Westin St. Francis

Beauty in Union Square

I've stayed twice at the Westin St. Francis and both were great experiences.

My first stay was business travel and we were lucky enough to stay on the "original wing" of the hotel. This wing had an old elevator and beautiful gilded ceilings, chandeliers, and old stairwells that looked beautiful, but scary nonetheless. The Victorian charm collided the plasma TV's and ipod hookups was actually quite enjoyable.

My second stay was in the much more modern "new wing". Just as nice of a hotel, but I preferred the charm of the hotels original fixtures and elegance.

Unique Quality: The BEST quality of the Westin St. Francis is by far the location. In the heart of Union Square you are walking distance to every great shopping spot in downtown SF. From Neiman's to Saks and Forever21 to Nordstom's- there is something for everyone.

The Powell street cable car runs right by and just about every fun destination is less than a $10.00 cab ride away.

Also- the service at WSF is awesome. The concierge will give great reservations and the bellman will get you a cab ASAP.

Stay here for the ultimate SF experience, trust me it's worth it!

• Opinion of Price: more expensive than average
• Related to: Food and Dining, Business Travel, Luxury Travel

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Too much money for what you're getting

This is a very famous hotel, its location is superb and the building is historic.
No wonder they are able to charge such a high price for what in my opinion are mediocre rooms.

Rooms:
Small, and a bit outdated. It's a good thing they have a nice new flat screen HDTV. That sorts of made up the size and the distinctly average bathroom.
I was already upgraded to their tower room. I can imagine that the standard room in their historic building to be even smaller.

Price:
This should be assessed relative to the room. I paid $200/night. I have no problem paying that kind of money if the room is at least 400sqft and nicely appointed. It wasn't. Thus, I think this hotel is overpriced.

Service:
Probably the one of the bright spots of this hotel. The posh Michael Mina restaurant is located here; and the Clock Bar is a very nice looking bar/lounge. The staff is also very knowledgeable and friendly.

Location:
Being right at Union Square is one of this hotel's best selling points. I however, don't care too much for it. Union squire is always very crowded and there are always beggars loitering around the area. I like staying near Union Square, just not at Union Square.

Overall:
6 out of 10. Decent, but not more than that.

• Opinion of Price: more expensive than average

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Grand Dame of Union Square part 1

The Grand Dame of Union Square was built by the San Francisco Pioneers well before the 1906 earthquake and it survived it! this grand hotel had seen it all since then including the famous fatty arbuckle parties and incident in the 1920's. Upon entering this Majestic Hotel, marble columns, ornate balconies, and intricate woodwork transport guests back to the elegance of yesteryears and just outside the front door, you can see that cable cars pull to a convenient stop before gooing to the powell turnstile. This Magnificent hotel is just steps from the Theater District and is situated right smack in Union Square! Prices here start at $ 225 a night if you are a Californian and for regular room specials at $ 250 and $ 325 on regular days

Unique Quality: The St. Francis features the St. Francis Health Club & Spa, a shopping promenade, superb conference and catering facilities, a full-service business center, two lounges, and three restaurants, including Historic Oak Room Restaurant & Lounge, Caruso's Coffee & Lobby Bar, and the award-winning signature restaurant Bourbon Steakhouse by Michael Mina.

• Opinion of Price: most expensive
• Related to: Luxury Travel, Business Travel, Food and Dining

Westin St. Francis Photo: Grand Dame

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If you dont like someone, recom Westin St. Francis

We took a 12 hour flight plus an hour's drive to check in at $249/night plus tax and stayed here from April 17-21. My husband needed to attend a grand company awarding banquet equivalent to their own Nobel Prize.

Day1:Small room in Old wing facing 2 walls & Union Square. After showering, I surfed for Sanfo spots & prepared to zzz when we heard 3 loud knocks from the room beside us. We info the Operator to tell Front Desk/Security and give us a reason. 15ms. passed w/o any answer and we called Front Desk. We were surprised that their reaction was to move us to another room w/c we find unacceptable since we were already too weary. Duty Manager (DM) did not give a reason and insisted on moving us "pronto". We thought of calling Police for addtl assist & asked him if he lives in Sanfo so we can get the right local number. He hung up. Husband went to lobby to inquire why we are getting harassed by room neighbour & was barred by two massive hotel securities from approaching DM who hung up. Hotel security said it is by LAW that they can/should prevent us from asking why and that room neighbour (from So. Africa) called 911 to complain about us being noisy. Who can afford to be noisy after a 12hour flight when all we felt was sleeping? It is appalling that they concluded neighbor was correct and did not bother to hear our side. We went back to our room feeling so harassed and discriminated. Only then did we realize that they knew why neighbor knocked and did not bother to answer our original question why he/she knocked. We hung the Do not Disturb sign on our door & proceeded to write a complain letter when we heard a knock from Security telling us neighbour complained again bec our TV (set at 10/50) was too noisy. This happened despite the DND sign and again, Security concluding neighbor was correct. We asked him to enter room to ascertain if TV was indeed too loud but he refused. It was then that we concluded that our own security was in peril. We complained the following day to Hotel GM about bad experience and Security Director offered to move us to a different suite plus a free bfast at Oakroom. Not wanting to have a picky hotel neighbour, aggravated by Duty Manager who does not want to listen and harassing Security people, we agreed to move. We thought that was the end of our misery. Day 2 bfast at Oakroom: For price, was too inferior from bfast I’ve had in other hotels (eg. Shangrila, Shanghai). New room in Tower wing was bigger. After they cleaned room, we saw 2 used champagne glasses on bedside table. Ordered in-room dinner that arrived promptly and afterwards, rolled table outside room to avoid food smell. Food table with leftovers was still there when we woke up ff day. We toured city and went back that night to see the same food table in the hallway. Twin shower were overpriced when they did not even give bedroom slippers, bubble bath, toothbrush/paste, or a comb. At $249++, you need to call and ask for it. Not that I do not carry my own toiletries, but I’ve seen more luxurious treatment from lesser hotels like Sheraton Suzhou.
Parking was $49. Lobby lounge chairs infront of Michael Mina restaurant were falling apart aside from looking like a soggy soufflé.

Saving grace: Gracious lobby host welcomed us very well and she gave tips on what to see in SanFo. Slider sandwiches in Caruso were tasty. Everything went downhill after that since Hotel GM did not even bother to explain aside from his cursory “sorry” note.

Overall, will not recommend nor think of going back. Not worth the hassle and worry we felt for the money paid. By the way, we learned that husband’s company blacklisted hotel due to many negative feedback from banquet attendees.

Unique Quality: Great location since historic cable route passes right infront of main entrance. If you feel proud reminiscing that other dignitaries have stayed in this Westin then go ahead, plunge.

• Opinion of Price: most expensive
• Related to: Architecture

Westin St. Francis Photo: Westin lobby: before the misery started

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Shopping San Francisco's best location

We travelled from Melbourne to San Francisco and had upgraded from our package hotel located elswehere. I am so glad we did, the Westin St Francis was located right in Union Square and within walking of all good shopping and restaurants etc. The staff were friendly and helped with day trip bookings. The room was a little small but had a separate area for luggage and a large wardrobe. The bed was amazingly comfortable. The bathroom was small but great fittings, toiletries etc and it did us for a couple of days. The area was safe and that is the reason we chose it being new to overseas travel. The old tower section is pretty old and does have a musty smell in the hallway but the sense of history and the location of this hotel is worth it although we had no view at all. All staff were accommodating supplying free coffee etc while we waited for a bus. I would recommend this for the prime location and great photos you can take of the front of the building.

Unique Quality: The bed would have to be the best feature of this hotel, the linen and comfy factor were outstanding. The foyer is also amazing and sitting there with a coffee makes you feel pretty good.

Gorgeous place

Luxurious with wonderful views over the city

Unique Quality: They launder money - literally! You leave your coins to be washed in the machine so they come out sparkly clean!

Delightful, International but lacks Character

• Opinion of Price: more expensive than average

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Quality hotel on Union Square

Top notch hotel & service. Great views from upper floors.
You can walk to most of the main sights downtown or take one of the many trams.

Unique Quality: Recommend the half day minivan tour of the city with Pacific Line. The guide was knowledgable and friendly.

High style at reasonable cost

Great old hotel with great views of Union Square. Pricey but nice for a romantic weekend getaway

Unique Quality: Historic and unique location overlooking the Square

• Opinion of Price: more expensive than average
• Related to: Historical Travel, Romantic Travel and Honeymoons

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