Hotel Stratford San Francisco

The Hotel Stratford is a freshly renovated boutique hotel in a historic building, in a super central spot in San Francisco. It is only one and a half blocks from where the cable cars start on Powell Street, and they run right past the door. The check-in was quick, the shower had real water pressure, and there were plenty of fluffy towels. I booked three single nights here, and I would do it again, even though you hear the city in the room.

Quick verdict: A newly done-up boutique hotel in a historic building, close to the Powell Street cable car, with a quick check-in, a good shower, fluffy towels and welcome drinks at a bar around the corner. The old lift is tiny and slow, and the city and the cable cars are audible in the room. JCI Score 3.1 out of 5.

Location

Accor has few hotels in the United States, much fewer than in Asia, so it is not easy to find one in San Francisco. There is a Fairmont, but my pocket money did not quite stretch that far. That is why I went to the Stratford.

The hotel is one and a half blocks from the start of the cable cars on Powell Street. The cable cars run right in front of the door, and that is part of the sound of San Francisco: you hear the cable cars, and you hear the humming of the cable that drives them in the track under the street. You hear it everywhere in this part of town.

The hotel is super central. From here you can do everything you want to do or see in San Francisco. I walked along Market Street to the Ferry Building, I walked to Chinatown, which is not far either, and I rode the cable car. I took the ferry to Alcatraz, which was very beautiful, and you are very close to Fisherman's Wharf. One thing to keep in mind in San Francisco: an attraction that looks very close around the corner can be very far away because of the real steepness of the hills. Do not make yourself any illusions.

Getting There & First Impression

I came from San Francisco International Airport by BART, the rapid transit train, and went straight to Powell Street Station. I think it takes about half an hour. It is the fastest and the safest way to get to downtown San Francisco, and I can recommend it very much. It is the best option by far. You also get a bit of James Bond feeling, because the BART train really makes you feel like you are in a James Bond film.

The hotel is a historic building with a classic San Francisco facade and fire escapes on the outside. It is a boutique hotel and part of the Handwritten Collection, and it has been done up very freshly inside. At night, the Powell Street tracks and the lights of the neighbouring signs make for a lively picture in front of the hotel.

Check-In & Loyalty Experience

I arrived at the check-in downstairs, and everything was already prepared. It went very fast. The friendliness was very American. Then I took the lift to my room. The lift is very small and very slow.

The welcome drink is not served in the hotel itself but in a bar of a neighbouring hotel, around the corner, I think two blocks away. I enjoyed it every time. It was a very pleasant bar with a small menu just for the welcome drinks, and they were really small cocktails. It was great.

As a Gold member, I also got a special free welcome offer in the hotel: a small plate of desserts in glasses, with chocolate mousse, a berry cream and crumble.

The Room

Because the building is historic, the rooms are all cut differently. Sometimes I had a bigger room, sometimes a smaller one, but it was always good. I had enough space, including for my suitcase. My first room was about 19 square metres. That is not a sports field, but it was nice, and for downtown San Francisco it is quite spacious.

There is not much in the room. There is a small desk where I could sit down, but for working it is not much. The bed was very comfortable. American beds are always a bit softer than European ones. I slept okay, but not great: you hear the city in the room. The cable cars do not run all night, but during the day it is not quiet. The room has air conditioning, so you can keep the window closed, and you need it in summer in San Francisco.

The bathroom is simple, but really nice. The shower gives a proper flow of water, which is always important to me, and there were many fluffy towels, which I like.

The sockets are the American ones everywhere. As a European traveller you need an adapter, and I had one. What really annoyed me is that my big travel adapter cube, which takes all kinds of plug types, does not stay in the American sockets and falls out quickly. That is not a problem of the hotel, but of the fiddly American plugs.

Food & Drink

There was no proper breakfast. Downstairs there is a small coffee shop, a bit like a Starbucks. As a hotel guest you get a coffee there for only one dollar, or at least at a reduced price, and for Americans that is more or less what counts as breakfast. I had a coffee and I think a cookie. There is also a small breakfast menu, but the shop is only open for breakfast and closes afterwards.

Digital Customer Experience

Nothing digital to report.

The Bill & Value

I stayed three single nights. The first one, in the Luxury Room with a queen bed (19 m²), cost €117.41 (about $137). The other two, in Modern Queen Rooms (14 m²), cost €89.46 (about $105) and €99.94 (about $117). In total I earned 1,124 Reward points and 759 Status points. For a renovated boutique hotel in the middle of San Francisco, that is a fair price. You can check current rates and availability on the official Accor page for the Hotel Stratford.