Beacon Grand A Union Square Hotel — Hotel in San Francisco

This property is hard to review. For one, it's not a luxury property, it's an historic property and because of this, certain amenities may be beyond their reach. It has had a recent renovation so the room decor, bed quality, linen quality, especially pillows are first rate. And my room class was large, so I did not feel cramped. What fails terribly is the water pressure which was truly a trickle. The Bigelow bath products are meh...meaning, I wouldn't want to use them at home, but they suffice. Just average. They value sustainability which is normally good, but because the shower is a trickle and you need to stay in there so long the entire bathroom's lights shut off twice on me (motion sensor) during one shower, which means you need to flap your arms around to get light back on. The towels are plentiful and comfy, but you need to ask for a robe and slippers and they can be "out." The bathroom lighting is good but you need to ask for a make-up mirror and you get something passable, not great. I've never seen a higher end property that doesn't have a pre-installed magnifying mirror, but, they don't seem to have that. While Illy coffee is my favorite, the ultra cheap coffee machine (I can't even believe Illy branded it) was a horror to use, mostly didn't work either due to being a feather weight shoddy machine or there was a short in the wiring which could be more likely, since the power strips worked intermittently at best. I got tea and a teapot on request, (front desk seemed perplexed why anyone would need tea) it's not standard and sadly, you only get paper cups and plastic utensils, which is far from a luxury experience for either the coffee or the tea. The convenient hallway water filling stations are a nice touch. The gym is the better side of adequate. I was on a high floor and the noise level was mostly ok, but you can hear sirens like in any city. The windows were not openable without help, but it's a chilly city so that was only needed on occasion. The lighting at bedside was an awful design, not reachable while in bed to turn on or off without, essentially for me, getting out of the bed. That design really fails. There is an exposed area for hanging clothes, but nothing full length for either dresses or slacks, so not great for gals. There are plenty of drawers. Lastly, I am pretty sure there are some ghosts around there. The hallways are entirely gloomy, poor color choices, historic lighting which could be good but was just plain dim and spooky. The rooms are not spooky, it's just a freaky hallway. The breakfast area is gorgeous, but cavernous, and of the grand time period. It's just VERY cold and if you go to breakfast, you will need a jacket or wrap. The staff was hit or miss. Some lovely, some over burdened, like in any property. The waitstaff was often clueless but they did try and meet my needs when I got the management in on it. The food was ok for breakfast and lunch, it could improve for the prices, also given the amazing food at any outside spot in that town. There are so many promos at this property that you spend a lot of time explaining what you think your package included. Ultimately, if you get a good price on a room, they are pretty, the location is ok, but like in many cities, major stores are closing down, so it's not a shopper's paradise any more. I did not see a lot of homeless and San Francisco is on the upturn and remains a lovely city to visit in many ways. This hotel hasn't reached a luxury standard yet, but it for a non luxury category, the room prices are...

I stayed at Beacon Grand recently and was shocked at how they treat people who are staying at the hotel, even when a guest is a VIP guest. The hotel sells itself as a "luxury Union Square hotel," the hotel room itself has a facelift from a historic property and it sometimes shows in the room in wood finishes.

The shower ran well, but was not adjustable. The sheets were nice, but had some soot here and there from the room smudged on them. I decided to order in-room dining because I was finishing up some work and received a large coffee, orange juice, biscuits, and a salmon bagel. The total by the way was over $80 for what could easily be a continental breakfast.

The salmon bagel costs $28 and is not memorable. The bagel is average at best - you could seriously make a better one at home. A regular bagel with cream cheese is $8 - so they are charging you $20 for butter lettuce, onions, and salmon.

The bed sinks in and the pillows are not very firm so my sleep quality was so-so. I did like the TV in the room, the seating, and the view of the city.

I checked out the gym in the morning and it had a few weights and people working out. Overall - it was ok - maybe what you would see in an apartment building.

I visited their restaurant The Post Room for lunch. The place was deserted with hardly any customers. The Food & Beverage Manager stopped by and was professional and made sure my order was put in, but then the server disappeared after he dropped off my food and beverage. I had to get back to the airport and it became stressful. I will say the burger was excellent, but the lack of a soul of this place is really lacking.

The hotel had agreed to provide a $75 meal credit at the property and then proceeded to swipe my card when I was checking out without asking first how to settle the bill. Then was hardly apologetic when trying to reverse the transaction and acted like it wasn't their problem. Really? If this is how you treat someone who is supposed to be VIP, I have to wonder how you treat a regular customer.

If we are talking about the outdoors, its obvious Union Square is not what it used to be. Westfield is gone and several local shopping spots have shuttered. There are countless unhoused people outside and it is hardly safe at night. The hotel does have security, but lets not pretend its in a nice area by any means. Union Square continues to slip as a destination and in my opinion this hotel has a serious service problem if they want to be known as a...

TL;DR - fantastic location and ambience and decor, great service, room slightly let down

Stayed here for one evening with a companion in a Classic King room with a city view. As others have noted, I was on a lower floor (8th) and therefore didn't really get a lot of "view" - just a lot of San Francisco. The inflatable wavy arm Golden State Warriors balloon was amusing to look at.

Ambience: if you're into old world charm with grandiose decor, high ceilings, and other furnishings that make you feel like you're in an aristocratic place, this is the hotel for you. Just be sure to pack some nicer clothing to match the scenery.

Room: a little smaller than most standard King sized rooms in a medium or large capacity hotel. The bathroom was especially small, with the ledges not even being big enough to properly hold my toiletries bag. The shower was also a little awkward as there was no way to close the door and the little circular cutout from the shower to the sink seemed like an irrelevant by-product of the previous era (I have no idea what the functionality is, just that it made a lot more water splash out than in). Water pressure of the shower was a little lackluster. The baseboards and some of the paint seemed to be rather worn - not sure if this was because of the old world vibe, or if the last time they were updated was during the old world era. Bed was at least very comfortable, and having a refillable water station on the floor was also convenient.

Location: you're pretty much right at Union Square and all the high-street shops. Great options to walk to for shopping, eating, and services.

Amenities: only amenity that I engaged with was the Beacon Lounge which happened to host a "champagne and piano" reception that was complimentary. They do this every Friday night, so if you're looking for an elegant environment to pair with your free bubbly, go on a Friday.

Service: pleasant and helpful, I just regret not being able to tip the bellhop as I only had large cash bills (John, if you read this, thank you for your quick help and service with my bags - and being a cool guy!). I was also able to get a slightly later checkout which helped immensely with my departure plans.

Overall, a treat of a hotel in the middle of a very upscale area. If not for just some of the room's flaws in quality, it would have been an easy 5-star rating. I would still come back here every time I visit San Francisco and enjoy the grandeur...