Hi - my wife & I are spending 3 days in SFO (downtown) next month, and many hotel reports (& FT) suggest not to stay around Fisherman's Wharf. So, I wanted to do a quick poll on those who have stayed at both?

I've stayed once at the Westin (Dec 2004); small room facing the building next door however I was not SPG Gold then (great location I thought). I've recently been demoted to HH Silver so I'm not too optimistic of a decent room (or do have a reservation at the Hilton currently). My definition of decent is size; not fussed on an upgrade - and a (partial) view would be nice! More so since this time my wife is travelling with me.

Price difference is marginal - US$152 for O'Farrell & US$162 for the Westin.

We're mainly planning on staying central for the 3 days; i.e. using public transport to get around to various places of interest etc. I have a hire car reservation for Sunday to get us to San Jose, deciding it was probably not worth having the car for the weekend if we planned to hang around the city (& outskirts).

There are another couple of options (on company preferred list); they are:

Hotel Nikko - US$160
Sheraton Fisherman's Wharf - US$154
Crowne Plaza Union Square - US$140
Sir Francis Drake - US$134
Hilton Fisherman's Wharf - US$131

Comments/opinions welcome. Thoughts on location also welcome; I've read the Hilton O'Farrell is close to Tenderloin which is apparently unsavoury (that said, one quote said "it is also one of the city's most exciting and diverse locales"

Cheers.

Westin St Francis is the best given your situation and higher SPG status. Try to get into the towers.

I would seriously recommend adding this property to your list of options. It just opened recently, the rooms are brand new, the staff is great and the views on the Coit Tower side are phenomenal. It is located on Kearney and is a very centralized location. Definitely worth the stay!

I stayed in two Hiltons last weekend. I liked the Hilton Financial District. Others have reported of problem stays; particularly noise - we were happy as could be with an amazing view over Coit Tower, Alcatraz and the water.

We disliked the Hilton O'Farrell as much as we liked the Hilton Financial District. Think large large convention hotel, or a cheap Vegas hotel. There are a number of towers for rooms; the place is just too big and dreary for me.

Universal views from the rooms at these two hotels are limited by the nature of their construction.

The Hilton consists of three main buildings: a 20-story cube that was built in the early 1960's (called by columnist Herb Caen "The box that the Jack Tar Hotel came in"), and two towers added later, the taller of which is about 46 stories and has some excellent views (especially those looking out to the west).

The main building of the St. Francis was built in 1904 (the interior of the building was gutted by the 1906 firequake) and is 12 stories. The 32-story tower was added when the St. Francis was acquired by what was then called Western International Hotels (later Westin). Becuase of subsequent construction on three of the four sides of the St.F, the rooms that d not face Union Square have no real view possibilities.

BTW - if you watched the old Ironside television series, the building in which the wheelchair-bound detective had his office and apartment was the Old Hall of Justice. The Hilton Financial District currently stants on that site.

Would also vote for the St. Francis over the Hiton O'Farrell, although the older rooms at the St. Francis are pretty darn dated, so do whatever it takes to avoid that side of the hotel.

In addition to everything else, the Hilton really is a lot closer to what I would call the "California Wino Country."

Edited to add: Of the choices you list, the Nikko is the best, although location-wise it is close to the Hilton.

I really enjoy the Westin St. Francis and have always been able to get an updated room. Have you looked into the Grand Hyatt right outside Union Square? Also, the Renaissance Parc 55 is generally available on Priceline for about $100 or less.

I really enjoy the Westin St. Francis and have always been able to get an updated room. Have you looked into the Grand Hyatt right outside Union Square? Also, the Renaissance Parc 55 is generally available on Priceline for about $100 or less.

olimaspecto, interested to know - did you request an "updated" room at point of reservation and/or check-in?

Thanks everyone else for their inputs; I'm leaning towards changing my reservation to the Westin St Francis, and hope of getting a better room than last time I stayed there - contacting the hotel prior to stay may aid the cause.

Hilton Financial District & Grand Hyatt were viable alternatives; but unfortunately no corporate rate available for my employer - although there is a US$289/US$269 Exec. Floor rate at the Grand Hyatt. I doubt though that an extra US$120-130/night is worth that though (compared to Westin corporate rate of US$165).

Any tips on how to get into the Towers?

Cheers, Simon.

So, no more Corp rate rooms available at Westin St Francis - am now thinking of using points for 2 nights & pay for the 3rd night at one of the Hilton properties; O'Farrell & Financial District are 40k each; and Fisherman's Wharf is 35k.

I assume most folks would suggest outlay the extra 5k & stay at O'Farrell or FD, instead of FW?

Honestly, paying for own accomm in the US is a new experience for me - and a bit of a shock to the system :eek:

Cheers.

Hi all,

i was looking for hotel reports for the sir francis drake hotel in SFO, and came across this. there's a great rate of 109.00 per nite for this particular hotel. you can find it on travelzoo.com. good luck! according to the site, there is still space for all of june.

vancb

Since the closure of the Compass Rose, its wonderful lobby bar, the St. Francis has lost some of its charm. But, it is still preferable to the Hiltons in town, in my view. Tower rooms are plentiful most times, so you shouldn't have a problem as a gold requesting one.

why are you renting a car to go to San Jose.
can do a 15 min walk to Caltrain Station and take the train or can take BART to Millbrae station and transfer to caltrain.
www.caltrain.com

why are you renting a car to go to San Jose.
can do a 15 min walk to Caltrain Station and take the train or can take BART to Millbrae station and transfer to caltrain.
www.caltrain.com

Yes, picking up on Sunday; was planning on taking BART back to SFO to collect but figured better option would be to collect from downtown (assuming there's an office); will check later today.