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Location.
Built in 1928 and newly renovated in September 2011, the Sir Francis Drake Hotel in San Francisco, Calif., is one of the city's most revered properties. Positioned on Union Square, this downtown hotel is located within one-half block of many fashionable shopping boutiques, nightclubs and entertainment venues. The business district and Moscone Convention Center are within one-half mile. Chinatown is five blocks away and the Opera House is one mile from this hotel.
Hotel Features.
Doormen in full Beefeater regalia offer assistance at this landmark hotel, home to the famous The Starlight Room, a 1930s style nightclub featuring dancing, live entertainment and a 180-degree view of downtown San Francisco. Renovated in 2007, the hotel features Grand chandeliers and pallets of gold, purple and red that welcome guests into the lobby area, complete with plush seating and paintings of Sir Francis Drake. Seared salmon fillets, paper-thin carpaccios and boeuf bourguignons are showcased at Scala's Bistro. The The Starlight Room offers Sunday brunch with attitude, including a live drag show (reservations required). The property also features a renovated Starbucks. A winding marble staircase leads to the mezzanine lounge, which overlooks Union Square and the cable cars below. The hotel hosts 11 conference rooms, encompassing 16,000 of square feet of meeting space. Business travelers can take advantage of a 24-hour business center with three high-speed Internet computer workstations and complimentary wireless and wired high-speed Internet access. Guests have access to the fully-equipped fitness center. ATM banking is available onsite. Luggage storage is available.
Guestrooms.
Accommodations at the Sir Francis Drake Hotel feature slim dressers; large, leaning mirrors; and jewel-tone colored fabrics. Windows frame downtown views and bathrooms contain eco-friendly Aveda toiletries and bathrobes. Rooms offer digital televisions, cordless phones, and complimentary wireless and wired high-speed Internet access. Guests' pets receive welcome kits that includes toys, treats and loaned dog beds.
The Sir Francis Drake is a smoke-free property. Penalties apply for violations.
Charges may apply, see hotel policy below
Reservations are required for massage services and can be made by contacting the property before arrival at the number on the booking confirmation.
Valet parking costs USD 50 per night with in/out privileges
Valet parking for large vehicles costs USD 55 per night with in/out privileges
Air conditioning is available for an extra charge
Cribs/Infant beds are available for an extra charge
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Reservations are required for massage services and can be made by contacting the property before arrival at the number on the booking confirmation.
Valet parking costs USD 50 per night with in/out privileges
Valet parking for large vehicles costs USD 55 per night with in/out privileges
Air conditioning is available for an extra charge
Cribs/Infant beds are available for an extra charge
We have included all charges provided to us by this hotel. However, charges can vary, for example, based on length of stay or the room you book.
Flagship stores ring Union Square, among the vanguard of West Coast retail. Chinatown begins at Grant Avenue and Bush Street, while Gold Rush-era mansions crown Nob Hill. South of Union Square, the convention center area includes the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. Cable cars turn around at Powell and Market streets to head back to Fisherman's Wharf.
see all hotels in San Francisco"Better for Business, not Holiday"
The Francis Drake is definitely a 3-star business-focused hotel, and we would not recommend this as a vacation hotel nor give it a higher star rating. The location is excellent, by Union Square and on a historical trolley route (note: you will hear it). Historic decor in a historic building leaves a nice impression. Even if you don't stay here, spend […] an evening in the Starlight Lounge on the 21st floor - it is stylish with a great view. The cons of the hotel: The staff is not helpful for tourists and appear focused on their business conventions. Being a historic location, the rooms and bathrooms are very small. In fact, though it was clean, the bathrooms are in need of renovation and appear dirty because of age. Simple amenities expected of a high-end hotel are missing, both in the building and the room (such as shower caps and q-tips). So bring your toiletries and expect 3-star quality at most. Read moreGenuine Hotels.com guest review
"Good location, small rooms"
Room was nice but small. Concierge was very helpful as was the staff overall. The wifi was pretty good and the only drawback was the delay in getting the elevator in the morning and evening. Also, the hotel could upgrade the rollaway bed which was all springs and not comfortable at all.Genuine Hotels.com guest review
"centrally located"
Beautiful old hotel in the center of SF!Genuine Hotels.com guest review
"Expected More"
small cramped rooms and tiny bathrooms. No counter space or places to hang towels. Bug in bathtub. Paper thin walls and windows. Could hear distinct words outside, nine floors below. Staff was very nice and friendly, but rooms not great. Very poor lighting in room, could never see inside my suitcase.Genuine Hotels.com guest review
"Small but nice"
The guy out front made the stay totally worth it, car valet with style! The rooms were VERY small for the price but I understand it's an old building. Everything was fine minus the room service people coming to my room 3 times starting at 11am and wouldn't get the hint that we weren't gone yet.Genuine Hotels.com guest review
Great stay but a few little complaints or ideas to improve. You need double glazing of windows as it would have been the noisiest room we slept in all the way around USA. King Suite Room very small too much furniture , leave some room for people to put their luggage, get rid of chair in corner. Had a great time regardless though.Genuine Hotels.com guest review
"Fun Time"
Our stay was great, we were hardly in the hotel. Beds were comfy, the noise level IN the hotel is a bit high, but it was still fine for us. The hotel location made it great and the service was prompt and always courteous. I would stay again.Genuine Hotels.com guest review
Hotel is in an excellent location and the staff are very customer service oriented. Only downside is that the actual room is VERY tiny. The bathroom is the size of a closet, which was very challenging for 2 adults and 2 children. The actual closet wasn't big enough to hold our luggage, which meant we had to step over it to cross the room!Genuine Hotels.com guest review
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"Tiny rooms"
Beautiful hotel, great decor....tiny room and a bathroom you had better know which way to enter as there is no room to turnaround!!Genuine Hotels.com guest review
This guest did not leave a comment.Genuine Hotels.com guest review
Great hotel. Awesome location!!Genuine Hotels.com guest review
"Best Location in SF"
This historic hotel is very well-located, but the streets of SF are now sadly somewhat occupied with homeless. The staff was great & could answer all of our questions.Genuine Hotels.com guest review
This guest did not leave a comment.Genuine Hotels.com guest review
This guest did not leave a comment.Genuine Hotels.com guest review
"Noise"
I stayed during Xmas holidays and had a neighbor come home at about 130am and made noise until roughly 430am...walls paper thin and hotel security called. Drake comped night...that is only reason would not rebook in future...would ask for quietest room possible!Genuine Hotels.com guest review
"The Sir Francis Hotel in San Francisco was magical"
As part of our Christmas tradition we had taken our 8 and 6 year olds to see the Nutcracker, but thought it would be fun to spend the night in the city. The Sir Francis was a wonderful choice! It was close to all the shopping, great restuarants, and ice skating rink. We had a blast.Genuine Hotels.com guest review
This guest did not leave a comment.Genuine Hotels.com guest review
This guest did not leave a comment.Genuine Hotels.com guest review
"Sir Francis Drake - right in the heart of city"
Good Hotel in the center of downtown at reasonable money. If you need best comfort and ready to pay - not right choice.Genuine Hotels.com guest review
This guest did not leave a comment.Genuine Hotels.com guest review
This guest did not leave a comment.Genuine Hotels.com guest review
"Superb location and a charming environment."
Great place in a superb location. Since parking and taxes for parking alone run $57 a night, it might be worth taking a cab if you will be there for a few nights.Genuine Hotels.com guest review
"Sir Francis Drake/San Francisco"
Neat old hotel...across the street from Sears (great breakfast place)...close to major sightseeing, dining, and shopping...right by trolley stop...helpful staff.Genuine Hotels.com guest review
This guest did not leave a comment.Genuine Hotels.com guest review
"Sir Francis Drake, San Fran a good option"
Our short stay (2 nights) at the Sir Francis Drake was very pleasant. The hotel is well situated and it's a short walk to Union Square, shopping, the cable cars and many sights. The room decor is interesting, like the decorator couldn't decide on just one theme but the room was clean and comfortable. We did not have our dog on this trip but it's nice […] to know they are welcome at the Sir Francis Drake. The concierge was very helpful and we found we could purchase tickets to the Academy of Sciences right there at the hotel which was very convenient. Read moreGenuine Hotels.com guest review
Lovely atmosphereGenuine Hotels.com guest review
"Sir Francis Drake in San Fran--Apathetic staff"
The hotel is lovely. The staff, however, was terrible. They either did not know or did not care- we felt it was more the latter. The concierge did not know the area and cared more about selling tours than being helpful. I asked about a kid- friendly restaurant for dinner Friday night. They were about to send me on a 20 min walk, without a resevration, […] to a restaurant that I happened to know was closed for dinner. When I asked them about being closed, they said "oh, yeah". Clueless. The day we were leaving it was all over the news that there would be an AIDS walk in the city. I asked the front desk for directions to the airport the evening before our morning flight and asked whether there were any issues with the directions and any street closures for the AIDS walk. The desk agent just looked at me and said "I don't know". No offer to "let me find that out for you", "look into it", nothing. Even our 9 yr old commented that they didn't really care to be helpful. It's a shame- beautiful old hotel. Read moreGenuine Hotels.com guest review
"Great Hotel"
Outstanding Hotel. Service was excellent.Genuine Hotels.com guest review
"Disappointed"
I booked my room thru Hotels.com. When I wanted to stay an extra night, the front desk told me to contact Hotels.com. The reason, they could not give me the same rate. However, since hotel.com could not honor the same rate, because they had no room available, I called the front desk twice to book for extra night and pay the extra money. But, I was routed […] multiple times and finally disconnected. I went cross the street, booked a room with Merritt, paid $30.00 cheaper and the room was more specious and cleaner. Read moreGenuine Hotels.com guest review
This guest did not leave a comment.Genuine Hotels.com guest review
"Sir Francis Drake: style and grace"
If you match your expectations to what the Drake has to offer you will not be disappointed. Though smaller than chain hotels, the rooms are comfortable for two. The bathrooms are sized for one person at a time. But the decor and grace the facility offers is a great experience. The proximity to Union Square, cable cars, Metro, BART, shopping, restaurants […] rounds out a great experience. Read moreGenuine Hotels.com guest review
"TIMELESS HOTEL"
located right next to Union square, great shopping, dining. Comfy rooms, nicely decorated. The hotel is old but a true classic.Genuine Hotels.com guest review
"Sir Francis Drake in SF - Great Location"
As with any hotel selection, one needs to set the right expectations on what constitutes a positive experience. Let's face it, San Francisco is expensive, period. Why? Because it's a great town to have fun in, and thus popular. If there are three things you can say about the Sir Francis Drake hotel, it is location, location, location. Just about everything […] fun to do in SF is walking distance, and SF is a great town to walk around in. The Powell St. cable car line is just outside the front door, and can zip you to the Marina/Fisherman's Wharf in short order. Chinatown, North Beach, the financial district, Civic Center, south of Market, all mere minutes away. Union Square, where the 'Drake' is located, just can't be beat. And it's a quick three block walk to the BART station (Powell St.). If you are expecting a nice, big, comfy, modern, hotel room, fahget-about-it. You get the basics. A bed, a bath room, four walls and a roof. The personality of the room is much what you'd expect to find in Europe. Old, small, needs maintenance. But then, that's part of the "charm" of any old hotel. It isn't the Staybridges Suites, and if your plan is to find a place to just 'hang out', then this place is not for you. It's a great Home Base from which to enjoy San Francisco. Scala's restaurant is nice, kind of dark but has great Italian style food. Not cheap, but very good service and the quality is great. The Starlight Room at the top provides a fabulous view of the city. Drinks are expensive, but no more so than any other sky scraper tip top lounge. Kudos to the lounge host for "loaning" a reserved table to us, letting us bring our 8 year old daughter in to watch the SF Chinese New Year's parade from upon high. Surely the acme of her stay. All in all, I thought SFD was great hotel, I'll be going back for sure. Read moreGenuine Hotels.com guest review
"Great hotel"
Perfectly located in Union Sq. The Doormen were extremely helpful and accomodating. Delicious bloody mary's on Sunday.Genuine Hotels.com guest review
"The Sir Francis Drake hotel was in a great locatio"
The hotel was superficially very good. It had a grand reception area and the building itself was beautiful. The bedroom (double double deluxe) had nothing "deluxe" about it. It was very tired and the bathroom was tiny and old fashioned but certainly not in a quaint way - paint and plaster falling off the walls and door. It was definitely overpriced […] . Read moreGenuine Hotels.com guest review
"Sir Francis Drake Hotel in San Francisco"
This historic hotel is just above Union Square, an excellent location. The costumed doorman was friendly and helpful. The room was quite small. We had 2 double beds, which were comfortable enough. The only seating was a desk chair situated between the beds. The desk also served as a bed table. There were 3 small drawers, insufficient for 3 people, causing […] us to live out of suitcases. The bathroom was extremely small, the door would not even open completely because it ran into the toilet. There was an option to receive a voucher in lieu of housekeeping. This is nice for the budget minded & provided us with a delicious room service breakfast on our final morning. We were provided the courtesy of a late checkout however the room key would not work after noon (the regular checkout time) which created some inconvenience. The front desk was inadequately staffed causing a long wait to reactivate the room key. The bell service was also inadequately staffed making another long wait to reclaim our baggage being stored until our actual departure. Read moreGenuine Hotels.com guest review
"Sir Frances Drake"
The bathroom was a little tight and could use some shelves for your toiletries. But other than that, hotel was nice, quiet, clean....Genuine Hotels.com guest review
"fun in san francisco"
nice location...epecially at christmas with union square so close....lots to walk too,...and the cable car is out front at the door...easy to get to chinatown.thanks again for a nice xmasGenuine Hotels.com guest review
This guest did not leave a comment.Genuine Hotels.com guest review
"Perfect choice!"
Hotel could not be in a better location. Union Square is THE place to stay. Hotel rooms were being remodeled. Ours was not done yet but it was fine. Could have used a dresser but other than that I will stay here again. And we are very, very picky.Genuine Hotels.com guest review
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"Sir Francis Drake Hotel"
The cable car stops at the door. The station for the street car and Bart is only a few blocks away. Union Square park is right across the street, with all the fabulous stores surrounding that: Coach, Macy's, Nieman Marcus, Lous Vitton, Levi's, Saks, Tiffany's etc. Nice variety of restaurants right there that are not too expensive.Genuine Hotels.com guest review
"Charming with an excellent staff"
Rooms are typically tiny and when we arrived our hair dryer and television remote did not function. The staff really made the visit, though. Excellent customer service for a Kimpton hotel and the price point was not unreasonable.Genuine Hotels.com guest review
"Convenient Location"
Service was okay, condition of the hotel was poor, but location was excellent. I would recommend this hotel totally for the convenience of the location. Doorman service was good and lobby was cute, but room condition was disappointing. If room can be updated and cleaned up a little, it can be much better hotel.Genuine Hotels.com guest review
"Sir Francis Drake - convenient for Union Square"
Efficient and courteous staff were helpful the doormen particularly so. Room was clean and AC kept us comfortable. Great location for shopping and taking the cable car to the Fisherman's Wharf.Genuine Hotels.com guest review
This guest did not leave a comment.Genuine Hotels.com guest review
"SFD - Nice, older hotel"
Very accommodating and courteous staff. Our first visit to SFO, were given a room overlooking Union Square - nice experience. Older hotel, but pretty well kept. Cable car stop right out front door of hotel extremely convenient. Starlight club on floor 21 could be heard on our 19th floor, but we were so tired from all the walking it was never a problem […] falling asleep. I would definitely recommend hotel to friends/family. Excellent value for the location. Scala's restaurant in hotel lobby was a wonderfully delicious. If you forgo new towels and someone making your bed each day, hotel provides a $10 coupon that can be used at the hotel bar, Scala's or the Starlight club on 21st floor and you can combine multiple days worth of coupons. Read moreGenuine Hotels.com guest review
This guest did not leave a comment.Genuine Hotels.com guest review
"Great location"
The hotel is excellently situated for all the sights and great for shopping however the street noise even on the 6 th floor was an issue . The constant deliveries to the shops throughout the night , departing nightclub customers and the trolleybus ( starting at 6 am) could be muffled with double glazing . The hotel staff and location do compensate for […] this and if like us you are worn out at the end of a long day sightseeing getting to sleep is ok it's just the being woken up too early that's a problem . Having said that I would still recommend the hotel just suggest asking for a room higher up not facing Powell st. Read moreGenuine Hotels.com guest review
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