Hilton Financial District

San Francisco Hotel Review

Hilton Financial District - Located on the border of Chinatown and the Financial District and convenient to North Beach.

Paul writes from the U.K., "I recently stayed here with my partner and we found the hotel and staff excellent. The hotel is right in the centre for all attractions and I would recommend the Hilton Financial District to anyone.

G.R. writes, "We primarily chose this because of location as we did not want to be at the Wharf or Union Square and as such it suited us very well. The playground opposite the hotel primarily used by the Chinatown community also suited my 5 year old daughter excellently. We also made use of the pool on the roof which was great fun, warm water although a little windy. The staff was very friendly.

The room on the 8th floor was standard Hilton quality, but perfectly adequate. As we were not foolish enough to bring a car to the city we were spared the high parking charges. Using the buses was interesting -- with direct service to Union Square and Fisherman's Wharf outside the hotel. We are English we don't have a problem with using public transport. Taxis also were readily available at the hotel.

The only surprise was the restaurant and bar facilities. These have recently increased their opening hours but are still not open at lunchtime. The bar is also very small for a hotel of this size. There are obviously many restaurants outside within walking distance but the vast majority Chinese which may not always suit. Having said that when we used the restaurant in the hotel it was fine. So if you are looking for a central location that is not overtly touristy you should consider this hotel."

C.F. writes, "I live about a mile outside of San Francisco, and often visit the city. I usually spend the night there, especially when I bring guests, and frequently I stay at the Holiday Inn Financial District. I first picked it because it was a great value, but I return for other reasons as well. It is in a fantastic location, with North Beach, Chinatown, Union Square, Telegraph Hill and more all within easy walking distance. I have learned to always ask for a room with a view of the bay; it can be breathtaking, and the higher your room, the more magnificent it becomes. You can see Coit Tower with the sparkling water beyond it, and the rolling hills of the city neighborhoods. You have to be careful, however...you don't want a room on the other side if you can avoid it. I have had "views" of alleyways...rather disappointing to say the least.

The pool, when open, is glorious as well. It is on the roof, and the view of the city is even more amazing. Plus, the Transamerica building looms up behind the hotel, and is quite impressive from the rooftop. The hotel is sort of on the edges of the Financial district, North Beach, and Chinatown. Located directly across the street (and actually attached by a pedestrian walkway) is a playground-a definate bonus for anyone traveling with kids. The rooms are fine, nothing spectacular but certainly comfortable and I have inevitably found them to be clean and more than adequate. The staff has always been very nice and helpful. When I go to the city I am not planning on spending much time in my room, so it serves it's purpose well. I return gladly, and feel like I have a little secret...a suprisingly affordable stay in a fantastic location in the world's most beautiful city."

Scott and Kelly write, "We just got back from a wonderful trip to San Francisco. Your web site was extremely helpful. It is the best site by far I found about your beautiful city. We stayed at the Hilton Financial District. It was okay but nothing special. The price was right but the bar and restaurant were only open a few hours a day and the swimming pool was closed. The view was good of the bay.

Our room was comfortable. We had cable TV and pay-per-view movies, work desk, coffee maker, clock radio, voice mail, hair dryer, iron and board. The room was cleaned daily. We were on the 21st floor and had a view of the bay. We could see Alcatraz but not the Golden Gate Bridge. There are also City views available.

The hotel has 27 floors, 566 rooms, covered parking, one restaurant and one lounge/bar, swimming pool on the roof (only open during the summer), safety deposit boxes at front desk. All in all it was a pleasant hotel to stay in but we did not spend much time there. We wanted to experience all we could of the city and surrounding area.

Some of the highlights we experienced were Big Sur, Carmel, 17 mile drive, Sausalito and Tiburon. Anyone heading to Big Sur should make a stop at Point Lobo State Park just south of Carmel. The trails along the ocean are magnificent. There are seals and sea otters along the rocks.

The Buena Vista across the street from the cable car turnaround at Fisherman's Wharf had great Irish coffee drinks and very friendly bar tenders. The best view of the Golden Gate Bridge was from the view point located on the north end ocean side up on the cliff. You could see the entire bay with the city in the background. It was breath taking. We met many interesting and friendly people. The restaurants were out of this world. The only bad experience we had was at Bay Watch. The food was great but our waitress was very rude. This was my wife's first trip to San Francisco. It was also her birthday. She fell in love with the area. We had a wonderful time. Thank you for helping guide us"