MSPeconomist

The Berkeley Marina is a couple miles from downtown Berkeley and BART. It's a long walk to a BART station and, depending on the time of year, could be hot/humid or cold and rainy. Depending on the hour, walking might not be very safe.

Doesn't your convention have a room block with good group rates? Also, if you work for a public school and this is business travel, would you be eligible to use a ( local) government rate? Does your employer's reimbursement policy perhaps have a rule to pay 150% of the prevailing government rate for convention room block rates? [This seems to be a common rule for conference travel.]

MSPeconomist

If you're flying into SFO/OAK, it could make sense to stay in an airport hotel, although watch out for those that require a shuttle to get to a BART station.

Still, to the extent that your hotel is so far away, you could miss out on informal interaction with other participants. IMO it's very valuable to stay at the same hotel as other meeting participants. One late night cab ride after a late dinner with others could wipe out any hotel savings.

nachosdelux

I stay at this hotel regularly. Nice property, good location. Be aware of your surroundings if you are out/about at night. Chinatown a couple blocks away. BART station across the street. They have a very good M Lounge if you have/can get access.

Kacee

You wouldn't use downtown Berkeley station if staying at the Marina; North Berkeley is much closer. Still not a distance (2.5 miles) I would consider walkable though. Especially not through the industrial section of West Berkeley after dark.

KathyWdrf

A branch of the 51 bus (AC Transit) serves the Berkeley Marina and gets you to/from the downtown Berkeley BART station. Still not ideal, in terms of total time spent commuting.

Another poster mentioned the commuter boat to/from Berkeley Marina (Tideline -- see tidelinetickets.com). In my limited experience with this service, it is 1) not very frequent at all, 2) not so reliable -- cancellations of the service based on tides, boat breakdowns, or other unknown reasons occur. I would not rely on the service to get to/from something important like a conference or work assignment. (On the other hand, it's OK for a fun leisure ride -- if it's cancelled in Berkeley, you can just go wait for the 51B bus instead, connect to BART, etc.)

Relying on a hotel shuttle to get to/from BART also seems dicey (possible schedule problems).

I agree that a hotel within short walking distance to BART (or similar transit) would probably be best.

Eastbay1K

Excellent choice. Also, that area has fantastic food and drink options within a short radius.

atzy99

Will be needing to stay in san francisco for an extended period of time and wanted to check with the community on what your experiences are at the different Hilton hotels? Am a new hilton diamond, thus, a little bit unfamiliar with hilton honors benefits and upgrade experiences especially in the US. Thank you !

smmrfld

Set your expectations very low, and contact the properties you are considering to determine current status benefits. Things change continually, and you are likely to be very disappointed if you don’t have up-to-date information.

storewanderer

Don't expect much in San Francisco from the Hilton properties with your status. You'll probably get the least from Hilton Union Square. Are these properties even open right now?

sethb

Pre-COVID, I sometimes (not often) got a mini-suite at the Union Square. I never got one at the FD or the Parc 55 (though few stays at the latter).

andy_dangg

It seems the Hilton Union Square seems to be gearing up to reopen; they have recent social media posts about their COVID-era conference protocols saying how they are “ready when you are”.

I have a reservation at the Parc 55 for mid June. There is now a message on their website that says they will be closed until June 27, even though the website is accepting reservations in May and early/mid June as well. No such notice on the Union Square location. I noticed name on the booking software was briefly changed from “Parc 55 - a Hilton Hotel” to Hilton Parc 55 (more consistent with the newer naming scheme) yesterday before being changed back today. Really curious if/when this property will be open for my trip; leaning towards no, so I’m thinking our reservation will likely just be moved to Hilton Union Square. Wont mind too much as long as it’s not to Financial District (people are reporting 20+ min waits for elevators)...

evergrn

Any recent experiences at the three Hiltons in downtown?
Cleanliness, Diamond benefits, breakfast, service, comparison of 3 properties...

Parc 55 always seemed to have slightly better reviews than the other two. But when I stayed there just before Covid shutdown, I had some issues with the attitude of the front desk staff and the room was clean but worn out with wallpaper peeling off. It's hard to imagine things have improved in the past 1.5 years.

I haven't stayed at Hilton Union Sqr in over 5 years, but there's a lot of poor reviews on TA.

I last stayed at Financial District a couple years ago. Definitely the best location for me, the Coit Tower view was awesome, and I liked the EL. On the other hand, on more than one occasion, the windows were dirty and spoiled the nice view. The garage below is also pretty disgusting. I can't imagine that the upkeep of the hotel has improved since Covid, and TA reviews seem mixed recently.

Would love to get some comparison from anyone who's stayed at these properties post-Covid.

andy_dangg

I’m staying at the Union Square Hilton right now. We were originally booked at Parc 55 but it’s closed so we moved our reservation here and we are really having a great time so far. I don’t know how it compares to pre-COVID, but the staff has been really friendly and helpful. They were able to get us checked in at 10a with adjacent rooms on a high floor—the only request they could not fulfill was connecting rooms.

All the restaurants are closed right now except for Herb’n Kitchen in the lobby, where we got a $15 per person (up to 2 people) breakfast credit. The food is decent. A little bummed the rooftop bar isn’t open. Don’t really eat in hotel restaurants so I don’t mind the other ones are closed.

The room is modern and clean and the elevators are fast. We were considering staying at the FD location but reviews of the awful elevators and dirty windows kept us away.

The location is good, definitely on the edge of the Tenderloin but there are security guards at the door checking to make sure only registered guests are there. There are a few homeless people around but so far it’s been really minor.

The hotel is pretty busy which is great to see. I was apprehensive staying here because of the TA reviews, but we are really enjoying our stay so far and wish we could stay longer!

sethb

I can't speak for recently (post-COVID). Pre-COVID, I stayed in all of them a number of times. I've been Diamond for many years; I've never received an upgrade at the FD (high floor at best). I've had mini suites at the Union Square, and very nice large rooms at the Parc 55 (not every time, of course).

Tideche89

Are there any significant advantages or disadvantages between Hilton union square and Hampton inn Downtown in San Francisco. Looking at a weeklong trip using points (Hilton Diamond)

thanks!