Fodor's Expert Review Hilton San Francisco Union Square

This is the largest hotel in California—sometimes the lobby feels like downtown at rush hour—and many rooms in the silvery tower enjoy views that rank among San Francisco's finest. The rooms have sleek earth-tone furnishings and soundproof windows; some of the bathrooms have glass shower stalls. The hotel borders the sometimes-dicey Tenderloin area, but the 46th-floor Cityscape Lounge offers panoramic views and good cocktails, so you should stay in at least one night.