The Westin St. Francis

The Westin St. Francis occupies the west side of Union Square at 335 Powell Street in San Francisco, California, in the middle of the city's main shopping and theater district. The Powell Street cable car line runs directly outside, the Powell Street BART and Muni station is a short walk downhill toward Market Street, and Chinatown, the Financial District and the Theater District are all within roughly fifteen minutes on foot. The hotel dates to 1904 and has been a fixture of the city's social life ever since, surviving the 1906 earthquake and fire and being rebuilt soon afterward. Today it combines the ornate historic main building, with its high-ceilinged lobby and grand public rooms, with a later glass-fronted tower whose upper floors offer wider views over the square and the bay. With more than a thousand rooms, it is one of the largest hotels in the downtown core. Accommodation ranges from Deluxe King rooms and Double Queen rooms to suites, with the tower rooms generally higher and brighter and the historic-wing rooms more traditional in character. Amenities listed for the property include a restaurant, a bar, a fitness centre, a spa, a concierge desk and free Wi-Fi. Dining on site centres on the lobby-level restaurant and bar, which serve breakfast, lunch and dinner and cater to guests who prefer not to leave the building after a day of sightseeing or a conference. The spa and fitness facilities give business and leisure travellers a place to unwind without leaving Union Square. Service is geared to a mix of leisure visitors, groups and corporate travellers, with a concierge able to arrange theater tickets, restaurant reservations and day trips to Alcatraz, Muir Woods and the wine country. Nightly rates typically fall between about $250 and $600 depending on season and room category, with convention weeks and summer weekends at the top of that range. The hotel suits visitors who want a historic landmark address with a central, walkable location, easy access to cable cars and public transport, and the full range of services expected from a large full-service hotel in downtown San Francisco.