I stayed at the Palomar for 5 nights (Sat – Thu) and generally enjoyed the experience.
The hotel is décor is in good condition and uses striking shapes, colours and patterns. The room I had was on the same floor as the bar/restaurant, and right next door, but I wasn’t bothered by noise or vibrations at any time.
The room was decently sized, and well equipped with interesting fabrics and textures all in good condition. The bed was very comfortable and the bathroom spotless. Whilst there was no anchorage for securing my MacBook, the room’s safe was large enough to hold it.
The hotel is excellently situated on the corner of Market Street and 4th Street, adjacent to the Powell St BART / Muni stations, 2 blocks from Union Square and has amongst the best public transport links in the city – I used BART to get to and from SFO, and was delighted by the ease and convenience.
I was disappointed by the restaurant / bar – it was often closed and hidden behind forbidding black doors, leaving the lounge outside with the feel of a well-appointed waiting area. The tone of a hotel is often set by its communal areas, and in this case it seemed impersonal and slightly soulless.
I must briefly mention the appalling ‘free’ wi-fi – on logging in, one is presented with the free guest/ conferee connection, or the chance to pay to upgrade to a higher speed service. I opted for the free connection and the memories of 56k fax-modems came flooding back. If you are going to be working whilst at the Palomar, you will have to upgrade.
It is disappointing to present yourself as a business-friendly hotel and then provide a service so blatantly designed to force a paid upgrade.
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