San Francisco hotels vary from slightly scary to incredibly plush. You’ll want to plan your accommodations based on the length of your stay, what you’ll need in-room and how much time you actually plan to spend in your hotel room. I was invited by Staypineapple, An Elegant Hotel, Union Square, San Francisco, for a hosted stay to experience the property and everything it has to offer.
Inside Staypineapple, An Elegant Hotel, Union Square, San Francisco
Visits to San Francisco used to be annual almost up until the pandemic. On my first visit back, Staypineapple, An Elegant Hotel, Union Square, San Francisco, was an ideal hotel based on location, amenities and personal in-room preferences. The property is right by Union Square on the cusp of Tenderloin. You can’t miss the black and yellow signage and decor. The hotel is a fairly quick jaunt from the Powell BART station; however, if you’re carrying a lot of luggage, rideshare might be the easiest way to get there from the station (don’t do what I did and schlep it up the hill with luggage, only to arrive out of breath and uncomfortable).
The rooms come in a few different sizes, so guests can pick a room based on their length of stay and the amount of time they expect to spend there. I was hosted in a Starlet Queen room and did not expect to be in the room much. That said, the room was so comfortable that I found myself taking afternoon breaks from sightseeing and heading back for a snack and, on some occasions, a quick nap. The bed was equipped with the Staypineapple signature “The Naked Experience” with a European-style bedding arrangement (two duvets so nobody can hog the blankets). I checked in super early upon arrival and proceeded to doze for three hours.
The hotel amenity fee covers a number of add-ons like unlimited bottled water, coffee (there’s a Keurig in the room and special Staypineapple k-cups), Streampineapple and use of the hotel beach cruiser bikes (I witnessed many guests taking these out for an exhilarating spin). The hotel is also extremely dog-friendly and completely smoke-free (as an asthmatic dog lover, this was huge for me). The lobby had water throughout the day, coffee in the morning and the cutest pineapple-shaped cookies in the afternoon. The lobby also has a bar that serves up drinks and breakfast sandwiches, and the front desk keeps a cooler of beverages for guests to enjoy a welcome drink upon arrival. While my stay was hosted by the hotel, I would happily come back and recommend the property to everyone I know visiting San Francisco.
One thing to note- the hotel is off a main road in the downtown area, so street noise is frequent at all of the properties in the vicinity. I typically enjoy street noise (I even use the “city sounds” on sleep ambiance apps), but if this bothers you, you will need to stay out of the city in a quieter neighborhood. Every hotel I’ve stayed at in this area has had noise from traffic and deliveries (the ones closer to Union Square actually have more, including morning deliveries).
The hotel is in an older, historic building, and as all historic properties do, this one comes with some charms and quirks. During my visit, I encountered one small issue as a result; however, the staff were quick to assist and ensured the situation was as minimal as possible. The ease with which this was handled felt like a testament to the hotel staff and their hospitality. My issue also seemed to be a completely rare fluke as I spent a good deal of time in the lobby, and no other guests seemed to have issues of any kind—they also all had fantastic things to say.
A room key is required to access all floors and the main entrance in the evenings (if you forget your key like I did one night, the front desk is directly in front of the main entrance, and they can let you in remotely), adding another level of safety to your stay. The comfort of the room, the convenient location, fantastic staff and the numerous amenities made this a hotel in which I would gladly stay again.
