San Francisco hotel recommendations needed
 

I would like to solicit the much needed advice for hotel recommendations in San Francisco.

I have a few other threads up regarding my upcoming trip and thanks to all those that have supplied me with beneficial info thus far.

I have no specific dates set yet, but its looking to be tentivately set for may 6th-may 10th (4 nights)

I am more than likely going to use a service such as Priceline, Orbitz, Travelocity, etc to buy my tickets through.

I would like to know not only which online discount hotel website it the best, but also specific hotel recommendations as well.

I dont require fancy or lavish accomdations but on the same token I would like to avoid areas that are decadent or prone to excessive noise, or have a reputation for poor customer service.

I have perused through a myriad of websites that have posted customer feedbacks on various hotels.

Idealistically, I would like to get a 3-star hotel for around $100.00 a night that is either in Union Square East, or somewhat close to it.

Id like to stay as far away from any bad areas of town: Tenderloin, Castro, etc.

I dont mind paying a bit higher to get something that will assure me a clean, quiet room in a decent area, over saving a few bucks a night in bad, noisy area in a room that lacks central A/C.

I will have $150.00 hotel voucher that I can apply towards the overall costs of my hotel, so paying a bit more isnt of too much concern, but even with that said, id like my overall hotel stay for all 4 nights not to exceed $600.00 (before applied voucher)

any advice?

Priceline is a good option, limit yourself to USE and USW and 4* hotel only. I've done that twice and was pleased with what I got.

You need to understand that the best deal you can get is Priceline's "Name your own price" feature, NOT the other hotel-booking feature which you see the hotel name & price.

The Name Your Own Price feature is the actual PL bidding that people talk about. You place a bid for a specific * and specific zone, but you don't get to choose what hotel you actually wiill get.

BTW, once your bid on PL is accepted, there is no cancellation or changes. Your CC is billed immediately. So don't start bidding on PL until you are 100% sure of your travel dates.

If you don't like the uncertainty of not knowing what hotel you might get, then PL Name Your Own Price bidding is not for you.

FWIW, I got the Hyatt Regency Embarcadero for about $100/night including tax. This was Labor day weekend 2008.

I strongly recommend you bid on USE only, and NOT USW, which gets a little closer to the Tenderloin than you might like.

You got good advice above: Use Priceline's "Name Your Own Price" option, but not until you've thoroughly studied the bidding process at biddingfortravel.com. It's a little overwhelming at first, but well worth learning; give yourself some time. It's especially an advantage to learn the free rebid process. If your trip isn't until May, you don't need to bid until mid-April, IMHO.

I usually bid Embarcadero and get the Hyatt for less than $100/night double, depending on the number of conventions in town at the time. I personally would not bid Union Square West.

If you bid at the 4* level only (recommended) you'd be likely to get one of these hotels:

Union Square East
Westin St. Francis
Grand Hyatt San Francisco

Embarcadero
Omni San Francisco Hotel
Hyatt Regency San Francisco
Hilton Financial District
Le Meridien San Francisco (formerly Park Hyatt)

Union Square West - Nob Hill
Hilton San Francisco
Parc 55 Hotel (formerly Renaissance Parc 55 )
Hotel Nikko San Francisco
Mark Hopkins Inter-continental
JW Marriott Hotel San Francisco (formerly Pan Pacific)
Hotel Monaco
Renaissance Stanford Court Hotel
Prescott Hotel
Clift Hotel

Another strategy is to make a cancellable hotel reservation now, then try Priceline closer to your visit. If PL works out for you, then you can cancel your first reservation.

>>Id like to stay as far away from any bad areas of town: Tenderloin, Castro, etc.<<

Castro - bad area of town??? - Where did you get this mis-information.

Stu Dudley

Stu - I was wondering who was going to ask that question!

Oh, and if those are the possible hotels in USW, then the area is fine to bid on. I wonder if there are others farther west?

sf7307, those listed above are only the 4* hotel probabilities in USW.

Will you have a car?

Parking at a 4* hotel can run upwards of $35 a night.

If the parking fee is a consideration, I'd suggest bidding for a 3* at Fisherman's Wharf (there are only 3*s at the Wharf).

OTOH, you really don't need a car in San Francisco...

Just to give you the other side of the coin...I have used Priceline, and I would never use it again. Actually paid MORE for the hotel for the same nights, the same room as I would have by booking directly with the hotel. Worse yet is the "crap shoot" of not knowing where you will end up, and what THEY call 4 star is not always a 4 Star by industry standards....so beware. If you are a skitish traveller who is very particular about the hotel they stay in, then I doubt this is for you.

You may save money, and you might get a good choice, or you might not save money or you might end up in a hotel that freaks you out.

But as others above have stated, once you bid YOU OWN THE RESERVATION and no amount of pleading with their customer service located in India will help you out of the reservation short of forfeiting your money.

I suggest you check the specials running at www.travelzoo.com. The specials for May won't be posted until Feb/Mar., but I have found some good deals there. You don't book through travelzoo. They just find the best deals from several different sources and list them on their site. Sometimes they direct you to the hotel's website and sometimes to Orbitz, Travelocity, etc.

I like the Kimpton properties in SF. www.kimptonhotels.com. They are usually a little over $200/night, but I've seen them on Travelzoo for as little as $99/night.

Thanks for all the replies thus far.

I will not have a car. I will look into Travelzoo.

I see that many are recommending me to only bid at the 4-star level on Priceline, but from what I am understanding on Priceline is that I can only save "up to 50%". Idealistically, Id like to stay around $100 a night (no more than $120 a night)...is it even possible to get a 4-star on priceline for $100.00?

Before reading many of these responses, I found that the best deal i could get (the highest possible star rating for around $100.00) was a 3.5 star hotel listed at Fisherman's Wharf. It was listed at $89.00 I forget what site, but they featured a similiar practice to Priceline's in that I got to choose the area and star level and they chose the hotel for me.

Many here are saying that once you bid on priceline, that there is no backing out of your bid. However, i noticed that they now feature a $5.00 a night cancellation insurance option, so that you could cancel in the event of an unexpected illenes, or other similiar event.

Will Priceline actually require you to submit documented evidence of such purported illnesses to validate your claim? I suspect that there are many who choose this option then fabricate to Priceline that they have encountered an illness (or other circumstance) so that they can back out of their bid should they not like the results of their bid.

Many are recommending me to stay in USE, which from my research I see it is one of the more convenient areas to lodge in. But aside from USE, are there other areas such as Fisherman's Wharf, Embarcadero, etc that are somewhat easily accessible from BART?

I will be without a car arriving at SFO, and taking BART from SFO into San Francisco, so Im trying to find a good hotel in a nice area all the while not having to walk around town too much with my luggage in hand while on foot to my hotel room.

I will try to bid on Priceline for a 4-star hotel for $100 a night in USE, Embarcadero, and Financial District (any other area recommendations?)

I expect to have my bid declined by Priceline, but Ill give it a shot and hope for the best.

Most of the Embarcadero hotels will be closer to BART than will the USE hotels. One of them (Hyatt Regency) is actually AT the BART station.

I RARELY RARELY ever accuse a poster of being a troll. Even if I have my suspicions I usually keep them to myself. However I have some concerns about the OP based on wanting to buy the insurance on PL and then backing our if she/he doesn't use the hotel. Sounds fairly creepy.

AND - in point of fact, PL DOES require proof and there are just a few specific reasons why you can cancel. SO I wouldn't count on that trick and to my knowledge, it isn't a commonly used way around the service. AND if you use the PL bidding service you can't use a voucher.

I also take offense of calling the Castro a bad area. Why would you say that if you weren't homophobic ? And there aren't really any 4 star hotels there anyway ...people live there, it's not a tourist attraction.

And the other bidding service is hotwire. Although I am hoping you DON'T make it to SF.

Hi, osakaorchid:

I would strongly suggest the following:

1) Look at biddingfortravel.com and see what the latest successful bids have been. Then you will know what to bid for which zone and which star level.

2) Bid USE 4*. At the moment, one can get the Grand Hyatt there for $82-$85, which with added tax and fees will run you around $100. That's a really nice hotel and right in the center of everything.

3) If you don't mind being at Fisherman's Wharf (which is closer to North Beach and all those great Italian restaurants), then bid 3 1/2* at FW, which is now running at $65 a night plus tax and fees which will run you about $80.

4) If you are successful at getting the Grand Hyatt USE, then take BART to the Powell Street station which is a walk of 3 1/2 blocks (Market to Stockton) to get to the Grand Hyatt. Here's a map:

http://maps.google.com/maps?client=f...1&ct=image

If I were you, I'd bid $85 USE and my best guesstimate is that you will end up with the Grand Hyatt. Don't start out at $100, it's not necessary.

Good luck! :) And let us know how you do!

mztery....good grief....in defense of them, that is QUITE A LEAP you are taking to make such an accusation!

Pardon my ignorance (many have to) but, in Fodorite terms, what is a "troll" and how does one qualify?

Well, as I understand it, someone who makes a post with bad intentions - doesn't intend to take the trip, stir up trouble, teenager with nothing better to do, etc.

In any event, I have learned a thing or two.

thanks for the info easytraveler. i did some preliminary bids on priceline for USE, all came back rejected.

im looking into other sites such as hotwire, expedia, etc as well.

ive booked my flight, hopefully if i get a great hotel deal ill continue planning with my sf trip.


other vacation destinations ive considered are: seattle, ft. lauderdale, san diego, and reno/tahoe.

Osaka, it's way to early to submit a PL bid for May. Consider making a cancellable hotel reservation, and then place your PL bid around the middle of April.

Also, Google <San Francisco conventions>. There are often meetings in SF that draw multiple thousands of participants. If there's one scheduled for your dates, you will probably not find a bargain on PL.

Betsy,

are you implying that its too early to bid on PL in reference to any great deals that may be offered?

If thats the case, is there a substantiating reason behind why PL would offer said discounts so approximate to the travel date as opposed to far in advance?

Osakagirl, do you understand what priceline's business model is? The hotels "give" rooms to priceline and hotwire for "anonymous" sale at a discount only when the hotel thinks they can't "sell" the rooms otherwise. So they don't give them up too early or too easily.

Osaka, there are two ways to book a hotel through Priceline. 1) They offer hotel rooms for a set price and 2) You name your own price. You want the second option.

Please go to biddingfortravel.com to learn how to bid. There's a learning curve that you <i>must</i> climb before you can use PL successfully. If you can't put in the time to do this, then PL is not for you.

would just like to say thanks to all who have assisted me. i have conducted copius amounts of research on my upcoming trip and will be staying at the serrano. read many reviews, some bad, but overall the majority of them was good. (combed through about 1,000 posts on various sites). all in all it seems to be one of the best hotels for the price range im gearing towards. originally the nightly stay was at $119.00, but with credit ive earned thru one of my credit cards, i will only be paying about $62.00 per night. if any of you have stayed at the serrano before, i would like your feedback and/or recommendations on it as well. Im also curious as to which bart station i should get off on that would be closest for me to walk from to my hotel. the hotel is located off of taylor and o'farrell streets on that intersection.

>>Id like to stay as far away from any bad areas of town: Tenderloin, <<

Your hotel isn't "far away" from the Tenderloin.

Stu Dudley

StuDudley's correct. Even though it's a decent hotel, you're pretty smack-dab in the TL. But you're at least a 30-minute walk from the Castro. Phew--you're safe.

Oh, and the closest BART station is at Powell/Market. According to Google Maps, it's .4 of a mile walk from the BART station to the hotel.

Idealistically, I would like to get a 3-star hotel for around $100.00 a night that is either in Union Square East, or somewhat close to it.

Id like to stay as far away from any bad areas of town: Tenderloin, Castro, etc.

Look - I don't know who you are, but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and guess that you are from Japan, and the guide books you are reading are written in Japanese & perhaps not well translated.

People here do not call the Castro a "bad" area. You will not endear yourself to me or most other locals if you continue to call it "bad". There are several reasons it would not be a good location to stay in - but "bad" like the Tenderloin is not one of them.

Stu Dudley

Can we say <i>"naughty"</i> area, Thee? O:)

hmm... this thread is creeping me out a little! let's give the original poster the benefit of the doubt as Stu says. she seems legit and has posted before in planning this trip. my first reaction to including the Castro as a bad area was also "this is homophobic" but it may be an innocent error. maybe not. either way, it's intriguing how she did not respond to any accusations (i wish i could be so "non reactive!")

However, what's with the re-posting of the same offensive line??? osakaorchid, speak up! :)

BTW~The Castro is not a "bad" area. It might not be my choice for where to stay(no big hotels) but you would be safe.

Glad I came across this thread because I also need to research SF hotels.

I came across Serrano too, and I assume you know Tripadvisor. It has good reviews there. The website says internet access is complimentary. I think I can get it for $95 a night all inclusive for some of the nights I need, but not for all.

I don't have any personal experience, but I think it'd be a fine hotel.

ok..this reply is a brief trip report. sorry for getting back so late to update.

went to san francisco, my first time ever. had a blast! the intense research i conducted on sf paid off in spades. (note to all travelers, hitting your books is def a nice investment)

stayed for 4 nights at serrano. the hotel was exactly how i envisioned it. the pics on the hotels website just came to life right as i walked in the door. the staff was very courteous.

the room i had was very very small, but clean and ornate. stayed on the 16th floor. the a/c was cold and efficient. (cold brisk air makes me sleep very well and rested)

the only time i got "lost" was when i took the bart from sfo and arrived at the market station. i wasnt lost, per se..just disoriented. but there were locals there that were sort of appointed ambassadors of san fran,..maybe they work for the city to help tourists. they were friendly and pointed me in the direction of my hotel.

i also bought a trip on sf comprehensive shuttle tours. also proved to be worthwhile. for $65, a 5 hour guided tour was bliss. best money spent there. the additional muir woods tour is a nice touch, but many say it really isnt necessary, so i opted out.

i went to both chinatown, and japantown. a friend from modesto met me in sf and we rented a tandem bike and rode across the golden gate bridge. which, i do recommend the rental of a tandem bike over a traditional bike if there are two of you. youll be able to benefit from the mutual legpower, and be able to conversate to your neighbor.

many locals shunned pier 39 and alcatraz. while i didnt do the alcatraz tour, i enjoyed the pier 39 area, and found a shop across from the hard rock cafe that sold many souvenirs at reasonable prices.

chinatown is def a must see. i visited the fortune cookie factory on ross alley, and ate at the r&g lounge. i highly recommend the smoked salmon and avacado eggrolls. delicious.

the tour guide said japantown had seen better days, and now is basically nothing more than relegated to the japan center mall along geary ave. being a james bond fan, i still wanted to see the area where scenes from " a view to a kill" where shot at.

i was dismayed that the peace pagoda had some marginal graffiti on it.

i didnt get to visit baker beach or the cable car museum., but i did ride on a trolley many times (namely the market/powell line..and not the more popular powell/hyde line). youll want to buy your muni pass from the sfo kiosk as it is a great investment on transportation. it is cash only..no credit cards, or checks. $24 for a 7 day pass.

i found union square to be a tad bit overhyped. theres a monument to a civil war area event that occured there, and the whole square is perimetered by high-end retailers, which is great if you love to shop for finer clothes and finer stores, but i was expecting union square to be some sort of epicenter for the masses to gather at. a place where people congregate, and that place turned out to be market and powell, rather than union square.

my only two complaints about my trip, is that there is a stark lack of public restrooms available for the average person to just stroll in and use. many businesses have their facilities strictly reserved only for patrons...which i found myself asking each restaurant i visited if they had a restroom i could use, before i decided to give them my business.

some few businesses were cool, and would simply let me use their restroom. others were not. some didnt even have restrooms at all available to the public.

such was the case when i rode muni bus all the way down geary ave down to where it terminates almost at ocean beach. theres a cvs (or walgreens) there that simply stated they had no restroom i could use. i asked if i could buy something then use their restroom. their answer didnt change.

some of the muni bus drivers were noticeably rude, i guess it comes from the stresses of doing their jobs, but for a large city that accomodates many tourists annually, youd think they could wear a happier and friendlier persona. but this wasnt the case.

so, all in all. sf was a great trip, and id def return someday.

A few clarifications, in case some other readers are tracking your exploits for their upcoming trip.


>>bart from sfo and arrived at the market station.<<

There is no Market station. BART runs down Market street & stops at 4 different stations along Market St.

>>but i did ride on a trolley many times (namely the market/powell line..and not the more popular powell/hyde line). <<

There is no market/Powell line. There is a Powell/Mason line (I think - may be Powell/Taylor). The mode of transportation is called a cable car - not a trolly.

>>the tour guide said japantown had seen better days, and now is basically nothing more than relegated to the japan center mall along geary ave.<<

Japantown is currently going through a major re-evaluation. It does look quite shoddy. Most everyone wants to keep Japantown, but a major influx of money and architectural design is needed, IMO. When Japantwn was created and Geary Blvd widened, the SF re-developement agency bulldozed a couple of thousand lovely Victorian houses. This launched a grass roots preservation movement that is still quite active today.

Stu Dudley