by hippies and they promote this casual, communal living atmosphere but that doesn’t give anyone a right to change someone’s reservation without their knowing or completely be void of having any kind of customer service skills.
I will enjoy my tour of San Francisco and say goodbye to one of my all-​time favorite bands in style, in a much better hotel and without the stress of having people who are clueless on how to run a business.
Fare thee well Red Victorian, you’ll never get my business and it’s a shame but your loss.

I love this place. My daughter and I stayed last weekend during our trip up and down the coast. I love the feel and people it attracts. We enjoyed the conversations with the current guests and staff. The location is ideal for wandering and looking at the architecture as well as the local restaurants. The upgrades are nice, it isn’t as quirky as it once was with the painted walls but the rooms names are still there. The Aquarium Bathroom is as it was and completely caught my daughter off guard. The ability to bring in food and cook for ourselves or as part of a larger group made this feel almost like home. I wish we had more time to spend and will definitely make a return trip. Thank you current owners for keeping the integrity of the place. I can’t wait to see what else you do.

I guess, if you just want a hostel to crash, this place is as as good as any other, but if you want a place that’s a bit more private, cleaner, and with some kind of service, don’t bother looking here. This is the second time I stayed. First time wasn’t too bad (which was why I came back a second time). It was quiet, and much better mannered, and managed the first time. But under this new management, it’s not now. For example, if you want to sleep at night, forget it. People will scream and shout, and bang away on their guitars as if they’re the only ones there, for all hours of the night. As a second example, I stayed in a room which has a private bath, so I do want my privacy, but not at the cost of they not even making the bed for the first three days. As a third, the room has no heat, save for some junk, portable heater, so be prepared to be cold. And how about how the plumbing backed up for an entire day, couldn’t use the toilet, sink or shower, or how the private entry wasn’t working for almost two days, so you couldn’t even get into the damn place without jumping around trying to get someone to answer the door.
I stay here only because it’s a block away from my daughter’s apartment, but for $ 185 a night, plus tax, and if you do not need to be in this locale like I, you can a B&B with MUCH better appointments, cleaner, and quieter. Buy the way, this is the FIRST time in my life, that I’ve EVER written such a review. I just don’t think, being an expressive, free-​minded establishment, even philosophical kind of business is any excuse for being so immaturely and poorly managed.

Have tried to stay here over the years, and this was my first visit. The Red Vic is exactly what you should expect from a true co-​op hostel. The main downstairs is huge with plenty of places to sit and work, or just hang out and drink coffee, wine, or whatever. The price is pretty good for SF, but you are sharing baths, or rooms. I had the single occupancy Skylight room on the third floor and it was great. When I am in the city I like to be over the streets since noise doesn’t much bother me — it gives me a better feeling. Bath and showers were fine. Bed was exceptional. Staff is awesome.

Jesse’s review below is very accurate. The Red Victorian is a co-​living hotel/​hostel. There still is a lot the old charm. You request a room by filling out an online profile. If you’re approved, you can also view the other guests staying there, so you get a feel for the atmosphere there. The people were all very friendly, and everyone has their own story. The bed was extremely comfortable. Shared bathroom in the hallways. The constantly leaking toilet nearby was mildly annoying, but I otherwise slept well. Definitely recommend.