William Penn Hotel

It was a great location, walking distance from so many restaurants and bars. It was also within walking distance to the convention center, which was the point of our trip. The finishes were pretty, but it wasn't in pristine condition. It was really nice having the kitchenette, although our room wasn't open and spacious as the pictures show online. It was well stocked with utensils, plates, and pans. Although it's not like a typical hotel with daily cleaning and restocking of items, they do provide you with the usual amenities. Loved having the washer/dryer in the room. Was a bit disappointed that the elevator was out of order and we had to walk up and down three flights of stairs.

5 years ago

Clean room with lots of light and great views. Being on the fifth floor, I didn’t hear the noise of the city although the location has an active scene. Sonder was upgrading the WiFi set-up during my stay, but I didn’t see interruptions after they completed it. When I first walked into the building, it had an older, vintage style, but the room was modern and comfortable. I’d recommend a fifth floor room if you’re on a longer work trip so you have access to the city amenities with less noise.

5 years ago

Great location at a great price. A little noisy, but expected for being in the gaslamp area on a weekend. It was super convient to walk downstairs and be steps away from the nightlife. The place itself was super clean and comfortable. The kitchen was stocked with equipment for cooking and even dish soap and a sponge! The bathroom had a nice shower and a washer/dryer in it with laundry pods included

6 years ago

Ok. Stayed in a short term rental that had been renovated and was quite nice. The building itself is in need of some serious repairs and updates. There is a strange smell present throughout the building, garbage outside of the main doors, old stained carpets in the hallways, and the elevator does not work.

6 years ago

Would not recommend! I booked for 5 nights and was never told that I was going to be charged a $250 security depost.. they said I would receive it back within 14 days after checkout.. its been a month already and still have not received my deposit back!! I have been e mailing and calling/texting and no one has responded to me!. The first day we checked in my husband got stuck in the elevator and had to wait 30 minutes for someone to fix it and let him out.. having to stay in the elevator for that long with a very loud nonstop beeping noise.. the website says family and children friendly but it is definitely not a place for kids. It's very loud all night till about 3am you hear everything down 5th street.

3 years ago

We stayed at William Penn in San Diego for 10 days in a studio suite on the 4th floor. We knew the elevator in this very old building would probably not be working prior to our arrival, so we were prepared for that. However, after arriving and hauling our luggage up to the 4th floor, we discovered that we had been given the wrong entry code into the suite. So, then we had to wait to hear back from customer service with the correct code. Prior to our arrival, we emailed to see if we could at least put our bags in the suite before the 4:00 pm check-in time, since our flight was arriving earlier than that. We never did get a response from them until AFTER we had already checked in. Almost every morning while we were there, they were working on the elevator. You can just imagine the sound that is made when a hammer is constantly banging on steel! And, this process usually started before 8:00 am! Ear plugs were supplied, which was a PLUS, because you really needed them. The William Penn is over bars and night clubs in the Gaslamp District, and all you hear until the wee hours of the morning is loud music and people partying. We would definitely NOT recommend this place to a middle-aged couple, older couple, or a family with children. This place is perfect for the young who just want to party and then crash at 3:00 am. We never did figure out how to operate the dishwasher. It started OK, but never did a wash cycle... It wasn't all bad. They did provide dish soap and laundry soap, so we didn't have to buy that - not every place supplies those things. The bathroom was particularly nice; very large, and clean. We travel a lot through VRBO, but this was our first experience using Sonder. We probably will not use them again.

6 years ago

Get your quirky outside and walk upstairs to this peaceful home away from home in heart of gaslamp district. Superclean, felt very safe despite being 2 blocks from salvation army hangout. It is a secured old historic bldg with video cams entering bldg and at the rooms door entry. I read a few other reviews that said it was overly loud... maybe it was room? We stayed with Sonder Collection Top floor RM 503 (bedroom faces North rooftop next to fans and helps cut noise from street/bar traffic, and still has a slight view of city). Overall, quiet for busy bar/nightlife location. The main living area has views of street and partial city and is flooded with natural light. Reasonably priced, modern amenities (full size fridge and large kitchen for cooking) and not a hotel, very cozy couch and a single washer dryer for x-small to small loads) ;) Grocery shopping at Ralph's nearby. Stay was 5 star, rating 4 because the parking situation is tricky if you have a car. If not 5 stars! There are several lots nearby but not for overnight. You have to pay until 9 pm then go back and pay again until 9 am and it can be pricier than hotel parking. The owners responded swiftly to questions and were super friendly! We would come back for convenient location, great service and homely feel. And 3 min walk to Breakfast Repiblic and Walkers Pancake House. Both vegan and gluten friendly. Happy travels to next guests!

5 years ago

I had a convention at the SD Convention Center & the William Penn Hotel was perfect for what I needed. My 1bd/1bt room had a full kitchen with fridge & stove & a large separate living room. Older slower elevators but who can't wait an extra 15-20 seconds to get down 4 flights? It isn't the type of conventional hotel you might be familiar with & has no room services or otherwise so it's pretty much like you're in your own apartment. Located in the center of the Gaslamp district so there were lots of cafes & bars in all directions. Because of this it was pretty noisy all night as the bedroom was away from the street. I saw another comment about light-bulbs missing & yeah it was weird but they must not change them - ever b/c 3 or 4 of the lamps wouldn't work - burnt out I assume. This would have been extremely annoying if I'd been there any amount of time. I'd love to come back to this place for non-business sometime.

15 years ago