Hello Fodorites!

I'm going to be in San Francisco this coming summer for a conference. Due to the influence of special conference rates, and the fact that I'll have meetings in the Hotel Nikko, I've limited my hotel choices down to the JW Marriott and the
Hotel Nikko [both in Union Square ]. I just had 2 questions.

1. Do you have a preference between the two hotels? Is one's rooms nicer? I'll probably have a suite as my whole family (4) is coming too so I thought a suite would give us a better amount of space, if their suites differ from regular rooms. Also, what are the differences between the two?

2. I've read some about the Tenderloin being sketchy, and that the sketchy areas begin around Mason, but I wanted to know people's own opinions - are the hotels in an OK area? Is one in a safer spot than the other? I'd be willing to move a bit farther away in exchange for safety when walking night if it could be bad in the areas of these two hotels.

Thanks for any help!

We stayed at the JW Marriott last summer. It's at Mason and Post. Didn't seem sketchy at all. Post borders the north side of Union Square itself. I took 2 - 15 yo girls for shopping. They loved it. I thought it was a nice place. Our king room was nice sized and the bathroom was huge but the shower was only like 2x2. So tiny. I didn't get it at all.

I've not stayed at Hotel Nikko

Thanks! Also: what were the rooms like compared to other JW's (if you've stayed at any).


And sketchy - I'm more concerned about the hotel nikko. But thanks for the input!

I'd stay at the JW because it is nicer, IMO. Neither is in an area you need to worry about. The JW was not originally built as a JW Marriott, it used to be a Pan Pacific Hotel and it was called something else before that. I mention this because if a property is originally a JW Marriott they are nicer than this one. Though, this one is very nice. When it was a Pan Pacific there was a call button in each room for a personal valet. I've only stayed in a king room at the JW so cannot comment on suites, but this hotel is one of the better ones in SF.

Technically, the Nikko is closer to the Tenderloin but still is not in a problem area. Neither place is right on Union Square. Only the Hyatt and St. Francis actually front right on the square.

Thanks parrothead. When I was in SF two years ago, I stayed at the Hyatt, so I kinda had a sense of the area, so was really thrown off when the Hotel Nikko, two blocks off the square, was in the Tenderloin, in a 'problem' area.

So thanks!

ttt