Hotel for the expense account crowd and conventions. Tourists beware!
Written: Jan 31 '05 (Updated Aug 10 '05)
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Pros: Great location. Hotel has everything in house. Excellent support of business functions.
Cons: Expensive, mediocre restaurants, very hectic during conventions.
The Bottom Line: I only recommend this hotel for business travelers and conventioneers--people on an expense account. Tourists can find more intimate and less expensive digs.
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| jsquarejj's Full Review: Hilton San Francisco and Towers |
The Hilton is one of the San Francisco’s true mega-hotels. With nearly 2,000 rooms and the city’s largest private meeting facility (over 110,000 square feet), it’s more like a city within the city. Its size, location near the Theater District and popular Union Square shopping district, and proximity to local and regional public transit make it a natural and convenient choice for large conventions and business meetings. If you end up here on your employer’s dime or because your professional society gathers here, you’ve ended up in a reasonable place. But tourists and people traveling on their own pocketbook should probably look elsewhere. This is really a hotel for the expense account crowd.
I’ve stayed there twice while accompanying my partner to her annual professional society convention held in November.
Why Stay There?
As I said, the Hilton is a full service mega-hotel suitable for very large gatherings (they say up to about 5,000 participants). If you want to focus on your meeting, it’s ideal because you truly never have to leave the hotel, which has everything needed for a comfortable stay in house. If you want to make quick tourist jaunts, it's also conveniently located near public transportation hubs.
I don’t recommend this hotel for tourists, but if you enjoy the big city, big hotel experience, it could be all right. Just be aware that if you end up there during a convention, things will be almost unbelievably hectic and crowded. This is a hotel that processes its guests rather than accomodating them.
Location
The Hilton is located just west of Union Square at Mason and O'Farrell Streets, in the heart of San Francisco's Theater District. Union Square is just a two-minute walk and the Moscone Convention Center and San Francisco Museum of Modern Art are 10-15 minutes away on foot. Chinatown is a bit farther (20-25 minutes on foot or a short taxi ride). Other San Francisco attractions (Fisherman's Wharf, Golden Gate Park, the Golden Gate Bridge, etc.) are best accessible by car, taxi or public transportation.
It's also conveniently located from the standpoint of transportation. The Powell Street cable car line is just a block or so away, and Powell Street Station is about three blocks away. This major transportation hub provides access to BART (the Bay Area's regional transportation system, which has a station at San Francisco International Airport, and San Francisco's own Muni metro and bus system).
A taxi ride from SFO airport will set you back a good chunk of change--about $45 plus tip. But you can take the 30-minute BART ride from SFO to the Powell Street Station at Powell and Market Streets for under $5 per person. BART has level loading and escalators so luggage handling is no problem if you're relatively fit. There are other shuttle bus/taxi combinations that may work for you and save a few dollars. Check any good guidebook like Let's Go, Frommers, Fodors, etc.
Rooms
Standard “Classic” rooms are nicely decorated and reasonably spacious at about 300 square feet. They have a modern style familiar to everyone and come with a coffee maker, cable TV and on-demand movies, hair dryer, minibar, a work table with dual line phones with data ports, one king or two double beds, an iron and ironing board and daily delivery of USA Today.
A standard “Deluxe” room is identical except that it adds a view of the bay or cityscape, which can be quite stunning.
The hotel also has suites, ranging from family friendly to Presidential and Imperial, with corresponding additional amenities.
Prices
On our last trip, we paid $151 per night for a Classic room with king bed booked on Hilton’s internet site (this was better than the “conference rate”). Telephone booking would have cost $189 per night. Standard rooms on an “executive level” were listed at $219 per night whether booked directly or through the internet. There are discounts of about 10% for AARP and AAA members with appropriate identification.
Room rates seem to vary quite a bit throughout the year and from one booking site to another, so I’d do some serious price shopping before settling on a reservation.
Other Amenities and Services
The hotel has five dining facilities (I just can’t bring myself to call them restaurants).
Cityscape offers a 360 degree panorama from the 46th floor, serves just what you’d expect, and has a dance floor. The Cafe serves California cuisine in a casual setting and has buffet and table service options. Intermezzo is an ersatz Italian cafe serving snacks, Italian dishes and pizza. Daily Cup is a coffee and breakfast joint. Kiku of Tokyo serves Japanese cuisine including sushi and sashimi.
In my opinion, all of these restaurants are significantly overpriced and completely lacking in any culinary distinction. With so many great restaurants in San Francisco, it’s a shame that so many people eat here. Convenience is the only motivation that would send me to any of these in house establishments.
Other major amenities include a very large and well equipped fitness center (extra charge for use) and outdoor pool and hot tub, a complete spa, concierge desk, car rental desk, currency exchange, drug store and newsstand, gift shop/book store, a complete business services center and in house self- or valet-parking.
Parking in the Hilton’s lot costs $41 per day, including in-out privileges.
Neighborhood
The Hilton is in a transitional area between the upper crust of the Union Square shopping district and the more down-and-out Tenderloin. You'll be just a short walk away from Macy's, Tiffany, Saks, Neimann-Marcus and Nordstrom but not much farther from the soup kitchen at Grace Cathedral and even closer homeless enclaves. Despite the proximity of a relatively run-down area, I've never felt unsafe here, and the lively day- and nightlife seem to confirm that.
Nearby Restaurants
There are literally dozens of excellent restaurants within walking distance or a short cab ride. Just consult any good travel guide. One of my favorite nearby breakfast joints is Dottie's Blue Plate Cafe, about two blocks away. The food is much more sophisticated than the typical greasy spoon, but the decor is San Francisco funky. You may also meet some colorful local figures while waiting in line to get in. If you're shopping around Union Square, take a break at the Cheesecake Factory, inside Macys.
Useful Links
You can try using one of the internet hotel booking services to make your reservation at the Hilton, or you can go directly to www.hilton.com .
For a less hectic tourist hotel less than a block away, see my review of the Serrano Hotel.
For two inexpensive but comfortable hotels between San Francisco airport and downtown, check out:
- Hampton Inn South San Francisco
- Marriott Courtyard San Francisco Airport
The Golden Gate Bridge is a "must see" tourist destination. Click here to discover a little known view to die for on my Golden Gate Grand Tour.
For information on BART, the regional transportation system, go to www.bart.gov .
Get 1% cash back on your hotel bill. Check out my review of this great no-fee Visa card.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
jsquarejj
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 - Top 200 |
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Member: Jim J
Location: Santa Cruz, California
Reviews written: 190
Trusted by: 79 members
About Me:
#7 in Personal Finance, #17 in Travel. My goal? Saving you money.
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