NEAR NOB HILL, CARLTON REALLY IS LOWEST.

Byline: - Eric Noland

SAN FRANCISCO - A weekend night in a stylish San Francisco hotel ... for $100?

It might sound like a fantasy that swirled right out of a pipe in Haight- Ashbury, but it's reality in a neighborhood several blocks removed from the city's customary tourist flow.

The 163-room Hotel Carlton, which reopened last year after an extensive refurbishment, sits on Sutter Street, a couple of blocks east of Van Ness Avenue. The hotel's brochures refer to this neighborhood as Lower Nob Hill, though a more apt characterization might be Upper Tenderloin - an area that is still straining to shake off its tawdriness.

If anything will give the region a boost, however, it is a hotel like this. Independent espresso shops have already sprouted on this stretch of Sutter - a sure indicator of gentrification in any city.

Prospective guests can routinely find a promotional rate of $99.45 on the Carlton's Web site, sometimes even as low as $89.25. A deluxe king, on a high floor with views of the city (there aren't a lot of obstructing skyscrapers in this part of town), can be had for well under $200.

In light of the thorough makeover of this 1927 institution, it represents impressive value.

Gathered around a lobby fireplace is a mix of new and vintage furniture, which contributes to a residential feel. An afternoon wine reception is held daily in this room, and all you have to do is eavesdrop a bit to realize that the Carlton has already found favor with young adults from Western Europe - it sounds like a United Nations confab in here.

Which is fitting, because interior designers Marni Leis and Oren Bronstein were going for an eclectic, international dynamic. There are brightly colored fabrics, tribal figurines, Oriental rugs and Moroccan tables, as well as some wrought-iron holdovers from the hotel's past. The menu of the restaurant, Saha, is described as Arabic fusion.

This quirky hodgepodge was intended ``to feel like an overnight stay at your globe-trotting Swedish grandmother's house,'' according to Leis.

Ah, that would account for the pictures and travel souvenirs. The walls of the elevators have been turned into fascinating collages - a world map superimposed with snapshots, ticket stubs and other knickknacks from exotic locales. The photos were provided by the American Himalayan Foundation, which is based in San Francisco.

Though far from the traditional tourist lodging centers of Union Square and Fisherman's Wharf, the Hotel Carlton is only a 3 1/2-block walk from the western terminus of the California Street cable-car line. This east-west run, favored by locals to reach the Financial District via Nob Hill, is much less popular with tourists than the Powell/Hyde line (Fisherman's Wharf to Market Street), which means no mob waiting to board. And from Nob Hill's summit, it's an easy (and downhill) walk to Chinatown and North Beach.

At night, it's probably advisable to take a taxi to the theater district or a Market Street eatery like the Zuni Cafe, because it's an iffy neighborhood between here and there. In broad daylight, however, you'll want to make the six-block walk to Dottie's True Blue Cafe (522 Jones St.; [phone]), which serves one of the best breakfasts in the city.

A quick advisory for light sleepers: The Hotel Carlton suffers one bit of unfortunate geography, in that St. Francis Memorial Hospital is one block to the northeast and San Francisco Fire Department station No. 3 is two blocks to the southwest. Guests are thus subjected to a stereo symphony of sirens and air horns through the night, with the intensity noticeably greater on weekends.

--The Hotel Carlton is at 1075 Sutter St. Rates from $89.25, though a quote of $99.45 is more common - provided you book through the hotel's Web site: www.carltonhotel.com. Phone reservations: [phone]. Hotel switchboard: [phone].

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(1 -- 2) The Hotel Carlton offers reasonably priced yet stylish lodgings in San Francisco. The eclectic furnishings of the lobby, above, help to create a welcoming environment.

Eric Noland/Travel Editor