I'm heading to SF for a weekend with my sister and we'd like to stay somewhere fun and trendy. These are two hotels we're considering. I am familiar with Kimpton and W hotels in other cities, but don't know these two. Any opinions on either, or which to choose? The rates are roughly the same.

Thanks in advance!

I can't comment on the rooms but I've been in the public spaces of both hotels. The location of both is basically the same, so no difference there. However, the restaurant and bar in the Palomar is very upscale and pricey. We had $15 martinis, for example. In contrast, the restaurant and bar in the W is hip, trendy and less pricey.

Another variable to weigh, if you will be driving a car into the city is the cost of parking at both hotels. Could be a difference of $20 per day, which might sway you.

I have stayed at 3 of the 4 of the Kimpton Hotels In SFO-- and ALL of them are terrific--each different in it's own right.....

Another place to look at is the DIVA HOTEL==just off Union Sq...very funky lobby and sterile contemporary black and white guestrooms...Not too exp. either..

Thanks for the feedback! We won't have a car so parking isn't a consideration.

The reviews in the Rant and Rave section definitely give the Palomar the edge, and there are a lot of comments about poor service at the W. Since poor service is my particular pet peeve, I think we'll opt for the Palomar and not take a chance on the W. The Diva also had a lot of "poor service" comments.

Andy, there are actually about 15 or so Kimpton hotels in San Francisco, not 4!

Sheri- I know there are over 15---
But I have only STAYED at 4 of them-
I keep going back to the ones I really like in the areas I want to be in---MOSTLY UNION SQ area...

Have fun at the Palomar!

Thanks, Andy! You said in your post that you had stayed at "3 of the 4 of the Kimpton Hotels"...must have been a typo ;-)!

Andy, can you tell us the 3 you stayed at that you liked?

The Palomar is great. Make sure you make reservations for dinner there at The Fifth Floor, their dining room.

Tony, or others,

How much, if I may ask, was dinner at Fifth Floor? I know some people who went a few weeks ago and, while the meal, service and wine were great, they left shell-shocked at the $400 tab. (2 aperififs, 1 bottle wine (moderate), 2 dinners).

Karl- Dinner at the 5th Floor ran us about $150-we each had 1 mixxed drink and NO WINE-plus tip==

For SFO standards, it was in the ballpark with the other restaurants of it's caliber....

Very swank and private interiors-ask for a curtained dining space---

ALso to Sheri= the other Kimptons I have stayed at are the Villa Florence 2 times and the Prescott 4 times-which we stayed in the Jr Suites on the Concierge level...Postrio sends up the hor douevres every day, and also stayed at an awesome one called the MONACO--the interiors on the Monaco were trendy,fabulous and they served wine and cheese in the lobby.

You can't go wrong with any of the above hotels- the least expensive is the Villa FLorence- it is also the closest to Union Sq ( 1/2 block) but may be in need of renovation now....