Home Destinations USA California San Francisco Hotels W San Francisco

W San Francisco Review

Read our San Francisco hotel reviews. Or post your own.

W San Francisco

Address: 181 3rd St., SoMa, San Francisco, CA, 94103 | Map It
Phone: 415/777-5300
Fax: 415/817-7823
www.whotels.com

Price range: $$$-$$$$
Location: SoMa

Write a review | Avg. member rating: 2.4/5

Fodor's Review:

Epitomizing urban chic both in design and clientele, this 31-story hotel owes some of its cachet to a prime location next door to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Doodle a masterpiece yourself with the Etch-a-Sketch found in each compact guest room, some with upholstered window seats. Luxurious beds have pillow-top mattresses and goose-down comforters and pillows. Sleek baths sport green glass countertops and shiny steel sinks. The glass-roof pool and hot-tub area, next to Bliss Spa, is open around the clock, as is the Whatever/Whenever concierge desk in the lobby. XYZ, the hotel's signature restaurant, attracts celebs such as Sharon Stone and Kanye West, and there's a lively bar scene. Upper floors boast excellent views of the Museum of Modern Art, Yerba Buena Gardens, and/or the Bay Bridge.

Hotel Details: 401 rooms, 9 suites
In-room: safe, refrigerator, DVD, Internet, Wi-Fi.
In-hotel: restaurant, room service, bar, pool, gym, spa, laundry service, Internet terminal, parking (paid), some pets allowed (fee).
Credit Cards: AE, D, DC, MC, V

Find more hotels in San Francisco »

Member Reviews and Ratings

Reviewed by pillbug203 from SoCal area on 8/10/09
I visit the Bay Area 3-4 times a year. The W SF used to be a great place to stay but their "whatever whenever" has stopped working. I visited in Dec 2008 and had a fantastic experience. However, their urban chic has worn off and they don't seem able to muster their pleasant and agreeable service. The front desk staff acted disheartened to see me, or maybe anyone, when I arrived to check in. I went downstairs to the lobby on my first morning and a different front desk staff seemed annoyed and diffident when I asked where I could get a cup of coffee since they don't have any in-room coffee maker and none is made available for guests until at least 7am, i.e., he couldn't care less than coffee was important to me -- it wasn't important to him or to the W. Things are beginning to look a bit worn. The goose down comforter had absorbed too many odors to even have on the bed, let alone keep in the room. Otherwise the room was clean and tidy, but on the small side. I've learned that not all "cool corner rooms" are equal in size. Maybe their new motto should be "everything for a price" from the parking at $45/night and charges for in-room wi-fi (seems odd to charge when marketing yourself as chic and hip). I used the Cafe and room service. Service was spotty in the Cafe. Room service food was inconsistent from night to night. If you fell in love with a dish or meal one night; don't expect to get the same quality the next. Probably the worst of the stay is the smell of vomit in the lounge area on Sunday morning. Not my idea of uber cool. It was a pricey disappointment. I was glad I was relieved to check out.