Sir Francis Drake Hotel - a Kimpton Hotel

Fantastic...

The rooms were clean and the location was great for getting around to the tourist locations like Alcatraz. The ambiance was amazing because the hotel maintained characteristics from another period.

Fabulous, especially for the price!

Courteous staff who had our room ready early and answered all our questions. Really everything you need for a fine downtown stay in SF. Lots of extras (including a great restaurant and lovely bar), without the luxury prices!

Old World Feel

Location and old world feel are what make this hotel. I would definitely return.

Very nice

Rooms very small but, hotel is very nice.

Sir Francis Drake

The hotel is located in the heart of Union Square. The lobby of the hotel was elegant and had an older feel to it. The room and bed was much smaller than I expected for what we paid. I think if the rooms and bathrooms were updated it would be a great place to stay.

Traveler's tip on nightlife

Make sure to check out the Starlight Lounge on the top floor of the hotel. Great views of the city, music, dancing, and cocktails!

Great Location in San Francisco

I had picked this hotel for two main reasons (apart from the good deal on the cost of the room itself): location and prior experience with the Kimpton chain. I picked the Union Square location because when one travels light to SFO, it is extremely easy to take the BART into the city, and the Powell Street stop is just steps away from the hotel. That’s a savings of over $40 each way on a taxi ride! And it only takes an extra 10 minutes to get to and from the airport by BART... As for the hotel itself, it is a grand, old hotel with rooms that have been nicely updated. I had a lovely corner room on a high floor with an incredible view on the bay. I had previously stayed at another hotel of that chain, the Palomar, and that room was simply wonderful. I was only disappointed in one thing in my room at the Sir Francis Drake: the size of the bathroom. That was perhaps the smallest bathroom I had ever been in, apart from those nasty little London hotels... There was nothing particularly wrong with the bathroom itself, apart from its size, really. But it made getting ready in the morning a much less pleasant experience than one would have wanted, as it was all about avoiding hitting a wall or the door! Apart from that one element, I had a very pleasant stay and would highly recommend this hotel. I would even stay there again, especially if I could get a larger bathroom!

Traveler's tip on saving a few bucks

If you are flying into SFO and your luggage rolls and is not too heavy, take the BART to the Powell Street station and save money on what would otherwise be a $50 cab ride.

A room that should be a closet!

The room we were given was DREADFUL-VERY small, barely enough room for the Queen sized bed (booked) no promised TV or ironong board/iron. The room was under the nightclub abd all the rubbish was emptied outside the window at 1-2 in the morning. The airconditioning sounded like a 747! The staff on arrival (10pm) were MOST uninterested in changing the room and pretty disinterested altogether. After a dreadful night, the morning staff on reception were a complete contrast and moved us to a new room which was more what we THOUGHT we had paid for!

Old San Francisco Charm

I remember when I was very young driving by the Sir Francis Drake and seeing the doormen who wear Beefeater hats and outfits. When making reservations for staying in SF I didn’t hesitate to pick the Sir Francis Drake. The price is right, rooms are small but clean. The elevators are old but fast which is good because I am somewhat claustrophobic! The location is right on Union Square. Overall, good bet!

Perfect Location

We had a two week stay. Rooms are small and cramped. There wasnt any drawers to put our clothes in so we had to live out of suitcases for two weeks. We had a not so good experience when we got our room. It was taken care of immediately and after that all went well. Perfect location.

Beautiful Hotel

I was very impressed with this Hotel. I looked for good priced deals and did not expect much. When I arrived I was impressed with the beautiful lobby and great service. It was a great feeling to be in this Hotel, and added so much more pleasure to my sightseeing visit to SF. Part of my photos were of the beautiful Hotel Lobby. Definitely recommended.

Great hotel

very convenient location, close to the new metro rail and central ave, restaurants shops etc

A decent, respectable hotel

This hotel is strong on character, well located, reasonably priced, maybe getting just a bit tired. A good choice if you want a hotel that is very central to the traditional centre of San Francisco.

Old and outdated

Good location, but the hotel is old and need a major overhaul.

Nice Hotel

I liked everything, the nightclub was pretty empty though..

Very good Location

Excellent Location, and the bar at the top is great !!

Great Location

We enjoyed our stay at this hotel although we did encounter an issue in our room with banging plumbing pipes (we think that’s what was causing the noise). The hotel was full so they were unable to move us into another room however they did give us a voucher for $100 to be used for food within the hotel complex. We enjoyed a couple of amazing breakfasts in bed using the voucher which more than compensated for the noise (which wasn’t constant, just every now and then). The bathroom was exceptionally compact but OK. We would recommend this hotel for a weekend stay - not sure if we would stay there for a longer term (just a little too compact).

Grotty Hotel

Room was drab with bedlinen not at an acceptable standard

One of the outstanding hotels of San Francisco.

The location is extremely convenient for staying in the downtown area. We were quite impressed with the Starlight Room at the top of the hotel; the "small dish" menu was very good as well as the service, but the main attraction is the dancing and the view of the city. "La Scala" restaurant was a great find, the service was outstanding and the food great. The personnel at the checkin desk proved to be very helpful and courteous. We certainly will go back.

Traveler's tip on dining

The restaurant "La Scala" is outstanding; one of the best in San Francisco from our perspective. The "Small Dish" menu at the Starlight Room was very appropriate for the location and an evening of beverages and dancing.

Love the Drake.

If you like beautiful, old, maitained, historical hotels you will love the Drake. The doormen are my favorite. They totally take care of you. Location, Location, Location, it’s the best, shopping, restaurants and the cable car at your fingertips. The top of the Drake is a fantastic night club/bar. It’s all the best of San Francisco wrapped into one hotel. Due to the hotel being old the only draw back are the smaller bathrooms. Other than that we love it and always stay there when visiting San Francisco. Enjoy!

pretty great place

great location very nice staff great clean room ..all around it was pretty great!

Disappointed

Not up to Kimpton standards. Amenities in bath poor (no lotion, Qtips, etc.). Robe would be nice. Bathroom very small; no room at all in to put toiletries - need shelves or something.

Traveler's tip on shopping

Very close to shopping and Union Square. If you are not planning on spending much time in your room, and have packed everything you need, probably a good value.

Good hotel, great location

The room was ready well before normal check-in, which was a pleasant surprise. The staff was courteous. The room was large and bright, though the bathroom was very small. All in all a good hotel.

Better hotels in the area

Go to a different, cheaper and better hotel if you want to stay in this area- there are a ton of them.

Excellent Hotel in San Francisco

This is a superb hotel, great location, central to everything. Excellent value as well. We were a 4 person family group (2 adults 2 kids).... the room was well appointed, but very tight for a family. We spent most time outdoors anyway so that did not spoil anything. I’d stay here again, but not as a family.

Check with the hotel to see if they have a larger room for a family group. Be very specific on what you need.

Convienent Union Square Hotel

Only a block from Union Square - Cable Car stop right out front was very helpful! Beautiful, large room and very comfortable lobby. Staff was very helpful and went above and beyond the necessary duties! Reasonably priced for the area. Highly recommended, will stay there again!