OverviewLocated along Highway 101 and about an 8-minute drive from San Francisco's city centre, the Holiday Inn San Francisco Golden Gateway is geared towards travellers who require a centrally located hotel with on-site dining and easy highway access.
This hotel has 499 air-conditioned guest rooms and suites, each offering free Wi-Fi, cable TV, a mini-fridge, a coffeemaker, a desk, a hair dryer and an iron and ironing board. Rooms with a separate bedroom, a dining table, a bathrobe for each guest and a living area with a sofabed are also available.
Hotel amenities include a heated outdoor pool, fitness facilities, a business centre, meeting/banquet facilities, a gift shop and laundry services. Parking is an additional $40 per day, pets are permitted for $75 per pet, per stay, and the hotel is wheelchair accessible.
On-site dining is offered at Cafe Marlette, which serves breakfast and dinner daily, and at Interlude Bar & Grille, which is open daily for dinner.
The Golden Gate Bridge is roughly a 10-minute drive northwest of the hotel, while Japan Center offers shopping about a 4-minute drive southwest. Union Square is an 11-minute trip eastward via public transit and San Francisco International Airport (SFO) can be found a 30-minute drive south by car. (All distances and travel time estimates: Google Maps)
Verified with a front desk agent: Free Wi-Fi, parking $40, pets permitted for $75/pet/stay , wheelchair accessible. (Call Date: Aug. 1, 2013)
The GoodThe majority of the reviews sourced for this analysis were positive, with praise going to the hotel's location, rooms and staff.
The hotel's location was a source of numerous compliments by reviewers, who found it to be close to restaurants, shopping, the cable car line, Union Square, The Filmore, a gas station, a pharmacy and Fisherman's Wharf. One lodger remarked, "The hotel is very close to the California Cable car line and many bus routes. The location is also very central in that you can access the many tourist points in San Francisco from about equal distance".
Many guests enjoyed their rooms at the hotel. They were described as clean, spacious, well equipped, quiet and nicely decorated, with comfortable beds and linens and great views of the bay and city. It should be noted, however, that some reviewers reported small-sized rooms.
Several patrons praised the hotel's staff, finding them to be courteous, helpful and efficient. One reviewer noted that staff members were adept at giving suggestions and directions for transportation and places to visit.
The Bad
While the majority of reviews consulted for this analysis were positive, there were a few common complaints about the costs.
Some guests were disappointed with the extra costs they incurred while staying at the hotel. The majority of these reviewers complained about the parking cost, which they found to be very expensive ($40 per day). Other complaints included an overpriced breakfast menu and high room rates.
TripAdvisor.com guest reviews ranked the hotel #99 of 235 San Francisco hotels with an average rating of 3.5 out of 5 from 767 reviews.
Expedia.ca guest reviews rated the hotel 4 out of 5 with an 89% recommendation rate from 386 reviews.
Booking.com guest reviews rated the hotel 7.8 out of 10 from 200 reviews.
The author called the hotel on August 1, 2013 to verify some information.
