The Westin St. Francis San Francisco on Union Square — Hotel in San Francisco

I don’t think I’ve ever written a bad review. But what happened during this stay, left me feeling completely disregarded and unsafe.

I decided to treat myself to a one-night suite stay using a Suite Night Award. At check-in, the receptionist informed me that my suite was booked for both nights of my stay and that I wouldn’t have to move. She also added that my 4 PM late checkout was already loaded onto my key cards. I specifically asked her again if she was sure I didn’t need to switch rooms, and she double-checked and reassured me everything was set.

That was especially important because I was in town for work and working overnight shifts. If I had to move, I would have done it right after my shift ended in the morning. But based on her confirmation, I planned to go straight to sleep after work.

The next morning, I went to the concierge lounge for breakfast after work and was told I couldn’t take ANYTHING out of the lounge. That caught me completely off guard. I politely explained to the staff member that I’ve never heard of such a policy, didn’t see any signs posted, and asked her to please make an exception. I told her I had just gotten off work, was extremely tired, and simply wanted to eat in the comfort and privacy of my room. She told me firmly, “No, that is our policy.”

As a Titanium Elite member for over 5 years, I’ve stayed at Marriott properties across the country, and this has never been an issue. Most locations will even offer you to-go boxes or wrap your plate for you.

Had I known in advance that I wouldn’t be allowed to take breakfast to-go, I wouldn’t have booked this stay and didn’t even bother going down for breakfast the next morning.

After breakfast, I went back to my room, showered, and went to sleep around 10 AM. I had the “Do Not Disturb” signs on both of the outer doors, and I made sure the deadbolts and door latches were on.

At some point, I vaguely remember the phone ringing, but I was exhausted and didn’t answer. It rang again, and I finally answered it around 1 PM. I was told I needed to move rooms. I was confused and said I had been assured I was in the suite for both nights. I asked if they could check the notes or speak with the person who checked me in, but the response was that she wasn’t available and I still had to move.

Reluctantly, I got up to start packing. That’s when I noticed something that left me feeling violated and completely unsettled, which prompted me to write this review.

One of the main doors to the suite was no longer secured. The deadbolt and the door latch had been undone, and the “Do Not Disturb” sign was now inside the room instead of outside on the door where I placed it! It was very clear that someone had entered the room while I was asleep.

Had I not followed my instincts and locked the other internal door that leads to the bedroom, someone could have walked into my sleeping space. That is an absolutely terrifying thought—and it never should have happened.

I immediately called the front desk to report what happened. Unfortunately, the staff didn’t seem to care at all. I asked to speak with someone else, and instead, I was transferred back to the same receptionist who told me I had to move. I tried to explain how serious this was—there were privacy signs posted, I had the room securely locked, and I was asleep. She made no apology, just excuses and defensiveness.

I explained that if I had a 4 PM checkout and it was only 1 PM, there was no reason at all for anyone to come into the room, especially while I was asleep. Her response was basically, “Well, we called you.” I told her I was sleeping and had the Do Not Disturb signs on the doors and safety locks engaged which should’ve been respected!!

To top it all off, I was also never given the $10 Uber voucher that’s supposed to be included in the destination fee for the second night. I didn’t even bother calling about it because, at that point, I was already so irritated and frustrated by everything else. But it was just another example of how this stay fell short at...

They did not have an option for 6 stars so I could only choose 5

I write reviews from time to time but usually I get busy, run short on time, and forget. But this review had to be written because the service that I received from this hotel was amazing. And it wasn't just 1 person. Starting with the sales person HALEY HUDSON. She was very attentive to what I needed as far as pricing for my group. The proposal that she sent confirmed that the Westin St Francis works hard to accommodate group budgets. Not only that, unlike many hotel sales staff, I didn't have to wait to receive the offer. Even after the offer was accepted, if I contacted her, she would respond. Many times, after the contract is signed, the sales person moves on. I had an event manager that was assigned to Alyson Roman. She made managing and preparing for my group so easy and stress free. Now for the rest of the team at the hotel, these people really left me no choice but to write and share my review. I am not sure who to thank first so I will start with the director of event management Phirum Men or as she calls herself P. She was so quick to help straighten out a miscommunication between me and my group regarding meal vouchers. The mistake/miscommunication was 100% my fault so the fact that she went above and beyond to help me resolve the matter was amazing. I mean it, she went above and beyond. And she had a team of people that went out of their way to help me and my group. They all deserve to be recognized and I hope Marriott knows how special this team of people are. I want to thank Micheal Martin from the Westin from the event department as well, he also went above and beyond to help. Aida T. Manlangit works for Westin in the billing department, she was quick to respond and she also helped us manage our group.​ Mary Fontes​ was another Westin team member that went above and beyond and she deserves recognition. I am sure that there are a couple other team members that I am forgetting. This is what I want anyone looking for a nice hotel in San Francisco to take away from my review. Whether you need a room block with or without meeting space or you are traveling by yourself, this is the hotel you should choose. I have been hosting/organizing events for almost 20 years, and it is rare that you find a hotel that works so well as a team, all rowing in the same direction. This Marriott property really has set itself apart. I haven't mentioned all of the amazing perks of this hotel, the quality of rooms, dining, location, etc.. This is the only hotel that I plan to reach out to for future trips to San Fran.

T​o P and the rest of the team, you guys are amazing and I can not thank...

I stayed here the night after I proposed to my girlfriend of 7 years. It was a very special day, and the surprise of staying in the Westin as we pulled up made her cry. When we went in, the lobby was decorated with flowers and thus was absolutely beautiful. I had my credit card upgrade the room, and the 30th floor view was incredible. However, this is where the experience went downhill. Before we had gone up, I had asked the front desk person how the credits with my credit card worked and they responded in an almost annoyed tone(my fiance later told me this, so it wasn't just me thinking that). After getting settled, my financé was noticing strong allergies. I went downstairs to ask someone for recommendations for something, and when I came back up, one of her eyes were bloodshot red and her allergies were a mess. I then went to ask the front desk to move our rooms as I believed this was the issue. Additionally, I had brought up to this person that I had called ahead to have them do something special which someone had told me they would put champagne out and other special touches. After about 30 minutes of them in a back room talking to someone about this, they gave us a new room and a free breakfast (to make up for dropping the ball on the personal touches to celebrate the engagement which I'm pretty sure my credit card covered breakfast anyways). The breakfast made up for having to wait around for so long when I was just so tired and wanted to go to sleep, but it doesn't make up for dropping the ball on such an important day in someone's life when something was over-promised and under-delivered. Once we got another room, we went out for a late night dinner where my fiance had instant relief in her allergies after leaving the hotel. Coming back to the new room later, her allergies started again, although not quite as bad as before. I was so stressed that my fiance didn't feel like she had a good time. To me it was not just that the hotel wasn't as nice as I'd expected since it was super outdated and dusty, but it was that all the finishing touches that would have made a huge difference weren't there. It felt the same if not, worse than many of the Double Trees or similar level hotels I've stayed in. I promise I have been in much nicer hotels that cost 1/3 the price, and it was stressful that I had spent good money on a bad experience. No free breakfast can make up for losing out on a great proposal trip experience with a stress-free night of rest, relaxation, and luxury that I...