Canopy by Hilton San Francisco SoMa is a new hotel within the Hilton Honors portfolio. The building itself is not new. I believe it used to be a Virgin hotel, which closed during the Covid pandemic but has recently re-opened as a Canopy by Hilton.

I stayed here for one night earlier in the month and left with mixed feeling about this hotel. I stayed at all 3 proper Hiltons in SF in the last decade or so and when I saw that a new hotel opened I decided to give it a try, especially since, judging by Tripadvisor reviews, the 3 Hiltons are not in the greatest shape right now and desperately need a refresh.

I booked a 1 King Bed Corner Room City View. I did not receive an automatic upgrade e-mail 3 days before arrival, nor was I pre-upgraded on the day of check-in. When I landed at SFO and checked my reservation, I saw that I was pre-assigned a room in my category. I took BART from the airport, and the hotel is about a 10-minute walk from the Powell Street station. The check-in agent greeted me and explained my benefits (the F&B credit), as well as noted that there was a 'destination charge' that could be used at the hotel's outlets. I mentioned that I received no upgrade and asked the agent if she could find a better room for me. The agent initially started clicking on her computer but then also proceeded to convince me that the room I was pre-assigned was 'one of the best rooms in the house.' I mentioned that there were 1-bedroom studios available, but she cut me off with 'we are not allowed to give out those rooms.' I did not want to argue, especially since I needed a late checkout, so I told her that I was sure that I'd like the pre-assigned room and asked whether I could count on a late check-out. To my surprise, she said that I could have the room until 3pm.

The hotel is beautiful. All shiny and new and spotless. The room turned out to be rather small. You could basically walk around the bed and that's pretty much it. There was a small chair to one side of the bed, and a table to the other. There was no 'view' to speak of - my room was facing a residential building and I had to peek out of the window to something that was not worth seeing. I guess the fact that I was on the lower floor played a role. The bathroom arrangement was a bit weird. There was a sink in the corridor opposite the closet and a separate toilet and a shower on the sides of the sink. There were bathrobes and slippers, and a Nespresso machine. There was no bottled water, instead there was a pitcher to be filled with filtered water from the machine down the corridor. Despite its quirkiness I really liked the room. The bed was very comfortable, and the room was just very cozy. I had more than enough space just for myself, but I can see how it can be tight for 2 people.

It was just after 3pm when I checked and given that flew in from the East Coast and felt peckish I decided to grab a bite at the rooftop bar. The bar is on the 12th floor, and it is beautiful with the views to match. Surprisingly the prices were not sky-high.

I had breakfast at the Bean Bar and liked it as well. It was an a la carte menu of a few items. I ordered the egg white frittata, which was delicious. If I remember correctly the total came to about $40, so it was a little above the credit for 2 persons that I received (yes, my husband was 'travelling' with me). I was glad that it was not a buffet with overfried greasy food. The quality of my meal was very good.

After breakfast I spoke to the Front Desk Supervisor, as I wanted to check if I could get an even later late-check out and also to ask him about the upgrades. He reluctantly agreed to the 4pm checkout but after I came back from lunch asked if I could vacate the room at 15:30. I believe this was due to the fact that their housekeepers have limited hours, and even though the hotel did not need that room for a new guest that day they wanted it cleaned. I left the room at the request hour but did not check-out and close my folio until 5pm. I just hung out at the bar with my niece and charged the drinks to the room.

When I asked the FD Supervisor whether they upgraded from the category that I booked to 1 BR Studios he at first seemed confused and kept saying that it was possible to upgrade for a fee. I clarified that I meant complimentary Hilton Honors upgrades and it seemed like he had no idea what I was talking about. He eventually confirmed that, yes, studios were in the complimentary upgrades pool (which meant that either the agent who checked me in was not honest with me or the FD Supervisor really had no idea about complimentary upgrades). I then asked him what a usual upgrade would be for someone who books a standard room, whether it'll be just a one category upgrade, and he said that it could be any room. Again, he seemed so confused about the programme that I got the impression that upgrades were processed by someone in some back office and they were just handing out the keys. He did mention that they fully opened a week ago and that they were in the soft opening regime for a few months, so maybe things will change over time.

As I mentioned at the start of my post, I left the hotel with mixed feelings. On the one hand, I absolutely loved the hotel, the room, and the bar. On the other, I felt that the rates did not really match what was on offer as the room was pretty small. I was also left with a bitter aftertaste regarding Hilton Honors perks. The woman who checked me in was a little bit militant about me asking about the better room saying that I could not have the studio and then she angrily asked me who approved the 4pm check-out for me (it was the FD Supervisor who was standing right next to her). I guess I can explain the latter if the FD Supervisor did not know about the housekeeping situation and gave me the 4pm checkout even though he should not have. I know I was lucky even with the 15:30 checkout, so it was really not a big deal...just a strange way to handle it.

Would I come back? Absolutely, yes, if the price is right. It is hard not to fall in love with this hotel.


Outside the hotel

Reception

Hallway



Room (view from the entrance)






View from the bedroom



Rooftop bar food and wine

View from the rooftop bar

Bean Bar

Beverage menu

Breakfast menu

Egg white frittata (delicious)