Recently a friend asked about Starwood hotels in San Francisco. Since I’ve stayed in two of the eleven Starwood hotels in San Francisco I thought it would be a good idea to share the reports here. My first review is of the W Hotel San Francisco.

Checkin

When you enter the hotel you are entering the typical bar scene which W has become known for. The hallways were dark with the lounge music playing in the background. Upon arrival I was notified I had been pre-assigned into a corner room on a high floor. This was good since I had requested that Champagne and fruit be delivered to our room prior to our arrival.

Room

The door opens to a small hallway viewing the seating area by the window. The bathroom was nice and is on the left side of the hallway, very clean and new feeling. Overall the room at 400 square feet is well appointed. We were on a high floor in a corner room so the room had great lighting and a good view.

Sitting Area

Bed Area

Bathroom Area

Arrival Present

Location

The location is on 3rd street, just a few blocks from Union Square. Two other Starwood hotels are close by, the St Regis is right next door, and the Luxury Collection hotel the Palace is just around the corner. The Westin on Union Square has this location beat for the leisure traveller but the W is still a good location for exploring the city. This hotel is in very close proximity to an Avis station so I would advise on renting a car for the day if you need one so you don’t have to pay for parking.

Bottom Line

We used Starwood points at 12,000 per night for 24,000 total Starwood points per night for two nights. While the cost was $0.00, it was not a very good point value of $.016 per point when the room rates are going for around $194 a night. While not the achieving the best value for my SPG points I did get a free room in a great location to explore the city.