The staff was very friendly and the room was nicely done, very clean. The room I stayed in didn't have a fridge, but I don't know if that's the standard or not. Overall I would definitely recommend!
Gorgeous old building with memorable decor. Corner room was comfortable and quiet. Friendly staff. Free wine and apps was a nice late afternoon surprise
Great staff, great service!! One of the best. Scala's , the adjoining restaurant, is fantastic. Best omelettes!! They lose a star for the tiniest bathrooms I've ever seen in a hotel, and I travel for a living. I mean, it is cramped. Other than that, phenomenal experience all around, at every level of service. Seriously the best and most comfortable I've ever been on a business trip.
Update: on my present visit, we've been averaging 20-25 minute response time on the valet. Current situation: called for thirty straight minutes, no response at valet desk. Been standing outside, with a front desk assist, for 45 minutes. There's a good chance we're missing our flight. This is absurd. Over an hour to get our car!!!!! It's 0830, people have things to do!!!!!
Great stay and good service. The housekeeping team did, however, throw a bag of mine that had clothes in the trash can, but other than that, it was good.
Great classic hotel downtown. Great location, but rates are high. Clean rooms however most are small due to the age of the building. Overall great place.
GREAT location. We how dog friendly Kimptons are. The view of San Francisco was amazing. Parking was a nightmare. We had issues pulling into the valet area. Cost was $62. Jesus lord. We had already spend 55,000 points for the room. Room was smaller than normal hotels. Our dogs loved the treat when we checked in.
Loved my stay here! The staff are amazing and the hotel is beautiful and comfortable!
Very disappointed compared to other Kimpton we've stayed in. Check in was brisk and unfriendly; rooms are small and very tired decor beyond the immediate furniture. The pictures of the lobby bar are disceptive or very clever; you decide which?! Good location right off Union Sq.
Muy bien ubicado para las compras y el Cable Car. Zona ruidosa.
Great location and loved the charm of such an old hotel...though with old comes the not so comfortable creature comforts. Bad matress and tiny bathoom! However, loved the location, decor and service was great. Could hear everything....people walking in hallway and traffic outside. Close to union square.
Someone has to do something about the elevator. I can't be waiting 25 minutes to ride on them! Rooms were nice! Cleaning staff could be improved greatly.
Trashy front desk staff with attitude problems. Really doesn t encourage me to spend more of my money here when I can t be helped with simple basic requests. Someone should fire and rehire or train the group of buffoons at the front desk and tell them to drop the attitude with repeated paying customers.
This place is old school awesome. So classic and refined. Love the bar.
Always a pleasant stay at a kimpton. Anytime I come to California I try to stay at one.
The hotel room mirrors are chipped, it smelled like smoke in my room (I did ask for a room change, which I received, but it was only marginally better). There are hidden fees like there is no tomorrow, and the noise isolation on the rooms is the worst I've experienced yet (you can clearly hear a glass being set down in the room next door).
This has been the most negative expereince in Union Square area yet. I live in South Bay so I visit on occasion.
My recommendation: Go to a hotel a couple blocks from Union Square. They will be 4 stars for their quality, rather than solely their location, most don't have hidden fees, and most are much cheaper in my experience.
Update: They also charged the price of a hotel room on a second card I used for incidentals.
Correction: This is one of my worst hotel experiences ever for this star rating. Not just in Union Square.
Very nice hotel. I ve stayed here multiple times and would come back. The rooms are fairly small given the age of the hotel, but it makes up for it in service and beauty.
I literally only stayed here because Sir Francis Drake was from Uncharted.
After numerous trips to San Francisco and countless times of passing by this hotel on the cable cars, I finally got a chance to stay. It was quite an experience. This boutique hotel is yet another historical landmark for San Francisco. Bellhops dress in period uniforms, and the hotel is decorated in a very stylized manner that aligns with its name.
Clean and affordable. Free happy hour in evenings as well.
Simple it's in a part of town that makes this hotel put a lock on the bathroom door...
Went to hand out in the lobby and have drinks. It was very nice.
Stay away from this age old hotel. There are 21 floors and 4 elevators of which only 2 work. Each of them are painfully slow. The rooms don't have microwave oven or refrigerator! I fell sick and asked for a water kettle and some salt and sugar packets so I can make some tea for my itchy throat. They made me wait for an hour before they brought the kettle. It took 3 phone calls to front desk. Finally they bring only the kettle and say if I need sugar/salt i need to call kitchen and not the room service. SERIOUSLY? Do NOT spoil your weekends or vacations by staying here!
The Sir Francis Drake is the epitome of early 1900's feel but has been updated with the latest smart tv's with Bluetooth and usb charging stations. Overall, staff are friendly and room service is prompt, the food exceptional. We had lunch and breakfast and it was delicious!
Only giving 1 star because you can t give zero stars. We booked a room with 2 beds on Hotels website . Upon arrival only rooms with 1 bed were available. Hotel manager was unavailable at check in. We later stopped by desk to speak with manager again because he failed to call us as promised by front desk and we still didn t get a room with 2 beds as paid for. It appears they do not understand what a reservation is. Corporate office was not helpful. Would not recommend this hotel!!
Definitely lacking the "finesse" I'm used from an IHG brand, unfriendly staff: not very helpful, let alone thoughtful.. No fridge/minibar in the (tiny) rooms, decorated like a cheap 2 star Parisian hotel. Before opening new Kimpton hotels in Europe, educate your staff and make sure to meet the standards that you advertise!
Gorgeous lobby and mezzanine with exquisite food and a fantastic view on the upper floor bar!
Very nice hotel. Conveniently located at Union Square. Eddie the doorman very nice. Rooms a tad small but consistent with older San Francisco hotels. Room was clean, but worn. Would stay there again.
Very nice hotel and very nice staff. The rooms are small but still comfortable.
Fun, boutique hotel. The lounge at the top is pretty cheesy though.
Beautiful interior decor. Ask for a room that is not on the street or else you will wake up to construction noise every morning.
Clean rooms, fresh sheets daily. Service was wonderful
beautiful old hotel with mabres and papilla chandeliers close to the business district and Chinatown and right in front of the tram station. room a bit small but everything is there. lovely staff and impeccable cleanliness.
Very old...small rooms, noisy, wind blowing through old window frames...
Needs renovation, elevators really slow. Rooms showing their age and windows let a lot of noise in.
Elgin and weidron at the front desk had amazing customer service. Really made the experience awesome!
It was fine. Over priced but it was the only option available. The reason for 3 instead of 4 is a stupid charge put on the final bill. 25 dollars a night which they say is for the services they provide like coffee and wifi. I just wish it was included in the fee of the room. They only waive it if you sign up through their website. I hate hidden fees.
Great area, rooms are small and dated. But overall nice atmosphere. Also free wine between 5-6pm
Great location, staff, and happy hour. Hope to get to the Twilight Bar next time if they are open. If driving, consider the parking package.
This business does predatory decreased pricing on AARP web.
After I paid in full with no cancellation price using AARP reservation this hotel charged me additional $34 for each day fees. I didn t have any accidental events during my stay or have any additional services, and nobody informed me of such fees. I get the final additional charges paper a few hours before check-out time. I didn t look for this specific hotel, just a hotel in San Francisco and I would definitely book a different hotel if info about additional $34 fee for each day will be disclosed.
Great location, friendly staff but interior a little dated.
First off, Anthony and Jason at the front desk were both first class.
Anthony helped me when I was checking in and the system was down - so I had to come back later. Jason helped upon checkout when there were charges that shouldn't have been on my bill - to have them taken off. Great service to the two of you.
The room was solid - promised a King and got a Queen - but it wasn't a dealbreaker. The bathroom also had some maintenance issues in the shower - the towel rack broke and landed on my foot, and the soap dispenser bracket was loose.
Other than that - the location was solid in Union Square and a convenient place to stay!
Spent the night at the Sir Francis Drake and was not disappointed. The room was clean and the view from the 19th floor was impressive. The staff was friendly and very helpful.
Great location! If you decline room service you can get a $10 voucher to be used at the hotel. Great idea and totally worth it.
The lobby is quite something and the guard at the entrance is worth. Its was worth the walk.
Pretty nice hotel with excellent location in the middle of the old part of San Francisco, wifi connection only for 3 days gratis, but there are other free connections nearby. In the room I missed a kettle and coffee, while a minibar full of overpriced booze, but something normal gratis, which I know from other hotels, was missing.
This hotel has excellent service with workers who truly try to take care of you.
Rooms aren't the biggest but definitely a good trade off for the location, near great food, bars and shopping.
Great space. Classy San Francisco night views. Amazing bar.
on the 21st floor works a very good disco ... a starlight ... from Tuesday to Saturday .. entrance around 10 dollars ... worth checking out ...
The hotel has a rodent problem-even on the 15th floor, where we had 2 rooms for 3 nights. Food was in one of our bags which was placed on the chair (next to the headboard) throughout the stay.
We heard suspicious noises throughout stay but did not think much of it. We enjoyed the room service but the trays left in the hallway for 12+ hours was odd and we noticed that leftover food on the plate was gone, though the dirty trays remained. While on BART after check out, we opened our bag only to find that mice or rats had been through our bags, eating ChexMix and candy. We immediately sent an email to the hotel advising them to take the room off the market. After getting no response, we called 8 hours later and was told that they never got the email. We specifically asked for a call from the manager and was promised we would hear from him/her. 3 days later we have heard nothing more. Other reviewers online seem to have had identical experiences so our incident was not isolated.
The hotel is beautiful and the staff was wonderful (quickly correcting a mixup with room assignments). However, this experience ruined our stay. The lack of response from management is unconscionable.
Terrible. Elevator was so slow that I was able to count the ceiling tiles. 98 from the edge of elevator 1 to 3.
This place has been famous for far longer than I've been alive, and I never knew why until I stayed here. I'll start off with a nice touch - C.O. Bigelow products in the shower, every day. Everything else was luxury. Comfortable bed, room darkening shades, friendly staff, and an incredible entrance made this a wonderful place to stay.
They have 4 lifts, but only 2 are on operation. Be patient... going up or down can take forever.
Very cool boutique hotel right next to Union Square. Excellent service and friendly lobby staff, including the super cool doorman! Nice ambiance and beautiful lobby. The 2nd floor up from the main lobby is a very good choice for private tea parties.
Very clean and luxurious hotel, but the size of the room and bathroom is very small
Visited the hotel for the Starlight room. The place has great views of the city and Union Square along with a chill vibe and bar with good cocktails.
Cool bar at the top of the hotel with great views overlooking the city. Drinks are expensive!
Some problems with the room but staff took care of it without having to change rooms. Rooms are small, old and the elevators are small and slow. Allow a lot of waiting time for the elevator during busy times at the hotel.
The first room I stayed in had a gaping hole in the window which was covered up by badly placed gaph tape, see the pictures attached to this review.
I went to the front desk to talk about this and they were unable to transfer me into another room until the next day.
Once I was transferred into the new room the juxtaposition between the first room and the second was night and day. However, throughout the entire process I felt that the staff was peeved I was upset about the window situation. Either way the stay was pleasant and the amenities are nice.
Loved our stay! Clean, accommodating and friendly staff!
Nice rooftop where you can enjoy a nice view of San Francisco. Drinks are good and the same price as other rooftops in the area
Fancy hotel at a reasonable price. Concierge gave us a great tip for dinner, wine at 5pm on the mezzanine, and super friendly staff. The hotel is a little old so some of the walls are thin and the elevators slow for how tall it is, but neither were a big problem. Would definitely come back
Convenient.
Nice hotel with lots of history. The rooms are typical small for San Francisco area, but the bathrooms were tiny, you could be sitting on the toilet and touching the sink and shower tiny.
The elevators were a bit slow so don t be in a hurry to leave if you need to catch an elevator.
Great work out area with lots of equipment. Convenient to lots of great places to eat, drink and sight see.
Great bar and happy hour, friendly staff, Ryan was great and gave us lots of ideas about things to see in the city. Make sure you get a picture with the doorman on your way out or in.
This is the best hotel with history. It is so classy and elegant. Cant find others close to it.
I like the location. The rooms are small and old but clean. I booked it cheaply and the view was not available. I do not have breakfast, but just across the street there is a wall green and I can buy simple food. I also sell Korean cup noodles. Fruits are very expensive.
Very good hotel, great location, very friendly staff, if I go back to San Francisco, I will definitely repeat the hotel, at sunset tasting wine at the lobby and in the morning coffee or tea for free.
What else do you want?
Very comfortable and high bed.
This hotel has the old school charm and architecture of San Francisco with the modern touches of a Kimpton Hotel. The gym was great and we liked that the Starlight Room, apparently a very popular nightlife spot, was right upstairs. It had great views of the city from there. As with all Kimpton properties, they have a complimentary happy hour and also a "Raid the Bar" feature for members of their loyalty program that gets you either $10 off your minibar cost or a drink at the bar, which is what I used mine for. Everyone was super friendly and we especially loved the men in uniform opening the front door!
Our reservations (two rooms under one name) were confused but resolved well. Very busy but comfortable beds (rooms are generally smallish. Comfortale common areas with free am coffee and fancy decor. Shout out to hotel greeter in Beefeater outfit. He was an asset.
It's probably time they upgraded their room. The bathroom was small and looked dirty with every fixture being far beyond it's expiration date. The photos on the wall are frightening! The beds have a lot of fluff on them to hide the hard mattress underneath. The carpets looked dirty, and the layers on the walls and doorknobs from being painted so many times added to the room not feeling worth the high amount payed to stay!! The cleaning and bell staff however were so very nice!!
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