This is one of the best hotels in the Union Square area of San Francisco. Although it does not share the same classic and stunning lobbies like other more historical hotels nearby, the interior is newly renovated. There is something to be said about walking into a place that smells new and fresh (in our case the lobby is still off-gassing when we walked into the lobby!)
My husband and I were in town for a convention. The location is great for attending events, do some shopping, etc. In contrast to San Francisco's other quaint neighborhoods, downtown San Francisco has a more corporate and 'big city' feel. So if you are looking for charm and personality, this neighborhood is not it.
The hotel looks like every other Hyatt property in the world. The room looks beautiful at first glance, but once you start to use the space in more detail, things begin to fall apart. In some cases it literally does. The headboard started to wobble when we pulled the attached nightstand drawers. There are plenty of wood furniture, cabinets, and drawers in the room, but none provided very much storage. There are a lot of knick-knacks all over the place, but the overall effect is not cohesive. A little too much fussy fluff for my taste. The 'modern' interior decoration is mediocre at best. It is a case of one corporate hotel looking just like another corporate hotel, while trying to out do each other.
The lighting in the room is overall very dark. The only highlight, no pun intended, is the bathroom. The overly bright spot of the whole room, the bathroom is actually the best looking part of the room. Other awkward lighting controls includes a funky silver semi-translucent full-height window screen in the room that don't look like it can last more than five years.
The service throughout the hotel is consistently friendly and good natured. Everyone we came across is top notch endearing. The porter is very responsive and helpful. The cleaning lady for our room is very responsive as well. When we left her a thank you note one day, she wrote a response back to us with a smiley face.
Back to the bathroom. The water pressure at the shower on the 16th floor is pathetically poor. You would think a semi-modern high-rise would have resolved that technical problem. You are literally being washed by something a little bit better than the drips of water torture. At least the water is warm.
Now to the Internet. They charge you a certain amount per day for high-speed premium Internet access. This service sucked. The Internet speed is excessively slow for us. It was okay when I just have to surf and dilly dally. But it was not okay when I have to do work. I called their Internet support immediately. The man was very helpful. Unfortunately that was halfway during our stay and we already suffered the poor service for a while.
The parking is $55 per night. There is a cheaper lot directly diagonally across from the hotel. But they also charge some exorbitant amount per night. My advice is, if you can help it, do not drive in downtown San Francisco.
Did I mention although the bed was very comfortable, it was sagging? There was a noticeable higher ridge along the middle of the bed. I guess most people don't sleep in the middle of a king bed.
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