Union Square - San Francisco accomodation
 

Looking to book the Chancellor Hotel in Union Square, 433 Powell Street, is this an okay position , safe area and would it be terribly noisy because of the cable cars. Our other hotel of choice is the Beresford Arms on Post Street, which would you consider the best area to be in. WE have no car and want to be fairly central to everything.

The Chancellor is an older property and it is doubtful that the front windows would be double-glazed - call them and see. The Beresford Arms is just a few blocks to the west. I would say that the Chancellor has a more "San Franciscan" feel to it - if you are concerned about the noise, ask for a room in the back - but be aware that your "view" could be of an airshaft! Honestly, you do get used to the noise of the tracks and the cable cars. I had a good friend who lived at Jackson and Hyde who swore that the murmuring sound of the tracks put her to sleep every night. Also, the cable cars do stop running at a certain time of night (probably midnight).

We stayed for almost a week, (over 9/11, actually,) in the Sir Francis Drake. The cable car stopped right out front. It was quite handy. And we never noticed the sound at night...

As a former San Francisco resident, I'd advise against staying in Union Square as it is kind of a run down area, and can also be a bit noisy as well. The Argonaut in Fisherman's Wharf is a nice place. The Cow Hollow Motor Inn is also nice and there is also free parking as well.

Location of the Chancellor is fantastic but it is not one of the nicer hotels in the area. Is there a specific reason you were looking at that one? What is your desired budget per night?

Union Square is a great central area to be in!

Thanks for the info so far we are looking to spend around $100Us a night, we will only be sleeping there as we only have four days in S.F. and basically plan to get up early and go and come home late seeing as much as we can. Want a clean, comfortable place to stay, doesn't have to be too fancy just comfortable. We won't have a car so proximity to transport is important and being central will save us time.

Agree that Union Square is not so nice of any to be in, especially at night. I've stayed at the Columbus Motor Inn, the sister property to the Cow hollow Motor Inn and thought it was great. It's also within your budget.

Did you look at priceline.com or biddingfortravel.com yet? This can often get you some of the better hotels for easily under $100. What time of year are you comming here? Unless there is a huge convention, I would think you could find a top hotel for that price. (If you do decide to look into priceline.com just know it is non-refundable, etc.)

Union Square is better with no car--you would be paying too much to park. You can find transportation to anywhere from Union Square.

Looked up Cow Hollow Motor Inn and that looks pretty good on the net. Is this going to be close enough to get to see most things we need to. We are from Australia, coming in end August, as far as priceline goes we are of course not familiar with this so hadn't considered it. Will also look up Colombus Motor Inn.

Hi jb,

Cow Hollow Motor Inn is in the Marina area and tere are buses then go righ by there. Remember that San Francisco is a relative small city, so it is relatively easy to get around. The Marina area is about 2 miles from downtown. Cabs should also be easy to get as well.

Here is some more info about the two areas (Cow Hollow and Union Square) which might help you make a choice as to where you want to stay.

Union Square/FInancial district is the business district. There are a lot of office buildings, shopping (department stores) and hotels. Most locals work in this area but do not live around Union Square, so it isn't a real representation of local living (if that is what you are looking for). However, you are in close proximity to Nob Hill, Chinatown, The Ferry Building (Embarcadero) and North Beach and you can easily get to almost every part of the city on public transportation (almost all the buses go in and out of that area) and you can hop on BART (subway) to the airport from that area. At night, there isn't much going down there and it may feel a bit deserted. This area is much more urban Some think it's dirtier, but I have no context as I moved back here recently from NY. Compared to NY standards, it's fine.

Cow Hollow (I live here and grew up here) is much more of glimpse into a real SF neighborhood (although I recommend that you explore the many neighborhoods in the city as they are all pretty distinct and different with regards to flavor like the Mission or the Castro). It is definitely safe and you are right by the Marina Green and a bus ride away from the Golden Gate Bridge, Union Square, Fisherman's wharf, North Beach etc. Chestnut and Union streets both offer good restaurants and a few bars.

The motor inn that you are talking about is on Lombard Street which is a busy street - you may want to ask for a room in the back.

Hope that helps!