San Francisco Marriott Union Square — Hotel in San Francisco

I am a die-hard Marriott fan and have always respected how they treat their Bonvoy members. However, this was the first time I felt truly disappointed with their service. Yes, there was an ongoing protest due to a strike from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., and it was absurdly loud outside. While I understand that protests happen, it was the way Marriott handled the situation that left me questioning my loyalty to the brand.

Lack of Communication: They didn’t inform customers in advance in any way. We only found out about the protest and the unbearable noise level upon arrival. It felt unsafe to going in and out of the building. There seems to be some security personnel in front of the door, who was zoning out, not accommodating customers walking in or out.

Dishonesty About Back-Side Room Availability: I requested a room on the quieter, back side of the building several times during my three-night stay. Each time, I was told there were no rooms available without even checking the availability. When I demanded, it was clear that they were pretending to look at the system and told me nothing was available. However, I later learned from another guest in the elevator that she received a back-side room after waiting just 15 minutes. The next day, I spoke with yet another guest who had also been assigned a back-side room. This inconsistency felt dishonest and frustrating.

Lack of Basic Amenities: Earplugs could have been offered at check-in to mitigate the noise and show their care for customers. Instead, their attitude came across as dismissive and irresponsible—essentially a “What do you want us to do?” response.

Failure to Clean the Room: I specifically requested daily room cleaning because I know this isn’t always done unless asked. The front desk assured me the room would be cleaned unless I placed a Do Not Disturb sign. Yet, when I returned in the evening, the room hadn’t been cleaned. When I raised the issue, there was no effort to resolve it or even apologize. All they said was, “They’ll clean it today.” By that point, it was already 6:30 p.m.

I will not even get into the underwhelming feeling I had with the outdated room and the inconvenient shower.

I understand that they had to fly in employees to compensate for striking workers from Texas, etc, and I’m sure the staff was tired and frustrated. However, in the hospitality industry, especially at the frontline, customer experience should remain a priority. Customers shouldn’t bear the brunt of operational challenges—especially when they were never informed of the inconvenience beforehand.

The way the Marriott Union Square location handled this experience left me feeling distrustful. Their approach was inconsistent, passive-aggressive, and careless, which is unacceptable for a brand I’ve long admired. I clearly do not recommend this Marriott and hope the upper management sees this review and reflects for future cadence.

From a once-loyal...

We stayed at this hotel during the July 4th holiday. We asked if this hotel could see the fireworks, but was told that it was too far. I wonder if the higher floors would be able to view fireworks? However, you could easily walk down to the Ferry Building (15-18 min walk). With that in mind, keep in mind that this is San Francisco where firework sightings are usually blocked by our friend, Karl the Fog.||Location: The location of this hotel is great. We walked everywhere (Ferry Building, Chinatown). The homelessness situation was not too bad. There were a few individuals who ranting on the streets, but the kids were ok with it.||Close to the new Nintendo Store. The kids had a blast playing video games there. ||Don’t venture too far west - else you will hit the Tenderloin/Nob Hill border, which is not advisable if you are with kids. ||We only stayed here for 2 nights. We also picked this location due to the proximity to Hertz rental car. When we were ready to check out, we headed to Hertz, picked up the car, loaded our bags and drove off to explore the rest of the Bay Area. ||Restaurants: Some of the nearby restaurants that we went to, that were enjoyable: |- Lapisara Eatery (Brunch: Super cute for the kids, great food. But a little expensive).|- The Public Izakaya (Japanese: Go during Happy Hour! The Salmon Sashimi was delicious, for a fraction of the price)|- E&O: I actually booked the hotel due to the proximity to E&O, one of my fave restaurants/happy hours in SF when I lived there, but they were closed for the holiday)|- Liholiho Yacht Club (another place that we were planning to go to, but they were also closed during the July 4th holiday)|- b.patisserie: New location in Union Square courtyard! The best Kouign Amands in SF (if not the US!)|- Plethora of Chinatown restaurants, but we went to: iCafe Bakery on Waverly for a snack. Their Pineapple buns were delicious and the Hong Kong Milk Tea was strong and creamy. They also had Zhongxi (aka Chinese Tamales) that looked delicious. They also make the best moon cakes!!||Room: The room was cozy, but we expected that from hotels in the city. The beds were as expected for a Marriott. You don’t stay here because of the size of the rooms. You stay here because of...

We spent one night here on December 14, having booked months in advance since we spend the weekend in The City every year on that date (our Christmas tradition...we are "locals")||The hotel is located one block off of Union Square, on a relatively quiet block. The property has the appearance of recently undergone a renovation, though I could be wrong. The point is, everything was spotless, and in great working condition. The elevators were efficient and quick. Check-in was a breeze. We were more than satisfied with all aspects of our room (size, cleanliness, etc.), though the bathrooms were slightly smaller than expected.||There is really only one area of opportunity we can see, and that lies with the breakfast buffet. Simply, the food quality is acceptable, but nothing spectacular. The variety is fairly good, but would become tiresome after two days. The plastic plates need to be replaced with real ones. (We do realize there's a strike, and so staffing is probably limited in the "dishwashing arena"). ||Otherwise, and despite this one area of opportunity, we would certainly consider another visit to this location if ever in the area. Speaking of which...||A message for those on strike: As locals, we are keenly aware of both the issues and the duration of your strike. You had some sympathy from us until you heckled us as we walked back into the lobby. What that taught us is that you hold no respect for us as loyal Marriott guests. Further, and due to your disrespect directed at us, you should not expect the same in return in the form of gratuities from us! We make it a habit to tip WELL too! ||A better approach would be to keep your editorial comments about who you think we are to yourselves, your feelings about us to yourselves, and simply picket as you are legally entitled to. We could not hear your drumming and bull horns at all from our room! So the only thing you accomplished by that approach was to earn our disregard for your hostile behaviors! You also lost any sympathy we held toward your situation! You have every right to protest within the scope of the law and city ordinance. You don't have the right to threaten and heckle guests at the very hotel you want to represent as being unfair to you! ...