Hilton San Francisco Fisherman’s Wharf

Stayed here beginning of 2013 for an over night stay with fiancé. Had an amazing time ! The customer service from Ryan G was amazing! Breakfast awesome as always, and since we were celebrating a special occasion they even had chocolate cakes delivered to our room ! Definitely will stay here again !

There are at least a dozen hotels within a four-​block radius of this Hilton. I’ve stayed at a few of them. I have a theory that the owners of all of these properties get together once a decade to discuss: «should we spend any money making our properties better, especially since we still charge a nice chunk for rooms?». It is apparent that they all offer up a unanimous «NO», and keep their properties as they were many decades ago.
My 3-​night stay in late Oct of 2013 was on the heels of a big lobby renovation. I read all about it in Unilocal and TripAdvisor reviews. During my stay – the lobby was almost complete. Really pretty… the designers did a good job. A nice lobby, however, does not make up for the fact that the remainder of the hotel is total junk. Most of all, it’s the smell that bothered me. The fitness center at this Hilton smelled more pleasantly than all of the other areas I encountered. There’s something wrong with that.
I was initially put in to a junior suite (only a half wall dividing the bed from a small sitting area — not much better than standard room). Upon entering I was immediately overwhelmed with the smell of cigarette smoke. I called the front desk. They moved me to a full suite, which took less than five minutes.
PROS:
— Free full buffet breakfast for HHonors gold and diamond
— If you are a tourist and are legitimately excited about spending time in Fisherman’s Wharf, you’ll love the location
— Rates lower than other areas of the city (and there’s a reason for that)
— Good service when above room issue occurred (and was resolved)
CONS:
— See above comments regarding the smell. The hallways were overwhelming musty with now-​and-​again odors of day-​old food. My room (full suite) also smelled like a high school boy’s locker room.
— Fitness center is teeny tiny and was quite crowded each morning around 6:30. One stationary bike, two ellipticals, four treadmills and a some small free weights. They really need 50% more space to fit the machines they have. Lastly, the TVs on the machines didn’t seem to function too well (with a couple of them not working at all).
— Carpet in my room appeared to have suffered some major discrepancies over the years, with not much effort to clean them
The new lobby is nice, but on top of the really high rates, it doesn’t make up for the fact that the rest of the hotel smells foul and that it’s in major need of renovation.

The hotel is undergoing renovations, which we all need from time to time, so, no deducts there. Great central SF location, very close to the Wharf… can be very expensive depending on the season. Rooms are very comfortable, but, a bit antiquated. Our air didn’t work… or maybe I just couldn’t figure out how to make it work on the first night.
The staff was great. My only real beef is paying $ 50 for parking when I’m already paying almost $ 300 per night for a room where they’re doing major construction! Sorry folks… would have loved to have made it better!

In the process of a renovation which is not mentioned on the Hilton website, and I recommend don’t stay here until the renovations are complete.
Booked direct with Hilton even though better deals were available through Hotwire with other similarly rated hotels, as you expect a known standard of quality with the Hilton.
At around $ 360 per night including taxes, I expected a better offering than received.
Despite the current renovation, which included drilling at 6.45am permeating through the room and the bar and breakfast facilities being relocated to a conference room, it was just the sloppiness of the hotel that earned a one star:
# Hair in the bed
# Unclean windows
# Loud old A/​C system
# First room offered reeked of cigarettes
# Expensive and did not even include internet (extra $ 10 per day) or breakfast.
# No pool or nice outdoor /​rooftop area
# Laundry service did not return washing on time
# Even the vending machine was empty!
# Temporary business center was one old computer that was connected by a wifi that kept dropping out every 20 – 30 seconds
Generally, when a hotel is undertaking a known renovation like this, it would be simple gestures like — we are sorry for the inconvenience, have a complimentary glass of wine, breakfast or internet during your stay that would placate customers. None of this was demonstrated by the Hilton.
And for goodness sake, don’t start your contractors working with noisy equipment at 6.45am! It is a hotel!!!
I recommend the Hyatt in Fishermans Wharf if you want better service, amenities and comfort.
It only takes small gestures to offer service, the Hilton in Fisherman’s Wharf needs to revisit the textbook on how to run a quality hotel despite their renovation…

So I stayed here uninformed about a remodel going on, left my sunglasses at front desk. Which where stolen by some poor front desk person, and of course they weren’t cheap. When I ask for them back some douchebag w blonde hair was a working told me they were not anywhere and that they could do nuthing…
This wouldn’t bother me except I have a eye problem and I’m getting on a plane in 20min for six hours…
These ppl were rude, offered no help. Don’t judge a book by its cover.
Karma a bitch, hope all u fucking hard working thieves at the Hilton burn in hell!

Do not stay here until renovations are complete!

OK. I am a Hilton Honors Member. At one time I had over a 1.7 million HH points. This is the worse Hilton ever. It is not even good enough to be a Hampton or a Hilton Garden Inn. NEVER again will I stay here. The Union Square location is great and so is the Financial District location. I wish I could get my points and money back.

My husband and I decided to come to San Francisco for our 2 year wedding anniversary. Along the way, we’ve stayed in some very nice accommodations. We’re incredibly disappointed that this Hilton does not meet those standards. What a bummer to use an excessive amount of HHPoints on a place like this.
First of all, there was no warning about the construction. I am highly allergic to dust and if we had known, we would’ve booked at the other Hilton. To charge the same rate for a hotel under construction is an absolute outrage. We have to walk through a dust filled lobby and outside to get to breakfast, which was served in a conference room.
Secondly, the breakfast buffet was lukewarm, which my husband, who’s a chef, says that it’s at an unsafe holding temperature and could give a customer food poisoning. He spoke to a manager and they didn’t show any signs of concern.
Thirdly, I have a serious feather allergy. This has come up at other Hilton’s in the past and we are constantly telling them (since as far back as April 2010) to either put it on our profile or that it’s already there. Thanks to this hotel and staff, I had to take allergy medication to keep my throat from closing up on our anniversary. The woman at the front desk claimed my feather allergy wasn’t on the profile. She was also condescending to my husband and I. We look young and therefore can’t be taken seriously, apparently. I really hope she’s just incompetent and can’t find the information on our profile. Otherwise, the entire hotel brand is incompetent and completely incapable of putting a feather allergy into their system. If that is the case, my family, who have collectively been staying at Hilton’s for over 25 years, will no longer be staying at any.
Do not stay here if you have allergies, you’re a young couple, and/​or you don’t want food poisoning.

I agree that the location could not get much better. The problem my wife and I found is that the staff at the hotel have developed a level of complacency that I have rarely seen elsewhere.
Yes this place needs to be renovated. In fact, we stayed during the first phase of the renovations. The front lobby was closed. Had to drag our suitcase to the side entrance, check in in some tiny our of the way conference room, and then hunt for the elevators.
Staff were almost completely useless. Wanted a tour of the city, but the concierge had no idea who could deliver one. Left our jackets in the room and have seen no hint of them in the two weeks since we departed. Yes, the hotel found the jackets. Verified that with the front desk while driving to the airport. Left email and voice messages with the manager and have had no response.
I would recommend to stay away from this hotel. More of a hassle than it’s worth…

We paid with Hilton Honors points. If we had paid the $ 300/​night, I would feel even more slighted.
The place is in a nice location but also the most touristy location in San Fran.
Let’s not beat around the bush here. This place is in major need of a renovation and is just getting by on location alone.
Staff was friendly, especially the bartender.
You can do much better at the Hilton Financial District.

Stayed here four nights in August 2013 with the wife and two kids as part of a family vacation. I’m Hilton Gold bordering on Diamond and I’ve stayed at several Hilton properties. I was a little nervous given some of the reviews, but we wanted something in the Fisherman’s Wharf area and my corporate price here was excellent.
The Pros: The room was clean, well setup, decent décor, and excellent staff who made our time a pleasure. The full breakfast for Gold HHonors was great for the family, and while not overly advertised — comes with eggs made to order if you ask your server. We had a king suite with a pullout couch with plenty of room to add our inflatable twin aerobed for my daughter. The room also came with a refrigerator which was great when staying for several days.
The Cons: Like several Hilton properties I’ve stayed in, the building is a little dated and amenities are closer to what I would expect at a Hampton Inn or Hilton Garden Inn then the presumed more upscale «Hilton» name. This is not that much of a «con» and actually more of a «pro» for a family trip — but I can understand why some travelers may be put off expecting something more like the Millenium (sic) Hilton in NYC (even though the NYC hilton will charge you $ 30 for a mini-​fridge and only give a continental breakfast for Gold/​Diamond).
In actuality, I’ve stated at two Garden Inns recently and the quality was as good if not better than typical Hiltons (Indianapolis Garden Inn comes to mind)
This hotel can use some updating, especially in the common areas and hallways — Interestingly as we were checking out, they had just relocated the front desk to a new temporary area in order to renovate the lobby.

Overbooked and turned us away, bags in hand, even with proof of reservation. Nothing like wandering the streets of San Francisco with a bunch of luggage trying to find a decent hotel.

My friends and I stayed at this hotel for one night in January 2013.
The hotel is in a PERFECT location for sightseeing. Most major attractions are within walking distance — Fisherman’s Wharf, Pier 39, Alcatraz, Lombard Street, etc. There are tons of restaurants, bars, and shopping nearby also.
The hotel staff were extremely professional and friendly. Everyone was super accommodating. The rooms were clean, the amenities were great, and the breakfast was good. We were upgraded to a suite because of my Hilton Honors status, and the suite was HUGE! I would definitely stay here again if in the area.

Just back from four nights here. Loved the location, the security feature of having to insert a room key to get to any guest floor, the wonderfully comfy bed, the quiet and considerate housekeeping staff who remembered to do something we requested every day, the room service staff (and the breakfasts we ordered), and the front desk staff.
Not at all a fan of the paper-​thin walls and floors, or of the fact that the in-​room WiFi is $ 9.95/day per device. Between the two of us, we had five devices we would have liked to have connected, but refused to pay to connect.
And while I know this is my own food problem, I know I’m not alone in not being able to consume aspartame, so I was surprised to find that, in the room with the coffee maker, they only offer sugar and Equal. I asked Housekeeping if I could have some Splenda, but the answer was no – they didn’t have that or Sweet and Low.
Would I stay again? Probably not – but really only because of the noise issue. My other challenges could be easily overcome with some planning on my part.

Hit or miss. It was an up-​and-​down experience, mostly down. At this price range no hotel is ever perfect. It was selected based on its proximity to restaurants and walkability. So for that, let’s start off with the good, it is located very nicely in a very walkable part of town that will get you anything you need from shopping to restaurants to bars to even a pharmacy next door. So great location.
The elevators at this place are awful. You have to swipe your card first when you get in the elevator and then you punch in 1, 2, or 3. It is only a three story hotel. So don’t expect a great view. My view was of the exercise room on the 1^st floor.
So when I check in I get my keycards like usual and get in the elevator and swipe it and get up to my room but neither of my keycards will open my door. So I have to go back downstairs and wait in line again at the desk. I must have looked really pissed because I got free breakfast vouchers for the trouble of having to come back downstairs and get new keycards. The guy behind the counter was VERY nice and apologetic and very focused on customer service that he offered the breakfast vouchers to me. Bacon is life. Bacon is important. So I took them.
My room was a Pure room. I stay in a lot of hotels across the country and this was the first time I was ever in one, or ever heard of one. The guy behind the counter made it out to be something like being knighted by the Queen that I was in for a huge treat. The pillows were different than usual and there was a big black humming box with a blue light near the TV that was purifying the air or something. I’m not sure. I am not sure why this was all so special and uppity. I was in a frat in college and have slept on a beer soaked mattress more than once, so that’s where I’m still at in my older years, that I never really grew up. If you like pure stuff then yeah, this would probably impress you a lot more than it would impress me.
The worst part of the experience was the soap. I had an allergic reaction to the soap. So test the soap on another part of your body besides your face, unless you know, you aren’t that attractive then throw caution to the wind and go hog wild.
The exercise room is rather small and cramped when I was the only one in there, then two other guys came in and it was about time to leave. One broken treadmill further reduced the configurations that three people could be in not to be on top of each other.
The breakfast buffet was passable. Salmon good. Cottage cheese disgustingly gross though, what happened with that trainwreck? Eggs are very runny. Bacon is delicious. Pancakes were simply meh. It’s free so I can’t complain too much.
If location matters, this is your hotel. Other things made it less than a perfect hotel stay.

Loved it. Got upgraded to superior king room, free internet, free breakfast, and free parking.
Hell of expensive, but that’s how it is in SF especially since it was walking distance to Pier 39. We stayed here for our baby moon and loved it.

My expectations were somewhat low based on other reviews but my stay was reasonably comfortable and pleasant. Everyone who provided service was friendly, and they swiftly upgraded me to a two room suite as I’ve stayed at zillions of hiltons in the past. One odd thing was the crack under the room door was like 2 inches so noise in the hallway swiftly came in to the room. But, the suite with a separate bedroom took care of that issue.
Once I was settled, I found I could walk to nearby tourist locations quite easily. I sent an hour or two being a semi-​tourist but then returned to focus on the business at hand.
I would not recommend eating at the tourist traps in the area. Instead, I hiked to my normal favorite local spots up the hill a bit.

Okay so — this is not my favorite Hilton property. I prefer Hampton Inn’s to be honest. We went with a PURE allergy free room. And while the room itself was okay, the fan blew out a chemical smell that caused my eyes to tear up, me to cough, and it just smelled. We ended up opening the window the entire stay and it was pouring down rain.
Once we were in the hotel the staff was lovely.
Reservations needs to be up on their hotels and what they offer. For instance, I needed wifi for work. They assured me this hotel had it. Did it offer it? No, you had to go down to the lobby for wifi. I could buy wifi in my room and use a lap top. Just an inconvenience.
Would we go back — not so sure. The GM was very nice — he listened to my feedback and offered to send us back for two nights on him. We’ll see.
The size of the room was nice, and again, the staff was really really nice.

Not my favorite Hilton property — as one of my coworkers likes to say this one is «off brand». This was our second visit and my reaction was the same both times, this hotel is «meh». We’ve used Hilton points to stay here so all we had to pay was parking — if I had paid $ 300 or more a night, I would be more unhappy.
The rooms are pretty dated although we did have a flat screen TV unlike some of the other reviewers. The lobby is very small with a small bar area and restaurant. Nothing special about either one especially when I compare it to other Hiltons. The rooms were clean enough and the bed comfortable. We were fortunately to get in the last space in the garage, the valets were double and triple parking to allow for Fleet Week traffic!
Given a choice of the Hilton or the Marriott, I’d pick the Marriott — it is right next door and definitely a nicer property.

Overall, we had a nice stay, but there are some glaring problems with this hotel.
PROS:
1. Super nice, friendly staff at the front desk and in the restaurant.
2. Located on the Wharf. Right by the water.
CONS:
1. Way overpriced food in the restaurant. $ 19 for a breakfast buffet? Really?
2. Silverfish infestation! One fell from the ceiling and landed on my sister’s banana at breakfast. I told one of the waiters and he told me, «Yes, we know. We’ve had an infestation for 20 years and have exterminators come in every week.» Can you say gross?
3. No swimming pool.
4. Dirty, grimy furniture in the lobby. The upholstery seriously needs a scrub.