I rate the SFO Hilton & Towers as the worst hotel in the world. I have a sentimental attachment to the Fairmont, since that's where my date and I went the night of my high school prom, but it is getting a bit stodgy. For downtown, there's a Radisson and the Nikko, both just across the street from the Hilton, and the Marriott Marquis about four blocks away.
BTW: Never trust the locals for hotel recommendations. When's the last time you stayed in a hotel in your home town?
Phil