Kabuki is on Post, on 2-3-4 bus lines, good connection with Financial district, those buses run often especially at peak times, some walking involved.

We stayed at the Washington Square Inn in North Beach which we loved! Recently they've opened a separate vacation rental,Telegraph Hill Vacation Rental, which while pricey, is available on your dates & it is a 2 BR, fully equipped with parking space, so if you had an associate who was in the same boat & split the rental, it would be within your budget.

Also, the Hotel Palomar (Kimpton) came up as having your dates available; rates are not inexpensive, but does offer breakfast for only $1 over room rate.

Thanks everyone for your help. A colleague of mine found us rooms at the Hotel Vintage which I believe is in the same vicinity as the Orchard Garden where we usually stay. Reviews I have found so far seem positive.

Good for you!

Good location. Older hotel. Generally would not be one to recommend as there are better choices, but, under the circumstances, a good choice within the price range that you wanted.

Have a great trip and enjoy San Francisco!

Does anyone know anything about the Seal Rock Inn??

I know the area - deserted in the evening, in winter months dead after 5 pm. If you have a car, it will be a longish drive everywhere, and expensive parking at the sightseeing locations. If without a car, long ride on bus 38 to get anywhere except the west part of Golden Gate park.

Unless for some reason you want a secluded location, I would not recommend this area.

I've stayed at the Seal Rock, although it was a long time ago. It's way out in the Avenues and far from Union Square. It's out by the Cliff House and the old Sutro Baths. If you want quiet it will work for you.

Way, WAY out in the Avenues - you really could not be further from anything of interest and still be in San Francisco.

It's right across from the old Sutro estate and as the others have said, it's way out there at the end of Geary Street. You'll need a car.

One of the few reasons for staying there would be if you had someone at the Veterans Hospital nearby.

The Seal Rock does have ocean views from some of it's rooms and it's kind of close to the Legion of Honor, so if it's all you can find it's not awful or anything. I'd rather stay there then some of the nasty places downtown.

The saga continues.... the reservation agent from the Hotel Vintage called back and said that they were sorry but did not actually have a room available even though they already confirmed.

In the meantime, I have found a room at the Laurel Inn. I have seen it mentioned here and also on TA with good reviews. I know it is in Pacific Heights but I am assuming that I can use the MUNI to get into work.

I am also still checking for cancellations. Wish me luck!

From the SF Convention and Visitor's Bureau List of conventions:

09.21.09 - 09.26.09 Cardiovascular Research Foundation
TCT Annual Conference
Monday, 9/21/2009 through Saturday, 9/26/2009
Attendance: 11000
Peak Rooms: 4500

Isn't it the case that convention organizers block book the rooms and then release unbooked rooms the week before?

Have you tried Bed & Breakfasts on sites such as www.bbsf.com?

Good Luck!

I had the same problem last fall. It turned out to be an orthopedic conference with 60K attendees expected. I stayed at a place that was awful for the first night and called "my" regular hotel the next morning. Rates had dropped from $400+ to less than $200. The previous poster is right. The rates should drop after the blocked rooms are released. So, if you have to book something now (that can be cancelled), check back closer to the event for better rates at the hotels of real interest to you.

Laurel Inn is not bad, there are restaurants around, it's on bus line 1 for good connection with Fin. District (going back, make sure the sign on the front of the bus, above the driver, says either Presidio or 33 Avenue - if it says Fillmore wait for the next one, they run often)

Also there are stops for lines 2,3,4 if you need other areas of the city.

Laurel Inn is fine so don't worry if you don't find something else.

Okay, I hate to give this one up:

Stayed at Nob Hill Motor Inn. Not a bad motel for SF. Very small parking for free, or you can pay $18/day, no in/out, directly across the street. http://www.nobhillmotorinn.com/

We got half off at www.hotels.com in June.

We had a moderately spacious room compared to Union Sq area and for SF, on the 2nd floor facing the street. Noise was very modest compared to downtown. People were much quiter then most motor inns.

Thanks everyone for all of your help. We ended up at the Laurel Inn for the week. It was a bit further away from the office than I usually stay but it was a convenient trip on the Express MUNI. It is not a huge hotel and a bit on the older side (definitely could use some new mattresses) but it was clean and worked for what I needed. We also went to Monterey for the weekend and had a great time. (I will do a separate report when I can.) Then back to the city for Sunday/Monday at the usual hotel, the Orchard Garden and home on Tuesday. Since it was a work trip not much else to report on but I wanted to report back and thank everyone so much for all your help and feedback.

lindsyb: Thanks so much for coming back and telling us what happened! So many times posters just ask a question and never come back and we sit out in limbo wondering whatever-the-heck happened in the end! LOL!

Glad the Laurel Inn worked for you and hope your business trip was a success!

You're welcome! Glad it worked out for you.