GLBT Travelers - SFO

Am thinking about taking a trip out to SFO the last week of Jan

Never been before, was looking at the Clift Hotel, is anyone familiar with this hotel, any suggestions on where I should look for a hotel close to the action, restaurants and bars. Prefer nicer hotels, not really looking for a comfort inn or anything like that!
Thanks

The action is gonna be in SoMa, which doesn't have anything better than a Holiday Inn and some Best Westerns (which I think are just fine, though hardly full service). The higher end hotels are more toward the Union Square and Embarcadero. Union Square is more than a mile from the closest gay bar. Embarcadero a bit farther. There's an InterContinental sort of between the convention center area and the Folsom Street bars. Might be your best compromise but to me it feels neither here nor there.

If you like B&B's, there's a charming one called the Parker House in the Castro.

There are two cool, upscale hotels I can recommend near Union Square: The Mosser and Hotel Palomar (a Kimpton hotel). You can easily get to/from the Castro district by streetcar or by the underground from either of these hotels.

Other nice hotels I can recommend are: Hotel Vitale, Hotel Kabuki, and the Hyatt.

Thank you, will do some research into those hotels, thanks for the responses

I really like the Parc 55 (wyndham property now, used to be a renassance) when I am in SF. Right next to the Bart/Muni and I have walked down Market to the Castro before during the day I would recomend taking a cab at night even though the F streetcar runs all night.

While there are some nice hotels in the Embaracadaro, I prefer union square. Union square is closer to the castro and with union square you are near shopping and dining as well.

My $.02.. I like the Embarcadero area for hotels. It's close to the Ferry Building, the bay (for a nice walk), and Muni/Bart station within easy reach to Castro. Union Square can be quite busy, and in some hotels, noisy because of street traffic. But if you want to stay in Union Sq., you might also try the Marriott Marquis, which is within walking distance or easy cab ride to the SOMA bars but also easy access to Muni/Bart. Whatever you do, I highly recommend NOT staying at Fisherman's Wharf.

My $.02.. I like the Embarcadero area for hotels. It's close to the Ferry Building, the bay (for a nice walk), and Muni/Bart station within easy reach to Castro. Union Square can be quite busy, and in some hotels, noisy because of street traffic. But if you want to stay in Union Sq., you might also try the Marriott Marquis, which is within walking distance or easy cab ride to the SOMA bars but also easy access to Muni/Bart. Whatever you do, I highly recommend NOT staying at Fisherman's Wharf.

I agree as well. The Hotel Vitale is our favorite and it is great to grab a bottle of Sonoma Wine and enjoy on one of the many rooftop patios. Nice hotel, with a trendy crowd, but the walls are a bit thin.

One of my favorite hotels is the W near the Moscone centre. It is not close to the action, as you would put it, but transportation is good and I found it to have particularly good, personal and attentive service. The Marriott Marquis is also nice.

My partner and I stayed at the JW Marriott over Christmas. The concierge e-mailed me before arrival to ask if I had any special requests, and I told him that we were celebrating my partner's birthday. We returned to the room after dinner the first night to find a chilled bottle of champagne (California) and some nice strawberries dipped in chocolate. The concierge lounge was open every morning (including Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, Saturday and Sunday) and had a nice spread of hot and cold items. The hotel has a free towncar service available for dropoffs within a 2-mail radius, which we used to drop us at Beach Blanket Babylon. Union Square is less than two blocks away.