Hotwire Hotel: 2 new Embarcadero listings?

[mhiggins]

I'm trying to identify 2 hotels listed in the Embarcadero area for a 3/19 stay:

1 - 3.5 star, Restaurant(s), Fitness Center, High-Speed Internet Access, Business Center, Laundry Facilities (self-service) - $82

2 - 3 star, Restaurant(s), Pool(s), Fitness Center, Spa Services, Business Center, Laundry Facilities (self-service) - $75

I can't see any reference that looks similar... any help?

Thanks in advance.

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

The above hotels have not yet been identified, but guesses are:

3.5* Club Quarters

3* Hotel 750

After doing more research i have a bit more confidence in the Club Quarters call, but the other is truly a best guess.

Should you move forward with either let us know how it goes and please use THIS LINK to begin your purchase.

[mhiggins]

Hmmm.

I can get the Club Quarters off Expedia for $80 that night....

[thereuare]

You mean Expedia?

[BEAV]

I agree the 3.5 is Club Quarters.

As to the 3 star, are you referring to the Holiday Inn Select Downtown & Spa. which is at 750 Kearny? If so, I agree as well.

Off topic, but a brand new hotel opened today in the Embarcadero zone. Hotel Vitale. It's part of the Joie de Vivre group which sells other SF and South Bay hotels on Hotwire. I'm keeping my eyes pealed we'll see this property soon on Hotwire.

[thereuare]

Yes, that was the one i was refering to.

[BEAV]

I see Expedia sells it as the Hotel 750 as you posted. Did Holiday Inn sell the property ???

[thereuare]

I'm finding a lot of hotels with slightly different name variations. I don't think the HI sold the property as then they wouldn't still have it on their website.

[BEAV]

From today's SF Chronicle:

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file...BUGN2BQE9L1.DTL

The towering Holiday Inn Downtown will close on June 1 for a six- month, $27 million renovation and will be reflagged as a Hilton hotel when it reopens at the end of this year.

The 27-story building, opened in 1970 at 750 Kearny St., will raise its daily room rates and expand its meeting space, chiefly to appeal to business travelers, according to Randall King, regional director of operations for Dow Hotel Co. of Seattle, which manages the property.

When it was announced late last year, the company said the hotel would remain open with minimal disruption to guests. But it was not to be.

"We tried every which way to keep the hotel open,'' King said, "but we have asbestos abatement issues. We would have had no restaurant and no meeting spaces (during the makeover), so we decided we had to temporarily close the property.''

The 565-room hotel, which charges an average $129 per night as a Holiday Inn, will charge $229 as a Hilton. The hotel will be renamed the Hilton San Francisco Financial District.

"Holiday Inn is a good brand, but this market where we're at, in the San Francisco Financial District, is demanding a more upscale brand,'' King said. "We have been getting low- to midrange managers. We want to cater to mid- to top-tier managers. We will be a four-star, four-diamond, state-of-the-art facility.''

The hotel, which houses the Chinese Cultural Center, will continue to host the center when it reopens, King said.

The center, which will close during the renovation, will re-emerge with the same 20,000-square foot space and include a new, 299-seat auditorium, a 2, 935-square foot gallery, a bookshop, a classroom and offices, he said.

During the renovation, the adjacent park and portions of the bridge that leads to it from the hotel will remain open.

The Portsmouth Square property was not one of the 14 hotels affected by the recent San Francisco hotel strike and lockout, though its workers are represented by Unite Here Local 2. King said the hotel will try to retain as many of its staff as possible and will provide counseling, placement and retraining for workers.

"We want to make this as painless as possible,'' King said.

When the hotel reopens, "It's going to be a fun place again,'' he said. "It just got old.''

The oft-photographed hotel has been a local landmark of sorts since it opened 35 years ago and was seen in the Clint Eastwood film "Dirty Harry.''

Once it reopens as a Hilton, and assuming they'll participate w/Priceline, it will be a sad day for those of us who try to avoid Hiltons! If rated 4 stars by Priceline, it will now mean Hilton properties in both USE and USW zones. Up until now, you could avoid Hiltons by booking the USE zone. The only saving grace would be if it's rated 3 stars. Time will tell!

[butterhouse]

I would like to confirm that the first hotel in question (3.5*, fitness center, restaurant, laundry, high speed internet, etc.) is, in fact, Club Quarters. I just booked with them for Friday, May 20 through Sunday May 22 for $99 per night.

I found this message board very helpful. Thanks.

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

Please post the details of your win as a NEW TOPIC so that it has its own thread and other users will be able to see it by scanning the topic titles.

Thank you.