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handsome place, with its helpful staff, its double-paned windows (useful for
screening out the whistle of the porter at the upscale hotel across the street), its
self-serve washer/dryers, and all the free coffee and muffins they dole out in the
mornings. And again, there's that unbeatable location. One final perk: There's a
pub downstairs, which makes late meals easier than at rivals.
$$-$$$
The Union Jack flies above the three-star
King George Hotel
5
(334
Mason St., at Geary;
%
800/288-6005 or 415/781-5050; www.kinggeorge.com;
AE, MC, V),
where you can often find rooms through Orbitz for around $100—a
strong value. This cute place gives off good feelings—a step or two above crash
pad but with saner prices than the big boys. It's well-maintained by an unusually
attentive management, kept assiduously clean, and located in a terrific spot near
Union Square and BART. Standard rooms, which are the smaller size typical for
a building of this period, get you a queen-size bed and comfortable outfitting,
although they aren't as plush as the hotel's boutique image might predict. Ask for
one of the units on the north side of the building—they face open space and are
consequently bright. Rates are more like $169 or $189 when things are busy—
that's too high for even this quality, in my mind—which keeps this place from
being at the top of my list. But the hotel's website often lists deals, such as a $109
rate throughout springtime.
THE FINANCIAL DISTRICT & THE EMBARCADERO
Because it's a business district, this area is quiet during weekends (so hotel prices
go down then), but that's also one of the things that make life at these hotels a lit-
tle more difficult, since finding meals isn't as easy in a sleepy district. Still, it's
hooked up to the rest of the city in a fine way that most other 'hoods can't beat:
BART, bus, cable car, and tram all zip through here.
$$$-$$$$
Count on some lovely plush features at
Galleria Park Hotel
555
(191 Sutter St., near Kearny;
%
415/781-3060; www.jdvhotels.com),
such as
huge beds and shower curtains made of the same fuzzy terry cloth as the towels.
Digs are of a luxury standard, which makes a room (not huge, though part of that
is because of those copious beds) a tough place to leave in the morning, although
the location (within a safe walk to Union Square and the Montgomery Street
BART station—I just as easily could have slipped it into the Union Square sec-
tion) is one of its brightest selling points. But better, and rarer, the hotel puts a
premium on local culture, and not only does it offer a free architectural walking
tour with an established expert (Rick Evans of My Favorite City tours) each day
at 10am, but it also hooks up any interested guest with a program that matches
them with local volunteers who are interested in sharing their city. There's even a
hip, under-the-skin walking tour of Chinatown (located a few blocks away)
posted in the elevators for guests to follow anytime they like. A potentially
money-saving perk is the hotel's Galleria Park Suggests (GPS), which gives guests
an inside line on discounted events tickets and backstage passes for big events, as
well as hookups at festivals and at unusual off-the-mainstream sights (private win-
ery tours, factory tours). I'd be hard pressed to find a hotel in any city that takes
as much care to introduce guests to locals and their personal city experiences, and
the fact it all comes with high standards in the rooms is a boon. Wine is served in
