San Francisco Proper Hotel, a Member of Design Hotels

I stayed here for two nights for business purposes. I specifically picked this hotel as it was close to where I need to be in the in Hayes Valley area. At the time of booking, there was a flash $200/night sale for their bunk rooms, which I thought was a terrific rate for being in San Francisco. Being an Marriott elite member, I already knew in advance that I would not get any elite benefits, but the cost was far less than the Marriott properties that provide benefits. I arrived late at night, past sunset, and as other travellers have noted, it can feel unsafe at face value. But having been to other big cities with similar issues, I’m sort of accustomed to seeing homelessness. Once I stepped foot into the hotel, I noticed how incredible this place looked. Feels very much like a boutique hotel, albeit a bit on the dark side. I walked past the front desk as it wasn’t clearly and no one was there. It wasn’t until I circled back that someone appeared. They were pleasant and informative enough, and kindly upgraded me to a double bed room for extra space compared to what I booked. I got to my room on the second floor and similar to the lobby, it’s a nicely designed space. Bed was very comfortable. Adequate space and WiFi connection was strong. Has a mini bar with extra space to put my own drinks, and a standard in room safe. There is a steamer instead of an iron, which worked fine for my purposes. Washroom has a shower only (no bathtub), but met my needs. Nothing much in terms of view except the building across McAllister street. I used the gym which was adequate, if a bit tight. Never got too busy. There’s a few dining options onsite that looked good, but never had the time to try. As noted, the area can be a little alarming. But there are a ton of Urban Alchemy staff patrolling the area, and they provide of lot of support for the area. I observed them, and they make sure the place is as clean and safe as reasonably possible, and I appreciate it. Overall, it’s a nice hotel that I got at a reasonable price and met my needs. Would I pay a premium for it - no. Just happened to jump on a good deal. If that deal wasn’t there, I’d be more inclined to pick another hotel where I could take advantage of my status benefits.

What a stay! Extraordinary in every way. Great architecture and history. Interior design in the lobby, restaurants and rooms was stunning. Service exceptional. Rooftop bar - fun and exciting. First time there and will always return on my many trips to the City.

I lived in SF for 12 years and am horrified that they put a hotel here. This is hands down the worst neighborhood in the city, maybe country. SF has so much beauty and this represents it so poorly. At night it feels like they just give up. So much riff raff right outside the front door at 10pm. When I call downstairs to ask a question, no one answers and I have to keep calling. Finally someone answers and they seem aggrieved. Rooms are very small but clean and serviceable. Seemed very quiet on a Friday night but maybe occupancy was low? I didn’t eat any food here but was disappointed they wouldn’t take my room service order the night before, meaning I didn’t have time in the morning to order and eat it. Won’t stay here again despite loving the brand elsewhere.

I originally wrote this review on May 4, 2024, but I only recently learned that the $36 per night mandatory "destination amenity fee" is actually taxed bringing the total to over $44. To correct this error, I deleted my original review and revised it. In my opinion, this fee is excessive and repugnant. The rest of my review still applies. Charming, tastefully decorated, comfortable, clean hotel with excellent staff. The only negative is the $44 per night mandatory "destination amenity fee" which is charged whether or not these amenities are available or delivered. When I questioned the hotel about the unavailability of the "local ride amenity" and the fact the some of the amenities (like free WiFi) overlap with Bonvoy Elite benefits, the hotel replied, "Regrettably, the destination fee is a mandatory aspect of our policy. While we operate independently under the Design Hotels umbrella, we are proud participants in the Marriott Bonvoy program, offering limited benefits to Marriott Elite members." While I would stay here again, i would first look at comparable hotels that do not add mandatory nightly amenity fees. This is just my personal preference.

This hotel is gorgeous - it's super well decorated, the rooms are comfortable, and the lobby has tons of cute vignettes. I have to really hand it to Kelly Wearstler and the team at Restoration Hardware, this is a beautiful property. But with that caliber of a hard product, I expect a modicum of service, and I got worse service than I do at the average Courtyard. The front desk repeatedly ignored guests waiting for service, or was just unstaffed for 10-15 minutes at a time. When I checked in there was someone in line in front of me, and the front desk staff person was on the phone for about 10 minutes, and they didn't even acknowledge that there were two of us waiting - not even a "just a moment" wave or index finger, they were practically ducked under the desk, phone in hand, to avoid us hearing the conversation, which seemed to be with an especially unhappy guest. A friend was staying with me and arrived a day later than I - upon arrival, he came in to the lobby with luggage, wandered around for a bit, and finally sat down after no staff commented on his presence or ask if he might like to check in. I stayed here in June as well, and the check in experience also felt weird, the desk is unmarked and sleek, but it actually took me a few minutes of wandering the lobby (also with no greeting from staff) to figure out that that was in fact the registration desk. Even the actual mechanical process of check-in felt foreign - they have a "fancy" iPad based PMS, which while sleek, felt weird as someone who checks into a hotel 2-3 times a month with an otherwise consistent check-in experience. They seem to have consistently chosen "sleek" over practical in a lot of ways here. Even mid-stay needs like reservations and requesting late checkout felt like pulling teeth, if there was even anyone at the desk to help us. The Valet Staff, who are contractors, have been consistently good, and the saving grace for the property is the F&B program - Charmaine's is a gorgeous bar, with really nice cocktails, and the lobby restaurant Villon has a very solid breakfast - the "Proper Breakfast is a really excellent choice. A special shout out to Jay at the bar who went out of his way to ensure my Room Service order was perfect, and who made me an excellent cocktail for delivery, and another shout out to the new manager at Villon, who had just moved from Austin, who went out of his way to connect with us at the restaurant and cheerfully help us adjust some reservations that the front desk had made for us. A note - this is not at all the hotel's fault, but the hotel is in a pretty rough area, and at night there is a tremendously large unhoused population who host a "night market" directly in front of the hotel. It's quite lively, and not the kind of place most hotel guests would want to do their holiday shopping, so a word of caution, especially to solo travelers, you may want to limit your comings and goings at night. To be sure, in my two stays, I never felt perso

This hotel is beautiful. It is well designed and high quality. It also has wonderful staff. Really friendly nice people. The rooms are great (hardwood floors, Aesop products, etc). A bit on the smaller side but that goes with a big city hotel. The only drawback is the restaurant, which is crazy expensive. $30 for a smoothie is a bit much particularly when the smoothie is only about 8 oz. I’d definitely stay here again. Even though the area outside the hotel (on Market St) feels like a war zone.

The hotel itself was nice, rooms and communal areas were clean & well decorated. The TV in our room didn't work and although we reported 4 or 5 times to different people (I don't think we saw the same person twice on reception during our stay), no one came to look at it, no one updated us on what was happening & it wasn't fixed. Eventually we were offered a refund of our destination amenity fee, the goodwill gesture was appreciated but a working TV would have been nice. The destination amenity fee seems quite steep and covers things like wifi & the gym which I would expect to be included in the room rate, it also apparently included a complimentary glass of bubbles on arrival but this wasn't offered to us. The main issue with the hotel is it's location. The surrounding area has a lot of homeless and the streets were filthy and smelly and really unpleasant to walk around. As a family we enjoy being able to explore on foot & walk from the hotel but this really wasn't an option, we ended up getting Ubers most of the time.

This hotel truly has one asset - its employees, who are generally friendly and helpful. I also did enjoy the rooftop terrace area. Otherwise, I am not sure this hotel is even worth considering for anyone to stay in. As many other reviewers have noted, the surrounding neighborhood for several blocks is absolutely horrendous. Its dirty and very uncomfortable to even walk out of the hotel - between the homeless population, the trash, and the construction around the hotel, its a disastrous combination. While I like the artistic flair and decor, the rooms are very cramped, and feel dated, especially given the rates at the hotel. In particular the bathroom has a pecular design where one can't even use the toilet without feeling claustrophobic and being hit by the door jamb. Having stayed at the Santa Monica Proper, I was expecting more of a similar experience and left very disappointed. I am glad I was able to successfully move to a different hotel for the remainder of my stay in San Francisco.

Please power wash the sidewalk around the hotel. I recently stayed at the San Francisco Proper Hotel for one night on June 8, 2024. The hotel itself had great facilities and the room decor was delightful. The overall decor and ambiance of the hotel were very appealing and contributed to a pleasant stay. However, I must be candid about the surroundings. There is a significant homeless issue in the area around the hotel. While I understand that the hotel cannot directly address this issue, there are steps they can take to improve the feeling of safety and cleanliness for their guests. I strongly request that the sidewalk around the hotel be power washed regularly. This would not only enhance the hotel's curb appeal but also contribute to a more inviting and secure atmosphere for guests. In summary, the San Francisco Proper Hotel offers a wonderful experience inside its walls, but attention to the cleanliness of the surrounding area would greatly enhance the overall guest experience.