Hilton San Francisco Union Square — Hotel in San Francisco

My company put me up at the Hilton union Square for a 5 week job i had while working in San Francisco. Upon check in, the experience was great. I was a Hilton honors blue member so I had no status but the young man gave me a room upgrade on the 29th floor with an amazing view. I was treated like a diamond member and recognized as a loyal customer. The room had a phenomenal view but was extremely small and my wife was going to come visit for 10 days and there was literally no where to sit other than the beds.

I want to the front desk and asked if by chance there was a slightly bigger room on that floor and if so could I possibly move. Right across the hall from me the rooms where actually bigger and had a couch for sitting and even a better view of the bay and financial district. The lady at the desk said the room will be available in 2 days and let me move but also made me feel like I was a higher level Hilton honors member than I was. I couldn't believe how well I was treated for not really having any status. I have lifetime platinum elite with Marriott and they NEVER treat me as well as the Hilton Union Square did.

Next comes housekeeping. Because of my long stay my housekeeper become on a first name basis with me and asked me every day, Mr. Dave is there anything extra you need? She knew my wife was coming and we liked coffee so each day she would bring extra coffee pods and extra cream. The beds we're impeccably made, the carpet always vacuumed, bathroom tub and sink meticulously cleaned and towels always folded and new. It was like checking into a clean room for the first time every day. She even knew I slept late and would leave her cart by my door and check with me every day to see if I needed my room serviced before her shift ended. It was amazing.

Then the Union wrnt on strike and everything changed. The Hilton hired scabs to replace the union workers and we couldn't get our rooms cleaned because hotel management didn't trust them with our personnel belongings so they only offered fresh towels whenever requested. My luxury stay wrnt downhill immediately. After weeks of no housekeeping, I couldn't get clean sheets, my bed made, the sink and tub cleaned, carpet vacuumed, tile floors cleaned, nothing. Imagine paying $200 a night and staying in a hotel for weeks and not being able to have clean sheets or your bathtub cleaned. It was horrible.

The 24 hour snack bar that offered sandwiches, beverages, candy desserts and pretty much everything you would want or need only being open for a few hours a day. The beautiful lobby was like a ghost town and when there we're people in it, there was a line of 50 to 100 people trying to check in with an under staffed front desk while all the good hotel staff was right out front picketing because of unfair wages and benefits. It was awful.

The strike was still going on when I checked out so the last 3 weeks of my $2000 dollar a week stay pretty much sucked. IMHO, for an establishment that offers such a great service in such a great location refusing to give their employees a raise that they hadn't gotten and to help defray the cost of insurance while the CEO is making $57 million dollars a year is a total crime. The employee's of the property is what makes that particular Hilton as great of a hotel that it is and without them, I would never stay again.

The property is located in the Tenderloin district and there are a lot of homeless people living in tents and pooping and peeing on the sidewalks and the smell is putrid. They leave their trash everywhere and it makes San Francisco look like a refugee camp. The only thing the hotel has going for it is the high level of service that the employees offer and now they are gone and replaced with scabs that can't be trusted by hotel management so you will not get any service during your stay.

I do a lot of business in San Francisco several times a year and I will NOT be staying at the Hilton Union Square again until the labor dispute is over and the union employees are...

Hilton San Francisco Union Square – Review Thank you to everyone at the Hilton San Francisco Union Square, which for us was an excellent choice. My wife and I stayed here for ten days in August 2025, exploring the city and visiting family. We really enjoyed our stay and would definitely recommend the hotel to anyone visiting for business or pleasure. Location and Transport We chose this hotel for its central location and access to public transport. Powell Street station is about a ten-minute walk, with BART, Muni, buses, streetcars, and the Powell Street Cable Cars. From there, it’s only half an hour to SFO International Terminal by BART, a very convenient and inexpensive option. Union Square is also ten minutes away on foot with Macy’s, Neiman Marcus, and other stores. Cabs and Ubers are easy and not too expensive—we took one to the Golden Gate Bridge Welcome Center. For bigger shopping, Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto is an option, reachable by Caltrain from San Francisco Station. Public transport works with the Clipper Card, which you can load onto your phone. Seniors get about 55% off fares, which is very generous. Room and Comfort We stayed in a junior suite with a city view on the 40th floor of Tower 1 (room 14070). The suite was very spacious with plenty of furniture and storage. The bathroom was large enough with a good shower, though missing a towel rack. The highlight was the spectacular view across downtown San Francisco to Mission Bay, best enjoyed from the balcony. We loved waking up to the light, whether sunshine or fog. The suite also had a dining table and fridge, which we found useful. We asked for extra glasses, plates, cutlery, and an electric kettle—all provided free of charge. For groceries, Trader Joe’s and a Target are about 15 minutes away, Whole Foods about 25 minutes, and a Walgreens 10 minutes away. It was also very quiet. We only once heard voices in the corridor. The elevators were fast and reliable, and being close to them meant we could get from the lobby to our room in about a minute. The mattress was soft but not too soft, which suited us well. Food and Breakfast We skipped the hotel breakfast ($45 plus tax and tip per person) and went to local cafés instead. Café Mason across the street was excellent, with fresh food and cheerful staff. Magnin Street Café & Bistro was also good but less lively. Pinecrest Diner we cannot recommend—too crowded and greasy. Breakfast for two in these places cost about $50 including tax and tip, and we liked being able to return to our room afterwards to freshen up before heading out. Service and People The staff were consistently kind and helpful. Special thanks to Alejandro and Emmy, who genuinely went out of their way to assist us. They made a real difference to our stay. We also found San Francisco itself very friendly. Immigration at SFO was smooth and welcoming, and throughout our trip—from fellow guests at the Hilton to strangers on the street, in museums, shops, or hiking trails—we met with warmth. For a major city, that felt unusual. Downsides The Hilton Union Square is a little dated and shows its age, but everything is well maintained. It’s a very large hotel (2,000 rooms), though it never felt crowded. The lobby coffee shop is extremely expensive, so we avoided it. The real downsides were outside the hotel. Some sidewalks are crowded with homeless and troubled people, and many stores are closed due to the retail decline. It’s sad to see in such a great city. That said, we never felt unsafe or threatened. Conclusion For us, Hilton San Francisco Union Square was an excellent base for ten days in the city. The location, staff, and comfort of our suite all contributed to a very enjoyable stay. Despite some challenges outside, we would gladly stay here again and recommend...

Good: Room was ok and had a good size, but rooms in the other towers looked much older and antiquated. The fully darkening blinds in the rooms are great for good sleep Large refillable shampoo, conditioner, body wash and body lotion save waste. Ok size gym in basement, but without natural light and floors were not clean

Bad: Check-in was a nightmare. I had booked a regular room with a king bed. When I got to my room it was an ADA room and everything was a too low for my height. They should have told me that in the first place. I went back to the reception and asked for the regular king bed room I had booked. They said those were no longer available for conference participants. I explained that I was attending the conference, but had booked the room for the full price on the Hilton website. The receptionist didn't understand (or didn't want to understand). I ended up taking a room with 2 beds because it was late and I was tired. 20 minutes later the text message support said I could have a regular king room, but at that point I was done with the check-in and wanted to sleep. They offered me $40 to use in the hotel cafe, which hardly bought me anything given the crazy high prices (see below). Carpet floor in rooms - not very hygienic for hotels. The view out of the room was also very sad - half of a reiling and the rest was the grey roof of part of the hotel without any plants or greenery (which would be a great way for the hotel to lower its carbon footprint). Lack of ceiling light. I had to switch on all small lights and still couldn't get good lighting. Not good for making sure your clothes look fine before business meetings Walls are very thin and badly insulated - I would wake up several times at night when people in other rooms closed the room doors. Not great in a hotel where people come and go at different times. Like most U.S. hotels, the coffee machine in the room was one of those cheap ones that uses tea-bag like coffee bags that make bad-tasting coffee. Nespresso machines or French presses would be so much better. Single-use plastic cups in the room instead of reusable glass or coffee mug. This shouldn't happen in 2023. Towels were replaced every day, even those that I didn't place on the floor. Again, in 2023 all hotels should have towel-saving programs to reduce energy and water usage. The hallway, especially in the older towers look very antiquated. They also have carpet floors which is gross and annoying with suitcases. There are very limited options for food nearby (and the streets around the hotel are very dirty and smelly). The food options inside the hotel are terrible. The buffet-style breakfast place had no single vegan option - and seems totally overpriced. The only vegan option in the café was bland oatmeal and I only found out after asking, there's nothing labeled. The person responsible for the café was very friendly, apologized and gave me a vegan muffin from the kitchen for free - but this shouldn't happen in 2023 especially not in a vegan-friendly city like SF. There are so many easy vegan options they could have like tofu scramble, muesli with soy or oat milk, vegan yogurt with granola, sandwiches etc. The café is also extremely expensive - I paid $2 for one banana , $12 for a mediocre fruit cup and around $7 for a small cappuccino. Definitely advise not to eat there if you...