Jumpgate

I've stayed at the W, the St. Francis, and the Sheraton FW in SF proper, and I tend to agree with what's posted here.

The St. Francis is an excellent hotel with amazing heritage, but unless you're going to SF for a shopping and/or business trip it's probably not your best bet. It's close to all the high-end Union Square shops, and has easy access to the financial district, but it's not really that walkable to major touristy areas. Great for transit though and connected to all major MUNI and Bart lines.

I've stayed at 4 or 5 W's (the W Seattle being my favorite), and I have to say the most "W" of them all is the one in SF. The staff is purposefully unfriendly in that euro-chic manner that frankly annoys me. The rooms are tiny but VERY well equipped and the service is excellent (minus the aforementioned unfriendliness of the staff). The hotel is ultra-modern, sleak, metalic, and angular ... but (and some people might disagree with me), the location is not all that hot. It's near the SFMoMa which is a nice museum and near the convention center and downtown, but minus 1 or 2 reasonably nice clubs, there is nothing in that area going on after 8 or 9 pm. Nada, zilch, zero. You gotta grab a cab to north beach, the marina, the castro, the mission or get on BART and head over to Berkeley.

For a cost and tourist-minded first-time visitor to San Francisco, the FW Sheraton is probably your best bet. Yes, it's old, no, it's not the prettiest *wood, but it's an excellent location for tourists and it's a great value.

Something to keep in mind when judging distance in SF is that it is a VERY hilly city. I might be stating the obvious, but it's important to realize for people who haven't lived or visited there. Often tourists will look at a map and see their hotel is only half a mile or so from the area they want to hang out in and subsequently think to themselves "Oh! we'll just walk." What they don't realize is that in SF, .5 miles can also mean a difference in elevation of hundreds of feet. Make sure you're fit enough to walk up and down very steep hills all day.

vincom

I've always found the staff perfectly friendly there - even the hotel concierge... Maybe it was just a bad staffing stay ?

-Vincent

ElmhurstNick

I stayed there in January for four nights. It was right after the big Apple conference so I used an SPG50 and paid $144.50/night (vs. $219, or $350+ at the other SF city properties). A few thoughts:

1. If you use an SPG50, you'll have to wait and ask SPG to load in the points - the front desk confused it with cash and points and didn't post the stay.
2. It's a lowrise like everything else in the area.
3. It's better than a 4P, probably in the 40% percentile of US Sheraton properties. Not a horror show by any means.
4. It's very convenient for inexpensively getting into the tourist areas, as the F Muni goes right by the hotel on its way into the city (it drops off a block away) and goes along the Embarcadero to Market Street.
5. The Club breakfast was pretty good, but the location is odd (in a big hallway area)
6. Walgreens and Safeway nearby for snacks, and In and Out for your burger fix!!
7. The Holiday Inn down the street has free wireless, if you only want a few minutes worth, go to the hotel's Denny's and order a cup of coffee.

toolz

I've stayed at each of the SF properties and no surprise, the nicest is clearly the new St. Regis. With a good corporate rate, it's actually been cheaper than the St. Francis my last few visits and with better availability.

The Palace has a nice lobby and Japanese restaurant but the rooms are dated. I don't think it's worth the premium.

The St. Francis does a decent job if you get one of the Tower Rooms but it is often overrun by conference/convention folks. That can be frustrating to check-in or get your car, etc.

The W is fine, not too snooty in my opinion but dark in their typical chic way. Tough to get an upgrade here but the service is usually decent.

If you do stay up in FW and like some crab, get it fresh there at one of the stalls.

Have fun.

cattle

Mrs Cattle and I stayed here last October. We were there 3 nights and once I got over the shock of the room and accepted that I had been forewarned by FT I settled in and took it for what it was. Cheap points, decent location and the breakfast in the lounge really did surprise me as well. (used it as a Plat).

I was really put off by the stains on the curtains (looked like water damage over time) but it was Fleet Week and there were no other rooms to be had so we just lived with it as the rest of the room was clean and I was on vacation and had no desire to fight with anyone about it.

Be warned, the bathrooms are really tiny but when you are on vacation you tend to not spend too much time in the room anyways.

A final good note is that it really is in an excellent location. 5 mins to the Alcatraz ferry and the Wharf strip as well.

Dare I say it, if we went back I would consider staying here again as I know what to expect.

danam

I'd forgotten about the curtains, nicely stained from the air conditioning unit!

It's not a classy place by any means, it's all about getting what you pay for (and a free breakfast).

777 global mile hound

Agree seems mostly positive.

Some excerpts of mixed opinions from some of the most recent on T.A. Might want to book on the Best Western Website

This is not a bad hotel. The rooms are a bit small, but not unusual for San Francisco. The location is quite good:close to excellent restaurants and the waterfront for walking. Not far from shopping. But... the service is poor, and for those used to staying in Kimpton hotels... The staff attitude ranges from perfunctory to rude.
( Example: a staff member named Mark actually snapped at me at the wine tasting when I tried to find out what kind of wine was being offered. Problem was I don't just order by color.)There is simply not the service-oriented feeling one is used to in this hotel group. If you want the attentive, upscale experience of the Kimpton group, try the Argonaut. We went there to make reservations for dinner and walking through the lobby were greeted by the doorman and two people at the front desk. Yes, those "little touches" do make a difference and they are worth paying for. We've learned our lesson.

After reading so many positive reviews about this hotel, I booked it for my stay over the New Year. Once I arrived I was very disappointed. I'd been placed in a 'smoking allowed' room, despite requesting a non-smoking room. Asking for a room change straight away, I was refused, and was told that these requests can only be made by booking direct through Best Western's website. Therefore, I spent 4 nights in a constant tobacco smelling room & told to 'open windows'! (December in SF?!)
Views? Well no, on this one too. I was facing a brick wall, with a plant pot as 'greenery'On the positive side, the bed was extremely comfortable. Location is also great, with a couple of supermarkets within a block from the hotel.

hpvamp

Stayed there a couple months ago, on the club floor using points, nothing to write home about. The slanted ceiling on the top floor is unique though, reminiscent of the Luxor in Lax Vegas.

Anyway, I was suprised a few weeks later when I discovered they had charged about $40 to my Amex card. I call up the hotel and they said I had opened a bottle of wine. I did no such thing. I asked for the charge to be removed and they transferred me to their accounting department. The accounting department then told me I would have to talk to the manager. After leaving 3 messages for him over a one week period and receiving no word from him I ended up having to dispute the charge with AMEX. Amex did the right thing and reversed the charge, but still, this left a very bad taste in my mouth on behalf of the Sheraton FW.

Contrast this to the FOUR POINTS Sheraton I had stayed in recently (Emeryville), where I had a billing dispute (they had charged me for a points stay). I called the hotel, they said they would talk with the manger, 15 minutes later the manager calls me, appologizes, and reverses the charge.

Anyway, have fun deciding between St. Francis, Palace and the W.

DeniseM

The newest Fisherman's Wharf Hotel (and closest to the water) is the Argonaut.
www.argonauthotel.com Cost is in the same ballpark as the Tuscan Inn, I believe. For more $$$ it also has some ocean view rooms.

fromYYZ_flyer

Cost is more like 50-600% more. Cheapest room they have is $259 and the most expensive is around $800.

DeniseM

Sorry - I meant to post that the cheapest room rates at the Argonaut are in the same ballpark as the Sheraton (not Tuscan.) Yes, the ocean view suite at the Argonaut is a lot more. Sorry for the confusion.

TimMeineke

Stayed there two nights ago. I would strongly recommend that anyone staying there request a room that does not face the Radisson (I think it's Beach Street). I was in a room at the end of the hall, and it was very noisy starting at about 6am with buses, trolleys, and vehicle traffic. Otherwise the hotel was a pretty good deal for the price - better than average breakfast in the "lounge"

eggca

Hi all.
Can anyone who has stayed at the hotel post-renovations comment on the
hotel and rooms? Thanks for your help.

itsaboutthejourney

same question here, the photos of the lobby looks great, the tables with the fireplaces in them look cool...very un-Sheraton... looks like they did away with the tacky Nautical motif.

dhotchkiss

I just checked in about 20 minutes ago for a one night stay. The tables outside (with the fireplaces) look better in person than online. Very impressive.

The lobby is also well done, though I approached from the Beach St side and was initially confused whether or not I was entering a restaurant (from the angle I entered the reception was blocked from view by a wall).

The hallways still have a tacky nautical feel. I don't know whether they were refinished or not, but walking down them endless and disorienting with the same blue and white stripes fanning out down each hallway.

As for the most important part, the rooms, they are comfortable, clean, and look fresh. The walls could be thicker (I can hear the neighbors tv and somebody just decided to run around upstairs as I've been typing this). Contrary to an earlier post; however, I don't have any noticeable street noise (granted my room is on the third floor and looks to the pool). If I find a place to upload, I'll update this with a few quick pictures after I find some dinner nearby.

So far, I would recommend coming here for a family trip or a relaxed weekend. It's not an elegant getaway, but I don't think that's to be expected from a Sheraton. Personally, I'm in the area for business and if it were more convenient to my office, I would likely stay here again.

Addendum:
After a trip out for dinner, I have a couple impressions to add:
1) The halls are definitely renovated, but they kept a nautical theme (they're just too bright not to have been renovated)
2) The exterior of the building's perimeter does not look to have been renovated, altogether the exterior of the inner passage (where passengers would drive up to check in) was renovated. The exterior here is a paler color (yellow instead of brown).
3) Despite what I said above about approaching the reception from Beach St, if you approach the entrance from North Point St it is not confusing as to whether you're entering a reception area or a hotel .