where should I stay in san fran for my first trip into the city (sad that I have flown into there a million times but never stayed).We will be driving through enroute to LA

I want to see ChinaTown but don't care if its a holiday inn or a ritz carlton we are in-- it just has to be clean, smoke free and safe and located around a few fun things to do.

We will only be staying a night..

Since it's your first time staying, I'd suggest staying near Union Square. Check out the Hotel Nikko, it's a few blocks away, very nice and you should be able to get a pretty good rate.

If you do a search of this forum (search is at the top of the page) you will find several posts from people making their first trip to SF and asking for hotel recommendations. Hopefully those will be helpful to you.

I have lived and worked in the Bay Area for several years. You should definitely stay in Union Square. Hotel Nikko listed above is nice but a but off the Square, near Market Street. The Ritz Carlton is in Nob Hill. If you want to be right on Union Square, you cannot beat the Westin St. Francis Hotel. I'm getting married near Union Square this fall, and besides the Westin St. Francis, we are also recommending to our guests the following hotels, all located in or around Union Square - Grand Hyatt, Crowne Plaza, Campton Place, Sir Francis Drake. Hope this helps!

Having traveld and lived in SF, I will say that Union Square is probably the last place you will want to stay in SF. It is a rather rundown and unsafe part of town. Many SF residents avoid the downtown because in recent years it has become an undeisrable place, especially at night. The homeless situation is only part of the problem. I think that the Marina or Fisherman's Wharf areas would be a much better/safer alternative.

I have stayed at the Holiday Inn in Chinatown before (Its right next door to the Transamerica building). I believe its just had a refurb.

Its within walking distance of Chinatown, Union Square and Fishermans Wharf

"Having traveld and lived in SF, I will say that Union Square is probably the last place you will want to stay in SF. It is a rather rundown and unsafe part of town"

I'm rolling on the floor laughing at this comment. If you hate big cities, yes avoid it, just like you would the Loop in Chicago, Times Square in New York, or any other big city center. But "rundown and unsafe" is absurd at best -- especially after all the recent renovations including the entire re-doing of Union Square itself. The only drawback for you is that it is the most expensive and upscale single area in all of San Francisco, so may be out of the budget.

I was a long time resident of the SF Bay area. Personally, I would stay at Fisherman's wharf. Many critics call it too touristy but you are tourists. It is a safe area.

I strongly recommend the Warwick regis Hotel in the theater district. We stayed there during our honeymoon. It was clean, friendly, safe, and had amenities we liked.

Have fun!

We were there a year ago and stayed at Fisherman's Wharf. We loved it. We walked across the street to the Pier's and took the ferry to Alcatraz. We walked to the cable cars that took us to Chinatown. It is touristy, but that's what we wanted.

Try the Orchard Hotel. Excellent hotel in good location (Powell & Bush) and is close to Grant and Stockton Sts. (Chinatown). The Union Square area is fine.

Patrick you do know that responding to the many faced "Union Square is scary" poster is futile, don't you? He will just use one of his many screennames to repond to himself.

now i have family members in SF so i no longer stay in hotels there, but the ones i remember with great fondness are (in no particular order): the Pan Pacific, Campton Place, Mark Hopkins and Kensington Park (i think that's the correct name, it's a few doors away from Farallon).....all of them were very clean and comfortable and in good locations (IMO). all either had great restaurants on the premises or were a few steps from great restaurants.

Check out the Columbus Motor Inn, located near the Wharf. One of the best kept secrets in SF, discovered here on Fodors.

Bus stops right outside the door and FREE parking! Ask for a third floor room for a partial view!

Of all the hotels I've stayed at in SF, the one where u really felt like you were in the City is the St. Francis. But I also think any 4* in SF that you win on Priceline would be fine: SF Hilton, Grand Hyatt, Marriott, etc.

We loved the Villa Florence near Union Square! It's a charming boutique hotel we got very inexpensively on Priceline - very quaint and they have a great restaurant plus free wine-tasting in the evenings. No, it's not a Marriott, or a Hilton, etc. but it is a refreshing change to something more intimate, and perfectly located.

I totally disagree with the previous poster about Union Square. We were in SF on the weekend of Jan 9,10 & 11. We stayed in Nob Hill and walked down to Union Square Friday Night (1:00 to 2:00 am to drop off group member at the Bart Station there) Did not feel it was seedy or scary. Also walked down on Saturday to have lunch and again no urine or panhandlers. Were we lucky? Maybe, but then everyon else has an equal chance at that luck, don't they.
K Street Mall and downtown Sacramento has the same issues but then so do most cities to some extent.

As a native, I would tend to favor the Union Street area for a more "San Franciscan" feel. IMHO Fisherman's Wharf is very touristy although you probably will wish to visit there. That being said, you may be able to get better prices in the Fisherman's Wharf area. In all areas of the city (as in most cities) you do have to be aware of your surroundings and keep a careful eye on your belongings. A polite request: (please do not take this the wrong way) calling the city "San Fran" or "Frisco" will peg you as a tourist. We either say "San Francisco" or "The City" (as if there are no others, lol!)

Stayed at the Handerly in Union Square. Lovely hotel. I'm from Scotland and made of stronger stuff so Union Square didn't bother me at all