Sir Francis Drake Hotel

The Scene
This property is one of San Francisco's better-known landmark hotels. Its clientele love the doormen, who dress up as London Beefeaters. A cable stop is right outside the front door, and the ornate (some might say tired) lobby and lounges attract a loyal following. The staff here is friendly, the location is a Union Square bull's-eye and the prices are palatable.

The Details
Guest rooms are decorated with flair. Broad-striped wallpaper and contemporary furnishings highlight the clean, traditional atmosphere. Notable accommodations include the Presidential Suite with a sauna and outdoor deck, and the Harry Denton Suite, done up all in red. Walking distance bars and restaurants add appeal. Streetside, you'll find Scala's Bistro, serving good French-Italian country cuisine, and Caffe Espresso, offering wine and light fare all day. On the rooftop, Harry Denton's Starlight Room attracts young stockbrokers and Perry Como couples for drinking and dancing to live music (Tue, Thu-Sat).

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User Reviews for Sir Francis Drake Hotel

Citysearch (3), InsiderPages (3 ), All (6)

Not the Saint Francis Hotel - thank goodness

12/08/2007 Posted by edwat

When I first found the Drake on the hotels dot com website - at an unbeatable rate, I was a little nervous. I pictured the Drake of the 80's when it was the orphan of Union Square, and needed updating badly. My wife and I are ashamed or our ignorance and will stay nowhere else in San Francisco from now on. We found a Queen Premium room on floor 20 for about $179 per night that had a 3 window view of Union Square and the city that was to die for. The bellman warned us that we may hear the nightclub on the 21st floor, but we were determined to take advantage of the view, and the noise above on a Thursday and Friday night was minimal - really more of hum that kind of lulled us to sleep. So comfortable, attentive, and luxurious while giving you a sense of the San Francisco from the 1930's. Just across the street is John's Grill (mentioned in The Maltese Falcon). Valets are attentive and on the spot! Just pull in, step out of the car, and forget the anxiety of parking - really a no nonsense Valet operation. I felt like I was royalty stepping out of the limousine. Everything is updated with edgy design that is just cool man, cool. Luxurious beds and bedding. All Aveda soaps and bath accessories. The place is clean and safe - I noticed staff security watching out for guests. Great job Sir Drake. I'll be back.

Pros: Union Square, Value, Views, Comfort, Attentiveness, Cable Car Stop outside

Cons: Valet Parking is pricey

NOT Recommended, because of several reasons...

07/05/2007 Posted by akenaten

I found a "good deal", so-to-speak, on-line. I then called the hotel to make the reservation through them, so that I could reserve a tower-level room and to request a view. Non-smoking. The first thing we were told upon check-in was that the room we had reserved was not available (they were "overbooked"). Apparently, some guests had decided to stay an extra night, which bumped us out. So much for having made reservations! They offered us a smoking room, which we did not accept. After some discussion, and our probably having appeared displeased, we were offered the room that we had originally reserved (funny how that works). It appeared to us that our having found a low rate gave the hotel the impression that they could mistreat us. Heading upstairs - the elevators on one side were apparently not working, so there was a waiting line. Consequently, it took us probably 10 or 15 minutes to get up to our room, which turned out to be right next to the elevator. After we were inside, we noticed that as the elevator passed, the room shook and we were barely able to stand the noise. The room looked fine at a glance, but we noticed quickly that the top bed cover had a stain that appeared to be the type of human bodily fluid that we would least like to have seen. One of the bath towels had very noticeable, brownish-colored stains, as well. By this time, we were so tired from our trip and our check-in experience, that we decided not to complain further and to try to get through the night. Unfortunately, once in bed (cover removed), we could hardly sleep due to the elevator noise. Good water pressure, aveda bath products, very nice location. Unfortunately, the negatives greatly outweighed the positives. I can actually see how a person's stay at this place might be ok, but my experience suggests to me that it's probably a crap-shoot. Basically, if someone were to offer to PAY ME to stay here again, I would not. I've had several great experiences at places nearby.

Pros: Great location, aveda bath products.........great location

Cons: Reservations not honored, noise, lack of cleanliness