Priceline Hotel: 4* San Francisco (USW-Nob Hill) Hilton San Francisco

[jcoop]

My wife and I will be spending 4 nights in San Francisco, from 08/29-09/02. We're looking to book a 4 star hotel on priceline, but I'm having trouble deciding on which area to choose, and by extension, which hotels we want to be going for. It seems that USW, USE and SOMA seem to be the best options, but there seem to be at least 6 hotels that come up regularly in those areas.

If it makes a difference, we're both in our late 20's and love to walk (we'll be ditching the rental car soon after arriving in town). Neither of us have been to SF before so we'll be hitting the usual touristy sites, but would also like to try some nice bars and restaurants. Generally it's most important that the room is clean and well kept, and prefer something historic or modern to a regular 'boring' hotel. We liked the look of the Palomar Hotel, but the Palace didn't look nearly as nice so I was hesitant to try for SOMA.

Can anyone give me some advice on which area or hotel we should be aiming for?

Thanks

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

If you intend to you use PRICELINE i think you're going about this in the wrong manner... you shouldn't be trying to "aim" for any particular hotel as there is no way to bid for a specific one and you need to be willing to accept any hotel (at the minimum star rating or higher that you select) in the zone that you choose. You should focus more on the zone(s) that you'll be happy with the location, then make sure that the hotels already reported in that zone are acceptable to you (keeping in mind that the hotel lists are only a compilation of properties reported to the board, and you could receive a hotel not yet reported to the board)

If you're more interested targeting a paritcular property, HOTWIRE may be a better option as you can often identify the property before your purchase based upon the amenities shown to be associated with the hotel. The trade-off is that HOTWIRE usually costs a little more than PRICELINE.

Please use these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links to begin your travel purchases.

Let us know how you'd like to proceed and we'll advise accordingly.

[slruud]

Don't ignore the Embarcadero area. Two of the best hotels, Le Meridien and the Omni are in this zone, and it is walking accessible to North Beach and China Town. HOTWIRE currently has what appears to be Le Meridien for $99/nite.

Don't forget the Muni pass, which can be purchased for 1,3,or 7 days and allows unlimited use of city busses, cable cars, F-line trolleys. A 3 day pass goes for $18/person. We usually pay for it the first couple hours we are there, seeing as a single cable car ride is $5 a pop.

My recommendation for the best seafood restaurant is Tadich Grill on California, and Tosca is a decent bar in Norh Beach.

Good luck.

[Gallus50]

I agree with slruud. I also only typically recommend SOMA if someone is seriously interested in clubs, a convention or baseball. It sounds like you might not be interested in touristy Fishermans Wharf, though it is also close to North Beach and Chinatown.

If that HOTWIRE hotel is the Le Meridien for $99, that is a very good deal....

[jcoop]

It's not so much that I'm aiming for a particular hotel, but the choices available could dictate the area I bid on as there seem to be only 2 per area that seem to come up regularly.

It was hard to differentiate between different areas, since it seems that most of the hotels we were looking at are all pretty good and are a short walk from each other (with the exception of the Embarcadero). We are going to be doing touristy stuff, but PRICELINE lumps the Financial District and Embarcadero together.

[slruud]

The 4 hotels that come up in the Embarcadero/Financial District zone...Omni, Le Meridien, Hilton Financial District, and the Hyatt Embarcadero are fairly close together. I usually pick this area over USW/Nob Hill to avoid the Westin Saint Francis.I'm not a fan of the place. The Marriott, Westin Market, and Intercontinental are all far superior to the St. Francis. That being said, we'll be staying at the Omni this weekend, and Le Meridien next month. Good luck.

[Rodrigging]

One dinner suggestion.

If you like sushi, do not miss "Ace Wasabi, Rock n Roll Sushi" in the Marina District.

Their food is off the charts and reasonably priced. A bonus is there are a half dozen or so nice little neighborhood watering holes in the area as well.

It's a bit of a hike but you can walk there fro Fishermans Warf

[trippie]

You liked the Palomar but didn't think the Palace looked that nice? Just curious what you were looking at the Palace on? The Palace is a gorgeous hotel. Take a look at this link, http://www.sfpalace.com/Dining

I almost bid in SOMA just on the chance I might get the Palace.

FYI Slruud, The Westin St Francis is in USE not USW Nob Hill.

[slruud]

FYI Slruud, The Westin St Francis is in USE not USW Nob Hill.

My mistake, but still not a decent win via PRICELINE. Other properties are much nicer. Not sure what the fascination is with the Union Square area is....too busy and bustling for me.

[jcoop]

You liked the Palomar but didn't think the Palace looked that nice? Just curious what you were looking at the Palace on? The Palace is a gorgeous hotel. Take a look at this link, http://www.sfpalace.com/Dining

I almost bid in SOMA just on the chance I might get the Palace.

FYI Slruud, The Westin St Francis is in USE not USW Nob Hill.

I was looking at some photos on tripadvisor, and the rooms looked pretty tired - old old, not classy old.

[jcoop]

We ended up getting the San Francisco Hilton at $65 a night. We were happy to get such a great deal!

[Gallus50]

That price for that time of year is outstanding. You got that thru PRICELINE bidding, yes? Well done.

[thereuare]

Thanks for 'closing' this thread with your results.

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.

Please remember to follow-up your threads with whatever you end up doing for the stay, even if you choose to book direct, cancel your trip, etc.