San Francisco Hotels

Offering true luxury, a central location and great views of downtown San Francisco, the InterContinental Mark Hopkins is one of the best hotels in the city. The 382 room, 16 floor building has been a provider of top quality accommodation since its opening in 1926, and today contains many facilities including an elegant restaurant, the 19th floor Top of the Mark bar/lounge, a fitness center, whirlpool, gift shop, and a range of services for business and meetings. The hotel sits at the top of Nob Hill, on the corner of Mason & California Streets - 4 blocks from Union Square and a short walk to the many shopping, dining and entertainment centers at the center of San Francisco.

The brand new, custom built, 340 foot high InterContinental San Francisco opened in February 2008, with a central location at the corner of Howard and 5th Streets, next to the Moscone Convention Center, half a mile south of Union Square and a few blocks from I-80. With 32 floors, 550 rooms and 43,419 sq ft of meeting space the InterContinental is a substantial building, and elegant too, presenting a modern fascia of glass and steel. Also contained within are a lobby level restaurant/bar with outdoor terrace, gift shop, staffed business center, health club, treatment spa and indoor pool.

Marriott's top of the range San Francisco hotel towers 21 storeys over the city center, just one block from Union Square on the corner of Post and Mason streets. The five star JW Marriott San Francisco provides guests with luxurious rooms and the highest standard of customer service, together with many amenities for dining, business, meetings/events and leisure. The Level Three Restaurant & Bar is open all day for food and cocktails (plus room service), served in colorful, modern surroundings inspired by contemporary theater and dance - or for more choices there are dozens of other restaurants within a few minutes walk. Accommodation comprises 337 rooms & suites, each with a 42" LCD TV, Bose radio, pillow top mattresses and a large work desk.

Formerly the popular Hotel 480, the fully renovated San Francisco Marriott Union Square opened April 2009 providing 400 beautiful, modern rooms & suites in a huge 30 floor building that affords magnificent views in all directions. On the corner of Sutter and Powell Streets, the Marriott is just one block from Union Square and within a mile of most downtown San Francisco attractions, including Chinatown, Coit Tower, Moscone Center, the Financial District and the SoMa area. The hotel's lobby level restaurant/bar is open all day (room service available), and there are comprehensive meeting/events facilities on site, with 10 rooms and over 10,000 sq ft of space.

With a privileged setting on top of Nob Hill, even low floor rooms of the 8 storey Renaissance Stanford Court have wide ranging views over downtown San Francisco and the Bay. The historic 393 room building was fully renovated late 2008 and blends traditional style with modern amenities, together with top class customer service and luxurious accommodations. The on-site restaurant/bar is the trendy Aurea, serving seasonal cuisine and open all day for breakfast, lunch, dinner & cocktails, while for meetings, the Renaissance has 12 rooms, the largest catering for events of up to 600 guests.

The boutique style Best Western Hotel California occupies a historic building right in the middle of downtown San Francisco at 580 Geary St, just 3 blocks west of Union Square. It is quite tall (7 floors), but compact, containing 82 clean, stylish, medium sized rooms with antique-style furnishings and California-inspired art works, equipped with a refrigerator, coffee maker, ironing facilities and free wireless internet access. Evening dining is available on site at the Millennium vegetarian restaurant; other facilities are a lounge, exercise room, guest laundry, business center and a concierge. A free cheese and wine reception is hosted each afternoon.

The more central of San Francisco's two Courtyard hotels is half a mile from the main downtown area around Union Square but close enough to all the main sites in the city - major locations within a few blocks are the Embarcadero, the Moscone Center, Westfield San Francisco and the Museum of Modern Art. The surrounding soma (South of Market) district has become known for trendy bars, art galleries & restaurants, reflected in the modern, clean design and decor of the hotel itself. Full service amenities of the 18 floor, 405 room Courtyard include three dining outlets, an indoor pool/hot tub, fitness center, room service, and 11,440 sq ft of meeting/event space.

The Holiday Inn at 50 8th St provides the closest accommodation to the Civic Center in downtown San Francisco, location of the government buildings and many of the theaters & museums. Union Square and the main shopping outlets in the city are just over a mile to the northeast, while many other places around the Bay are easily reached via the BART system, nearest stop of which is just across the road. All Holiday inn hotels are full service; this one includes a lobby lounge, the Jubilee restaurant (open for breakfast & dinner), an outdoor rooftop pool, gift shop, 3,000 sq ft of event space and a 4th floor fitness center. The 14 storey hotel has 389 rooms - not particularly new but large enough and well maintained. The only drawback to staying here is the rather seedy neighborhood.

Like many downtown San Francisco hotels, the luxurious Marriott at 55 Fourth St is an imposing high rise building, in this case with 39 floors and no fewer than 1499 rooms - the 4th largest Marriott property anywhere in the US. The hotel is located just off busy Market St, within two blocks of the Moscone Center, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Westfield Shopping Center. There is a BART station (Powell St) just across the road. The numerous facilities include five dining outlets, an indoor pool, spa, fitness center, concierge level, gift shop, full service business center and 117,000 sq ft of meeting/event space.

Offering full service amenities at economical rates, and looked after by friendly, efficient staff, the Best Western Americania is a popular choice for central San Francisco accommodation. The immediate neighborhood is not the best, a little way southwest of the main city center along 7th St, but the hotel is close enough to the popular places, such as Westfield San Francisco Centre (0.5 miles) and Union Square (0.9 miles). The nearest BART station (Civic Center) is just 0.3 miles. The 4 storey inn has 143 well maintained rooms & suites, a heated outdoor rooftop pool, sun deck, steam rooms, exercise facility, restaurant, lounge, guest laundry. Two services not provided are free breakfast or free parking.

Right opposite the Americania hotel at 140 7th St is another Best Western property, the Carriage Inn, which has handsome orange-blue decor on the outside, and unusual refinements on the inside, such as bay windows and working fireplaces in some of the 48 rooms, or the antique style furnishings used throughout the hotel. Prices are mid range, reflecting the distance from the main city center (a mile), but facilities are still quite good, with a sun deck, garden patio, hot tub and free continental breakfast. Like most central San Francisco hotels, a daily charge is levied for parking. The closest restaurant is in the other Best Western across the street.

The southernmost of two Rodeway Inn hotels in San Francisco is a small place, just 34 rooms, but well regarded on account of its friendly staff, reasonable rates, clean rooms, and free parking. The inn is located a mile south of Union Square at the corner of Mission and 9th Streets - two blocks from San Francisco City Hall, the Civic Center Plaza, and the nearest BART station. Basic free continental breakfast is served; for more choice there are a few restaurants south on 9th St and north on Market St.

Rodeway Inn Civic Center offers 34 decent sized rooms equipped with microwave & refrigerator, part of a fairly old building in a residential district along Eddy St, about a mile from the center of downtown San Francisco. Rates are low, reflecting the basic amenities - just (limited) free parking and a free newspaper - but the place is a good choice for those on a budget. Four blocks south, the area around the Civic Center Plaza has various shops, restaurants, and local transport services.

Right next to another IHG property (the Holiday Inn Express) stands the Holiday Inn San Francisco Fishermans Wharf, one of the largest hotels in the area with 585 rooms, either in the main building along Columbus Avenue or an annex across the street. The edge of San Francisco Bay is just one block away, at the far side of the Anchorage Shopping Center, which has around 30 shops & restaurants, and daily free entertainment. Within 2 blocks of the hotel are stops for two of San Francisco's three cable car lines. Although relatively old, the Holiday Inn was renovated in 2007, and it has full service amenities including a cafe, bar & restaurant in the main site and a Denny's in the annex. For relaxation, guests can use an outdoor pool and a fitness center.

Built in 2001, San Francisco's Holiday Inn Express has an excellent location along N Point St, just one block from the main tourist area in the city, at Fisherman's Wharf. The nearest cable car stop (the terminus of the Powell/Mason line to Union Square) is one block south. The hotel is quite a large building of 4 floors and 252 rooms & suites - all modern, clean, well appointed and decorated in a maritime theme - with services of free continental breakfast, guest laundry, a fitness center and a business center. Like all hotels in the Fisherman's Wharf area, a sizeable parking fee is charged, but cheaper lots can be found nearby.

The 285 room Marriott San Francisco Fisherman's Wharf takes up half a block between Jones St and Columbus Ave, half a mile from Pier 39 and the Embarcadero. The northernmost stop on the Powell-Mason cable car route is just one block east. The hotel is fairly old but welcoming, elegant and fully featured - amenities include an attractive lobby, a seafood restaurant, lounge/bar, Starbucks kiosk, fitness center, business center and 7,000 sq ft of space for meetings, banquets & weddings. Pets are welcome, for a fee.

The brightly-colored Courtyard San Francisco Fisherman's Wharf (580 Beach St) has a particularly convenient location just one block from the edge of San Francisco Bay, one block from the Powell/Hyde cable car terminus, and right next to the Anchorage Shopping Center. Services are limited to a fitness room, guest laundry and a cafe serving buffet breakfast, but the 127 rooms are generally clean & comfortable, some offering elevated views over the surrounding streets.

The Best Western Tuscan Inn is one of the closest hotels to Fisherman's Wharf, on the north side of San Francisco - just 2 blocks from the waterfront and 0.3 miles from the entrance to Pier 39, so within an easy walk of the many bars & restaurants of this popular area. Also nearby are the Anchorage Shopping Center (3 blocks) and a Safeway supermarket (1 block). The inn and its 221 rooms are all new, modern and stylish, designed with an Italian theme. The on site Cafe Pescatore is open for breakfast, lunch & dinner, and all guests are treated to a free evening wine reception in the elegant lobby.

Because it is a tall (11 floor) building on top of a hill, many of the 138 rooms at Comfort Inn By the Bay have superb views over the famous skyline of downtown San Francisco, and across the Bay to the Golden Gate Bridge. The hotel is situated towards the north edge of the city at the junction of two of the more famous roads in town - Lombard St (the oft-photographed curvy section is 3 blocks away), and Van Ness Avenue (Highway 101). An easy one mile walk downhill reaches Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39, while Fort Mason and several units of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area are also close by. The hotel itself is fairly average, with free continental breakfast the only main amenity, but the rooms are quite large and comfortable.

The tallest and most distinctive of the three Holiday Inn hotels in San Francisco rises 26 storeys above the surrounding Pacific Heights district, occupying half a block at the corner of Van Ness Ave & California St. As expected, most of the 499 rooms (renovated in 2007) have unsurpassed views over the city and San Francisco Bay; all are spacious, clean and equipped with a mini refrigerator plus all the usual amenities. There are 2 dining outlets on the premises: Cafe Marlette serving breakfast & lunch, and Interlude Bar & Grill for dinner. A 6th floor outdoor heated pool and a 24 hour fitness center are the two leisure facilities. Just outside the hotel is the westernmost stop of the California cable car line, providing quick transportation to the main city center, one mile east.