The Clift Royal Sonesta Hotel

I stayed here for 3 nights and while the room was in good shape and there were no glaring issues with the hotel itself, I would probably never stay here again purely because of the location and for the less-than-stellar upgrade I was given at check in. This property is essentially within the boundaries of the tenderloin district in SF, which means you're going to be encountering people and situations that might not be pleasant or familiar. If you happen to stumble a few blocks west of the hotel then you'll be right in the middle of the some of worst parts of San Francisco. Just be cognizant of that when booking. As for the upgrade portion, I booked a standard room as part of AMEX's hotel collection and was offered an upgrade to a corner suite. However, that corner suite--while larger--looked out into a wall in one direction and a parking garage in the other. The room also wasn't very high up. It was also right next to the service elevator shaft, so there was constant noise coming in through the walls. Also, I'm sad to report that like most modern and/or upgraded hotels, the walls here are paper thin.

4 out of 5 This is definitely an excellent four star boutique hotel with exemplary service and decent amenities. There are special benefits for AMEX Platinum card holders that I did take advantage of, such as upgraded room and even further upgrades at 50% off. Our Junior Suite fit just well for 3 days although I am not sure how the regular room sizes would feel. If you're just sleeping here, it should not be too bad. The rooms themselves are very clean, and styled very nicely. There is only one restaurant bar (The Redwood Room) and a coffee/breakfast place (closes at 11 AM on weekdays and 12 on weekends). The Redwood Room is styled to be high end with high ceilings dim lights and very cool bar light refraction. For the most part, it is severely overpriced. Although truth be told, drinks were amazing but at $20 a drink and over, that's rooftop bar prices, not dimly lit ambience. The lobby is much smaller than the promotional videos and ads for this hotel make it look. We didn't book it to hang out in the lobby but the photos almost made us want to! The reality was different as we realized this is a smaller boutique hotel which has its pluses, namely in exemplary service. The real reason it's a 4 and not a 5 - Location. Yes, it's close to everything. It's literally. a block away from one of the City's worst neighborhoods, The Tenderloin. So be aware, the area can be a little rough around the edges. If you follow the instructions of the door man and always make a right when you walk out the doors, you will be just fine. Don't go left.

I had such a pleasant experience and the staff was a delight, everyone was amazing and the room was very clean and comfortable. Easy to walk to all near by places and close to public transportation. I will be staying here again. The bar was a major plus.

The hotel very clean from lobby to room spotless. Abut the staff is like they are one, every one was so helpful, the front desk, maids, doorman and every other staff member you ran across. I'm a picky SOB and belive my reviewers reflect the service I get. The Clift @ San Francisco gets 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ in my book

Do not stay here, not worth it for the price. Hotel staff not welcoming at all and will not go out of their way to help. The room was very hot and did not get below 72 all night. The door to the room is not sealed properly on bottom so a lot of outside light gets in through bottom. Noise is another issue all night. Room service also terrible, ordered a soda and it took 40 minutes to come. For paying close to 500 dollars a night you would expect some comp on parking.