Description: A few years ago, I was attending a conference being held at the Metreon and wanted a hotel close to the event - "name brand" hotels (i.e., Hyatt) were too pricey, and I felt I was taking a bit of a gamble plucking an unknown hotel name "from the hat," as it were. However, budget limits drove my needs (needing a place that was $120 or less a night can be a challenge in major cities), and I went to Travelocity, and discovered
Hotel Union Square, located just steps off Market Street and only 2-3 blocks from Union Square. It quickly became my favorite place to stay in San Francisco.
A cable car line goes by the hotel, and the location is also very handy to bus and BART (subway) lines. Additionally, Hotel Union Square has a small parking lot, where, for a small fee, you will have unlimited in/out privileges. There are plenty of restaurants and shops in this area, and the Metreon and the Moscone Convention Center are only 3-4 blocks away.
The hotel originally opened as Golden West Hotel in 1913, and was author Dashiell Hammett's (
The Maltese Falcon) favorite San Francisco hotel. Personality Hotels bought the building in 1980 and reopened it in 1982 as the Hotel Union Square.
The hotel underwent major renovations in 2002, and holds its own among the many boutique hotels that call San Francisco home. The hotel is decorated in rich, tasteful shades of purple, maroon and gold. Every room has original artwork by Gladys Perint Palmer, a renowned fashion illustrator, who was commissioned to create scenes of favorite San Francisco attractions and events. These paintings perfectly compliment the blend of old and new evident throughout the hotel.
The upstairs hallways are done in off-white, with lots of exposed brickwork. The ceilings are high, which helps give a sense of more space as the rooms are small, but not cramped. Pressed-tin ceilings and moldings have been exposed and painted to match. The rooms vary in size, up to the penthouse suite, which includes a private rooftop deck area (the penthouse can be rented for meetings as well). The furnishings are all new, the beds comfortable, and the selection of toiletries in the bathroom were wonderful. (As a frequent traveller, toiletries are important to me, especially bubble bath, as my favorite thing to do after a long day of touring is to take a good long soak!)
Wireless Internet is free throughout the hotel lounge/lobby area. There's a small business center available, a laptop available in the lobby for web browsing/email if you did not bring your own, and should you need it, a currency exchange next door.
The staff were absolutely wonderful when I visited. Most of them remembered who I was during my stay, which always is a pleasant touch.
Update, 10/06: The hotel now offers complimentary Wi-Fi throughout the hotel, which is a nice plus. Check their website
www.hotelunionsquare.com for the best rates and widest variety of specialty packages.
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