I live in hotels with all the travel I do for work. I do look at reviews typically before staying at a new location. This hotel is a little misrepresented in the reviews it has received. It is a Hilton property, and it is in downtown San Francisco right next to Union Square ( restaurants, shopping, tourism). It is an old building that has been updated. It's important to understand that. It can be noisy, you're in downtown San Francisco (sirens, cable cars, bars) all outside your windows (remember, old building). I found the restaurant and bar to be great. They had live music and it was very clean. The staff were very helpful and attentive. It is very conveniently located but I will warn you now, IT IS AN OLD BUILDING. I thought it was pretty cool to be honest. The floors have creeks and bumps, the doors are old, there are random stairs on different floors, but again. I thought it was cool.
Mark Sobell
Just went to the bar -- I do not drink but the have great food. Try the hamburger!
Ash S.
Wow... I read the poor reviews but the photos on the website seemed nice that I gave it a try this weekend. Don't make the same mistake! The lobby seems decent when you walk in. But it goes downhill from there! Check in was fine- I was a little early so my room wasn't ready. I accepted an alternative room on the second floor. The hall way is a little grungy but not surprised given its a older hotel. Doesn't seem like almost a $300/night kind of hotel but I decided to keep on walking on to my room. It overlooked a busy street- you can hear everything! And the street lamps shine in but the blinds did a decent job of blocking the light. The room is relatively dark and not well lit. The door is heavy and slams behind you- you would assume the loud bang means the door has closed. Unfortunately, as I found out after coming back later in the day, it does not. I initially thought someone had broken into the room but then realized the door doesn't close properly and you have to shove it even more after the loud bang to get it to lock. I had gotten a late dinner and brought most of the food back since the room had a refrigerator. The refrigerator felt a little warm when I opened it but the setting was set to low. Set the setting to high, put the food in and went to sleep. When I woke up the next morning, the room smelled like bad Thai food. Checked the fridge- it clearly wasn't working. Tossed 30$ worth of food because of this. Went to call the room to confirm my late check out- the room phone wasn't working. Seemed on par for the quality of the room. The bathtub was dirty. Took about 20 min of running the water on hot before luke warm water came through- not an acceptable experience. The bathroom was otherwise clean though. I tried the breakfast there. For $18.99, you would think there would be some hot items. Nope. It is a continental breakfast with expired yogurt (said Sept 2023), cold cereal, cut fruit, and bagels. For the coffee, you have to walk back to the front desk to get the generic self serve coffee. All in all, the guy at the front desk was nice when I complained. He offered me 10,000 points- which I said was inadequate give the lack of cleanliness, potential safety issue, broken refrigerator and phone. Since I had prepaid for my room, he could not offer me anything else. He said he would convey my concerns to a manager who would contact me via phone or email since it was a Sunday and no manager was on site. Monday rolls around- I get an email from customer service saying issue was resolved. Excuse me? I responded saying I had never heard from the hotel- corporate responses saying hotel told them issue was resolved. Seems like they believe their hotel over customers. They could easily check documentation to see an email or phone call was never made to me. I don't understand how you can resolve an issue without actually talking to the customer like promises. This hotel is consistent with a days inn and NOT a Hilton tapestry collection. Actually a days inn is probably safer since you know their doors lock and the same breakfast is offered complimentary. By even making this comparison, I feel like I'm insulting the days inn since this hotel is probably inferior to it for the quality it delivers at the price point it charges. For $300/night, GO SOMEWHERE ELSE!
Jerome O.
As we entered our room, we noticed the floors were uneven and creaking but we just ignored it. The bathroom door doesn't close all the way and pops open even if you lock it. The AC wasn't working properly, it wouldn't turn on and so we called the front desk. They said they were gonna send someone from maintenance to fix it, however, it was a security guard who came by. He said the hotel sometimes requests to have him do maintenance stuff. He gave us a remote for the AC, which the room didn't have in the first place. The AC would turn on for about 2 minutes and then off, then back on again. Ultimately, we had to turn off the AC because it sounded like a busted car engine. We slept with just the fan on. The next morning, the room lost power completely. Called the front desk about it and they didn't offer any explanation as to why the power went out. I asked if it is possible to move us to a different room, but nothing was confirmed. They just said they were gonna send someone up to check on the power. 30mins later we called again as we were still waiting for the maintenance guy and for an update. We were getting ready in the dark, not to mention it was also getting hot inside the room. Our plans to go out have been delayed due to this. My partner called again to follow-up as we did not know what to do next. She was met with a rude response along the lines of, "we can't make the housekeepers clean the room faster just because another client needs to change rooms", instead of an apology or by simply saying "we are working on getting you another room, thank you for your patience". We just wanted a status update - if they were still gonna send a maintenance guy or if we are changing rooms. They ended up giving us a new room, which was better than the previous one. We love staying at Hilton Hotels and it's a shame that this one was a major disappointment. The amenities were okay but customer service could be WAY better.
Alison W.
Review for Bar Lounge - was trying to find somewhere to watch the 49s game and get a quick drink, but most sports bars were super crowded. Randomly found this bar/lounge which was playing the game and had plenty of bar and table seating. Friendly bar tender and great drinks. Good food selection as well. Quiet little spot where there were people reading and sitting alone. A great spot if you're looking for somewhere near Union Square to grab a quick bite and drink.
Christopher V.
This hotel is located in what some might call the 'URBAN BLIGHT' section of San Francisco. But the hotel itself is largely a 'throwback' property where rooms are small, hot water (and water pressure in general) is in short supply, and breakfasts are uninspiring and expensive. Maybe this is the way San Francisco is now, which is deserving of the new reputation it is getting. Convention traffic is its forté, unsurprisingly, which allows the property to do little with what it has.
Barbara C.
This Hotel is Located in a Perfect spot, But it really doesn't look like a hotel place we went to the Starbucks at the corner, they said everyone comes in looking for the Hotel, we had our Reservations a Deluxe Two Queen Size Beds when I check in they had all ready gave our room away OMG they put US in two separate rooms far apart from each other! I was so disappointed immediately so the Guy gave us Compliments Breakfast for Breakfast and said they will try to fix the problem tomorrow, But he wasn't going to be in lol the morning I went down to talk to someone in charge " no one was " the manager or so called in charge But this one person said ok let me check, I told her the problem she seemed to get US in a Room together we we're happy Once again, the Room was so small at this point I just didn't care we were together!! We had lots to do and see it was my Birthday " the rooms and Beds were clean and the was comfortable. The Lobby was nice and very nice Bar / Restaurant . Sunday woke up to a Fire Alarm Every one had to evacuate OMG !!! We stud out side for about 30 minutes
Lily M.
When booking this hotel I had very low expectations reading some of the reviews, but decided to book anyway since the hotel seemed to be located at a convenient location. We arrived to The Barnes at around 9am, since we had a very early flight. We were greeted by Christine at the front desk, who was one of the nicest people I have ever met. Christine checked us in early, since our room was ready and we were able to drop off our belongings before heading out to explore. Our room was spacious with comfortable beds and a private cozy bathroom. The room didn't have much of a view, but it was a quiet and we couldn't hear any street noise. The hotel is conveniently located in Union Square walks away from all public transportation stations, with cable cars that go up and down Powell street. Checking out was also a breeze. We were able to do a late 1pm check out and our luggage was kept safe, so we could explore some more since we had a late flight. I loved staying at this hotel. Their customer service is above and beyond. If you are visiting San Francisco you need to stay here! You will not be disappointed. I know I said this already but.... Christine is the best!!!!
Annette F.
If you get one of the larger rooms, it might be okay. But many of the rooms are small and face brick walls. And the windows on my small room with a view of another building were dirty too. The air conditioning sounded like a bus engine. Since this was SF, I didn't really need AC thank goodness. As others have mentioned, the lobby is done nicely but once you get to the creaking hallways, the building has a musty, unpleasant vibe., My queen room was way too small. Also, be careful about the breakfast buffet. I thought it was complimentary, but unless you're a Gold or Diamond member, it's $20 (that $20 covers a Continental breakfast), Wasn't told that until after I ate.
This hotel is a HOT MESS. The only thing "4 stars" about it is the location, lobby decor, and bed. 1) Customer service/concierge has NO CLUE what they're doing . First they had my reservation wrong at check-in. They overcharged my credit card by $700+. Then when I called to fix the issue, they couldn't find my booking. 2) Interior is OLD (as in not cared for). They just painted over it. Shutters were broken. 3) Cleanliness -- we arrived at our room with a sink full of water, broken fridge, and outlets not working. 4) WiFi wasn't working the first night we arrived. WORST HILTON I've ever stayed at. This hotel is only 1 step above a Motel 6. I expected WAY better for its price.
Laura B.
Loved staying here. Great location & surprisingly good food. We will be back for sure.
Bas Morsink
Location is awesome!The room was ok, some off the staff needs more training.Breakfast was simple, but very good.Walkability: Close to everything. Loved the location.
Service: 3
lesley barkley
Location is excellent. Hotel has changed it name ! Everything is very expensive. Glass rose $18, breakfast $20 plus tax. Much better breakfast & cheaper at Sears fine food 2 mins awayFood & drinks: Very expensiveNoteworthy details: There is no atmosphere. The hotel is soleless
Service: 3
Marilu F.
Honestly I'm a fan. Any hotel whose bed gets me to sleep like a baby and keep thinking about it time after gets my vote. Seriously speaking, I hit the bed like Britney oopsed in her Oops, I Did It Again song. Fast, hard, and hello snooze! Repeat this for three nights and I may as well get married to this bed. Ahem, the bed aside, this was in Union Square and conveniently located close to a parking garage, which we used for our rental car, plus it was walking distance from the cable cars and anything else touristy. Breakfast is not included, but we chose to add it on our last day as it was convenient and I had a super early flight. Breakfast was buffet style and I had a pretty yummy quiche, some fruit salad, and of course coffee along with a chocolate pastry. I only wish the food had been hotter, but eh, I'm lucky they had this option to begin with.
Very covinient location, and friendly.
Service: 5
I live in hotels with all the travel I do for work. I do look at reviews typically before staying at a new location. This hotel is a little misrepresented in the reviews it has received. It is a Hilton property, and it is in downtown San Francisco right next to Union Square ( restaurants, shopping, tourism). It is an old building that has been updated. It's important to understand that. It can be noisy, you're in downtown San Francisco (sirens, cable cars, bars) all outside your windows (remember, old building). I found the restaurant and bar to be great. They had live music and it was very clean. The staff were very helpful and attentive. It is very conveniently located but I will warn you now, IT IS AN OLD BUILDING. I thought it was pretty cool to be honest. The floors have creeks and bumps, the doors are old, there are random stairs on different floors, but again. I thought it was cool.
Just went to the bar -- I do not drink but the have great food. Try the hamburger!
Wow... I read the poor reviews but the photos on the website seemed nice that I gave it a try this weekend. Don't make the same mistake! The lobby seems decent when you walk in. But it goes downhill from there! Check in was fine- I was a little early so my room wasn't ready. I accepted an alternative room on the second floor. The hall way is a little grungy but not surprised given its a older hotel. Doesn't seem like almost a $300/night kind of hotel but I decided to keep on walking on to my room. It overlooked a busy street- you can hear everything! And the street lamps shine in but the blinds did a decent job of blocking the light. The room is relatively dark and not well lit. The door is heavy and slams behind you- you would assume the loud bang means the door has closed. Unfortunately, as I found out after coming back later in the day, it does not. I initially thought someone had broken into the room but then realized the door doesn't close properly and you have to shove it even more after the loud bang to get it to lock. I had gotten a late dinner and brought most of the food back since the room had a refrigerator. The refrigerator felt a little warm when I opened it but the setting was set to low. Set the setting to high, put the food in and went to sleep. When I woke up the next morning, the room smelled like bad Thai food. Checked the fridge- it clearly wasn't working. Tossed 30$ worth of food because of this. Went to call the room to confirm my late check out- the room phone wasn't working. Seemed on par for the quality of the room. The bathtub was dirty. Took about 20 min of running the water on hot before luke warm water came through- not an acceptable experience. The bathroom was otherwise clean though. I tried the breakfast there. For $18.99, you would think there would be some hot items. Nope. It is a continental breakfast with expired yogurt (said Sept 2023), cold cereal, cut fruit, and bagels. For the coffee, you have to walk back to the front desk to get the generic self serve coffee. All in all, the guy at the front desk was nice when I complained. He offered me 10,000 points- which I said was inadequate give the lack of cleanliness, potential safety issue, broken refrigerator and phone. Since I had prepaid for my room, he could not offer me anything else. He said he would convey my concerns to a manager who would contact me via phone or email since it was a Sunday and no manager was on site. Monday rolls around- I get an email from customer service saying issue was resolved. Excuse me? I responded saying I had never heard from the hotel- corporate responses saying hotel told them issue was resolved. Seems like they believe their hotel over customers. They could easily check documentation to see an email or phone call was never made to me. I don't understand how you can resolve an issue without actually talking to the customer like promises. This hotel is consistent with a days inn and NOT a Hilton tapestry collection. Actually a days inn is probably safer since you know their doors lock and the same breakfast is offered complimentary. By even making this comparison, I feel like I'm insulting the days inn since this hotel is probably inferior to it for the quality it delivers at the price point it charges. For $300/night, GO SOMEWHERE ELSE!
As we entered our room, we noticed the floors were uneven and creaking but we just ignored it. The bathroom door doesn't close all the way and pops open even if you lock it. The AC wasn't working properly, it wouldn't turn on and so we called the front desk. They said they were gonna send someone from maintenance to fix it, however, it was a security guard who came by. He said the hotel sometimes requests to have him do maintenance stuff. He gave us a remote for the AC, which the room didn't have in the first place. The AC would turn on for about 2 minutes and then off, then back on again. Ultimately, we had to turn off the AC because it sounded like a busted car engine. We slept with just the fan on. The next morning, the room lost power completely. Called the front desk about it and they didn't offer any explanation as to why the power went out. I asked if it is possible to move us to a different room, but nothing was confirmed. They just said they were gonna send someone up to check on the power. 30mins later we called again as we were still waiting for the maintenance guy and for an update. We were getting ready in the dark, not to mention it was also getting hot inside the room. Our plans to go out have been delayed due to this. My partner called again to follow-up as we did not know what to do next. She was met with a rude response along the lines of, "we can't make the housekeepers clean the room faster just because another client needs to change rooms", instead of an apology or by simply saying "we are working on getting you another room, thank you for your patience". We just wanted a status update - if they were still gonna send a maintenance guy or if we are changing rooms. They ended up giving us a new room, which was better than the previous one. We love staying at Hilton Hotels and it's a shame that this one was a major disappointment. The amenities were okay but customer service could be WAY better.
Review for Bar Lounge - was trying to find somewhere to watch the 49s game and get a quick drink, but most sports bars were super crowded. Randomly found this bar/lounge which was playing the game and had plenty of bar and table seating. Friendly bar tender and great drinks. Good food selection as well. Quiet little spot where there were people reading and sitting alone. A great spot if you're looking for somewhere near Union Square to grab a quick bite and drink.
This hotel is located in what some might call the 'URBAN BLIGHT' section of San Francisco. But the hotel itself is largely a 'throwback' property where rooms are small, hot water (and water pressure in general) is in short supply, and breakfasts are uninspiring and expensive. Maybe this is the way San Francisco is now, which is deserving of the new reputation it is getting. Convention traffic is its forté, unsurprisingly, which allows the property to do little with what it has.
This Hotel is Located in a Perfect spot, But it really doesn't look like a hotel place we went to the Starbucks at the corner, they said everyone comes in looking for the Hotel, we had our Reservations a Deluxe Two Queen Size Beds when I check in they had all ready gave our room away OMG they put US in two separate rooms far apart from each other! I was so disappointed immediately so the Guy gave us Compliments Breakfast for Breakfast and said they will try to fix the problem tomorrow, But he wasn't going to be in lol the morning I went down to talk to someone in charge " no one was " the manager or so called in charge But this one person said ok let me check, I told her the problem she seemed to get US in a Room together we we're happy Once again, the Room was so small at this point I just didn't care we were together!! We had lots to do and see it was my Birthday " the rooms and Beds were clean and the was comfortable. The Lobby was nice and very nice Bar / Restaurant . Sunday woke up to a Fire Alarm Every one had to evacuate OMG !!! We stud out side for about 30 minutes
When booking this hotel I had very low expectations reading some of the reviews, but decided to book anyway since the hotel seemed to be located at a convenient location. We arrived to The Barnes at around 9am, since we had a very early flight. We were greeted by Christine at the front desk, who was one of the nicest people I have ever met. Christine checked us in early, since our room was ready and we were able to drop off our belongings before heading out to explore. Our room was spacious with comfortable beds and a private cozy bathroom. The room didn't have much of a view, but it was a quiet and we couldn't hear any street noise. The hotel is conveniently located in Union Square walks away from all public transportation stations, with cable cars that go up and down Powell street. Checking out was also a breeze. We were able to do a late 1pm check out and our luggage was kept safe, so we could explore some more since we had a late flight. I loved staying at this hotel. Their customer service is above and beyond. If you are visiting San Francisco you need to stay here! You will not be disappointed. I know I said this already but.... Christine is the best!!!!
If you get one of the larger rooms, it might be okay. But many of the rooms are small and face brick walls. And the windows on my small room with a view of another building were dirty too. The air conditioning sounded like a bus engine. Since this was SF, I didn't really need AC thank goodness. As others have mentioned, the lobby is done nicely but once you get to the creaking hallways, the building has a musty, unpleasant vibe., My queen room was way too small. Also, be careful about the breakfast buffet. I thought it was complimentary, but unless you're a Gold or Diamond member, it's $20 (that $20 covers a Continental breakfast), Wasn't told that until after I ate.
Restaurantji Recommends
This hotel is a HOT MESS. The only thing "4 stars" about it is the location, lobby decor, and bed. 1) Customer service/concierge has NO CLUE what they're doing . First they had my reservation wrong at check-in. They overcharged my credit card by $700+. Then when I called to fix the issue, they couldn't find my booking. 2) Interior is OLD (as in not cared for). They just painted over it. Shutters were broken. 3) Cleanliness -- we arrived at our room with a sink full of water, broken fridge, and outlets not working. 4) WiFi wasn't working the first night we arrived. WORST HILTON I've ever stayed at. This hotel is only 1 step above a Motel 6. I expected WAY better for its price.
Loved staying here. Great location & surprisingly good food. We will be back for sure.
Location is awesome!The room was ok, some off the staff needs more training.Breakfast was simple, but very good.Walkability: Close to everything. Loved the location.
Service: 3
Location is excellent. Hotel has changed it name ! Everything is very expensive. Glass rose $18, breakfast $20 plus tax. Much better breakfast & cheaper at Sears fine food 2 mins awayFood & drinks: Very expensiveNoteworthy details: There is no atmosphere. The hotel is soleless
Service: 3
Honestly I'm a fan. Any hotel whose bed gets me to sleep like a baby and keep thinking about it time after gets my vote. Seriously speaking, I hit the bed like Britney oopsed in her Oops, I Did It Again song. Fast, hard, and hello snooze! Repeat this for three nights and I may as well get married to this bed. Ahem, the bed aside, this was in Union Square and conveniently located close to a parking garage, which we used for our rental car, plus it was walking distance from the cable cars and anything else touristy. Breakfast is not included, but we chose to add it on our last day as it was convenient and I had a super early flight. Breakfast was buffet style and I had a pretty yummy quiche, some fruit salad, and of course coffee along with a chocolate pastry. I only wish the food had been hotter, but eh, I'm lucky they had this option to begin with.