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Check in and leave the status quo behind. Hotel Emblem San Francisco in downtown San Francisco where Nob Hill meets Union Square and the Theater District, is a haven for those that think as boldly as they live. Inspiring conversation in all the right ways, with plenty of modern provocations, Hotel Emblem features a cocktail-focused restaurant and 96 vibrant guestrooms. Every corner is designed to spark creativity, from the bar inspired by the Beat Generation, to the book-filled Writer’s Alcove in the lobby, to the eclectic guestrooms, where patterns play and an expressive vibe thrives. This hotel is a muse – and you will be, too. Lend your voice at the weekly poetry slam. Get lost in the flow of nightly live jazz. Tap out a few thoughts on the lobby typewriter.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
This summary was created by AI, based on recent reviews.
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Nestled in the heart of San Francisco, Hotel Emblem stands out for its central location and easy access to the city's sights, as reported by numerous guests. The staff's exceptional service, recognized for its warmth and personalized care, earns consistent praise.
While the rooms are celebrated for their distinctive style and cleanliness, a few visitors mention they're on the smaller side and could use some upkeep. Although opinions on value diverge, with some concerns over extra charges, the hotel's eclectic atmosphere and unique amenities like typewriters and record players are widely admired.
Location
Central
Atmosphere
Eclectic
Rooms
Comfortable
Value
Reasonable
Cleanliness
Clean
Service
Friendly
Amenities
Comprehensive
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Located just north of Union Square, we found the Emblem to be perfectly located. We were able to pull up front and unload our suitcases in the morning - then take our car to the Car Rental return on O'Farrell, only a 10 minute walk back to the hotel. Perfect. When we left we were able to wheel our suitcases downhill on Powell St to the BART station for a quick train ride to the airport for $10. Again, Emblem is in a perfect location for travelers. There are so many restaurant choices nearby. Breakfast choices include the coffee shop in the lobby, but also some cute retro 50's diners just 2 minutes away. For dinners there are so many restaurants within a 5 to 10 minute walk. Again, Emblem is in a perfect location. For tourists, Union Square is a 3 minute walk. Also, the Powell Street cable car is available 3 minutes away on Powell Street. Use this cable car to take you all the way to the Fisherman's Wharf area. On another occasion, we walked (downhill or flat) all the way to the Ferry Terminal and Ferry to Alcatraz. You see, Emblem is in a perfect location. Another reason for 5 stars - the staff! All front desk staff are so friendly and helpful. Special note to Gitanjali who has the ability to smile with her eyes - she is wonderful. In the bar, we enjoyed happy hours before heading out to local restaurants. Both bartenders Kristen and Lourdis were exceptional allowing samples of various wines before choosing, providing travel tips and just being so nice! The rooms are a bit smaller than a chain hotel - this is a boutique after all. The hotel was built in 1907 or something like that, so you get the nuances of the little elevator, tiny stair case etc. Our room was equipped with a king size bed, a large shower and a huge TV. The room was smallish but when in San Francisco there is so much to do that not much time was spent in the room. We found this hotel to be very reasonably priced for the Union Square district in San Francisco. Upon check in we opted for one of the quieter rooms not fronting the street but still could hear the occasional siren or loud exhaust. Nothing unexpected for being in the heart of the action in the Union Square area. For our first visit to San Francisco we felt the Hotel Emblem to be the perfect choice based on location, price and friendliness. For our next visit to San Francisco we would assuredly select the Emblem again!
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Date of stay: November 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Â Select a room not fronting the street to minimize noise.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
From the moment we walked in, to the day we left we felt looked after by the staff, really friendly.
The hotel is literally 2 mins from union square and 5 mins from china town so perfect location. Although the pier is a good 20 min walk, but plenty of transport options if you don’t want to walk
Yes it’s a trendy hotel, but the service is great, and the rooms are quirkily decorated, but lose none of their comfort.
Some nice touches like a water fountain on every floor you can fill your bottle up from, and cookies every evening, and decent toiletries too.
I’d stay again, ask for a room at the back if you want quiet and aren’t bothered about a view
I’ll be back one day
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Date of stay: December 2019Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from bbusby1, General Manager at Hotel Emblem San Francisco
Responded 22 Jan 2020
Thank you TDL1410 for your review. We're so glad to hear you enjoyed your stay at Hotel Emblem, and offered some excellent tips for other travelers. We look forward to seeing you again soon.
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A lot to digest? Read an AI-generated summary of recent traveller reviews.
My company had a retreat this past weekend and stayed at Hotel Emblem SF. Organizing and planning a retreat took a lot of coordination and communication. Kylie made it easy and seamless before our team arrival; provide us with recommendations on what to do for team building activities and places to eat. Brad greeted me in person with other Hotel Emblem staff when I checked in at the front desk.
Fungai provided exceptional service by preparing the boardroom with water, note pads, and pencils. During the meeting he tried to troubleshoot the best he can when the draft conference room TV didn't connect to my Macbook Air (due to apple device compatible issues) or staff PC for a PowerPoint presentation - the picture on the display screen would go in and out. The team at Hotel Emblem SF (Gitanjali, David) was all super friendly and helpful, very accommodating to our request for early check-in and late check-out addressed any issues we had immediately the best they can and was transparent about the problem. Due to covid restrictions, the bar and restaurant at the hotel were closed but the location was a short walking distance to Union Square.
Despite unforeseen circumstances with Westin Hotel Valet offsite parking with the company rental car, the team was able to bond over Karaoke and Biking across the Golden Gate Bridge. Hotel Emblem was very kind to comp our meeting room to make up for the issues we were experiencing.
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Date of stay: May 2021
Rooms
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled on business
Room Tip:Â Parking is offsite at Westin, Check your car interior and exterior prior to valeting and get car...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Brad Busby, General Manager at Hotel Emblem San Francisco
Responded 3 Jun 2021
Thank you angelstar_lexia for your review. While you certainly experienced some challenges during your stay, we're glad to hear that the staff did everything in our power to make it right for you. We hope you come stay with us again at Hotel Emblem soon!
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Very cute, boutique hotel in a great location in Union Square. Parking is in a garage around the corner. They give you old fashioneds upon check-in, which was unique. Lobby is small but very chic, with a cafe attached (we did not eat or drink in either location). The rooms are pretty small but it is right in downtown so they make it work. The bathroom is also small for the same reason. There was an urban amenity fee of $29 that was charged upon checkout that we should have asked about because I have no idea what that would be for. Unlike a resort fee where you get a spa to use as a result or a pool or something, I'm not sure what the charge gave us other than a $30 more expensive night (and parking was already $35).
The room itself was comfortable and clean though. There were some very noisy guests outside our room at 2 AM who kept letting their doors slam and kept knocking on other doors, so the walls/doors are very thin.
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Date of stay: January 2020
Rooms
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from bbusby1, General Manager at Hotel Emblem San Francisco
Responded 29 Jan 2020
Thank you nunce1 for your review. We're so glad to hear you enjoyed your stay. We assess the Urban Amenity fee to allow us to provide our Guests with outstanding amenities such as access to 24-hour fitness, craft cocktails upon arrival, best in class wifi, in-room Nespresso, in-room libraries, and fresh baked cookies daily to name a few. We hope that you will come back and see us again at Hotel Emblem the next time you are in San Francisco.
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The hotel is in a good location. Rooms are fine and bedding comfortable. My main issue is the hotel charges a mandatory wifi charge of $29 at check in. I booked the room on Hotels Tonight. After prepaying for the room, I believed that all fees and taxes were included. On the Hotels Tonight app the WiFi charge shows in a list of options, like valet parking. Be aware that unlike parking, you cannot opt out of the WiFi fee. It’s unfortunate and seems like gouging customers after they’ve committed to the reservation. The rooms are already expensive.
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Date of stay: February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from bbusby1, General Manager at Hotel Emblem San Francisco
Responded 5 Mar 2020
Thank you BoulderCanyon for your review. We would like to clarify that the $29 is not a WiFi charge, rather it is an Urban Amenity Fee which is clearly notated on our Hotel Tonight reservation confirmations. The fee allows us to provide Guests with best in class amenities such as gym membership to 24 hour fitness, welcome cocktails, in-room libraries, whole fresh fruit and chocolate chip cookies daily, in addition to regularly scheduled special programming in the hotel.
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Great staff and hotel! The front desk team member who checked me in was amazing. She made sure to explain everything about the hotel (watering stations, welcome cocktails, snacks on each floor, Wi-Fi, etc.) and local area, then sent me off to my room with bottled water to enjoy during my stay. My room was very comfortable and clean with the largest TV I've ever had in a hotel. I didn't have a great view, I looked out to what appeared to be the back of the building, but I checked in early and agreed to take whatever room they had with a king bed so you get what you get. I kept the shade down and all was fine. We hosted a meeting there and Myqel who was our conference host was super pleasant to work with an took great care of my group. There is a coffee shop on site that had the best avocado toast I've ever had in my life and although I did not eat at the hotel restaurant, the food they catered for our conference was very tasty. There was always someone cleaning and making sure the hotel was spotless, I was impressed. Last as I was leaving at 4am for my return flight the front desk team member walked me to my Uber since there were a few sketchy people in the area at that time of morning. All is all it was a great stay and I would stay there again.
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Review collected in partnership with this hotel
Date of stay: February 2020
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled on business
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from bbusby1, General Manager at Hotel Emblem San Francisco
Responded 5 Mar 2020
Thank you MSDJDB for your great review. We're so glad that you enjoyed your Hotel stay, and your meeting experience with us! We truly believe that it is all the little things that make a difference so we're glad we could take care of everything for you. We look forward to having you back as our Guest again soon!
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First off, the hotel itself is very nice, clean, and modern. But my wife and I had a really poor experience. I had gotten a medical procedure done the day before and we were flying back to the east coast the next day. So we decided to stay in San Fran one night on 2/7 in room 608, hoping to get a good night of sleep.
At around 3:30am we were awoken by the shower running and at first, thought ours turned on somehow. But it was actually the shower next door. Fine, I get that sometimes you can hear water rushing through the pipes. But then we heard people talking loudly. At first we thought they must have been standing right outside our door, but then realized it was coming from the room next to us. And then we realized they weren't talking loudly at all, but having normal conversation and we were able to hear every bit it as though they were standing in our room. This also meant that earlier in the day, the guests next door could probably overhear private conversations between me and my wife. Then came the music blasting.
We called down to the front desk to complain. 20-30 minutes go by and the music was still playing loudly. We called down again and the front desk attendent let us know that she had texted them, but would now call them. I was already annoyed at the situation but the fact that she only sent a text instead of calling the first time annoyed me even more. We could hear their phone ring and in my half sleep, I actually picked up our phone because I thought it was our ringing. We could hear everything (and I mean everything) and their alarm clocks as well, which woke us up again as I thought they were our own. Every sound they made, everytime they spoke, sounded as though it were happening right in our room.
Upon checkout there was a new front desk attendent and we let him know of our poor experience. He asked if there was anything he could do but we were flying back east that morning. He said the hotel would follow up via email to "help make it right. " As of writing this review, we have still not heard anything from them.
I can't say for certain that all rooms are like this. My parents did not have a bad experience. It appeared as though our room had one of those connecting doors to the room next to us. I've been in other hotels where this is the case, but I've never stayed in a hotel where it sounded like other guests were staying in our room too, where another guest's alarm clock could wake me up. Should we ever find ourselves in San Fran again, we 100% will not stay at this hotel again. Plenty of others around (including a Marriott right down the street) to chance another bad experience.
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Date of stay: February 2020Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from bbusby1, General Manager at Hotel Emblem San Francisco
Responded 5 Mar 2020
Thank you gbdigital for your review. We would like to apologize for your what happened during your stay at Hotel Emblem as that is certainly not our typical Guest experience. We have tried to reach out to you several times but have been unsuccessful using the information that we have for you. If you have the opportunity please reach out to us directly as we would love the opportunity to discuss further.
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Bernardo saved our vacation! We made the mistake of booking our stay at the Proper Hotel. The location was so sketchy, but it was the rude staff who sent us packing. We were lucky to find availability at the Emblem for 20% lower rate (for a bigger room), 200% better location, and 2000% better service.
We stayed in room 401 premier double that overlooked a neighboring courtyard. Lovely, spacious and clean.
I love the eclectic, chic, literary theme. They even have nice social distancing signs, and greeted us with masks, sanitizer and cool COVID-19 safety gadgets.
Very grateful to Bernardo and team.
THANK YOU!
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Date of stay: August 2020Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Brad Busby, General Manager at Hotel Emblem San Francisco
Responded 19 Aug 2020
Thank you geniec2018! We're so glad that your decided to move your vacation to Hotel Emblem. We take great pride in our amazing team, and strenuous safety precautions! We hope to see you again soon. Stay safe!
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The Viceroy Emblem in Union Square is a beautiful, eclectic and fun hotel in the heart of all the action in San Francisco. It is steps away from catching the famous cable car rides, lots of amazing shopping and many incredible restaurants of all types of food all within walking distance. This is the place to stay if you love walking and you don’t particular want a car for your trip. My family and I enjoy a boutique hotel experience as we find it to be much more personalized, hospitable and enjoyable. Upon arrival, we were met with the hotel’s manager, Mr. McClinton and was introduced to two of the nicest people we met for the whole California trip, Orion and Gitanjali. Mr. Mclinton has an upbeat personality and was very accommodating and knowledgeable about the hotel, the area and the San Francisco dining spots. Gita was so kind in how she spoke with us, she knows the area well but did not force any of her view points or recommendations on us. Orion is shy and quiet but kind and also very knowledgeable and hospitable. Our rooms were two large connecting rooms on the top floor (7th floor) which were lovely, inviting and spacious. The theme of the hotel and the rooms were all about anti-establishment and my teenager especially got some laughs at the ‘pot is fun’ pillow on the sofas in our rooms. The rooms can only accommodate two people per room so connecting rooms for a family of two adults and two kids were perfect for us. There is one elevator but it is sufficient for the needs of the hotel. The lobby is really cool as the walls are adorned with stacks of books and the lounge and bar area allows adults and kids to gather in the booths to eat meals before heading up to the room. Adjacent to the lobby is a small coffee shop for take away coffee and cold sandwiches which is a convenient find when wanting to grab a coffee and a quick snack before checking out the city. The housekeeping in the hotel did an excellent job and we loved all the sweet touches we were treated to which one would not ordinarily find in the larger chain hotels. The make up towel, the large face mirror in the bath, the simply perfect overhead shower and handheld shower provided us with hot baths everyday. We had fun conversations with Samira at the front desk at nights and we were lucky to meet the hotel manager, Mr. McClinton in the lobby before we left. He advised us of where to get the PCR test to return to our home country, how to order an Uber for the airport, asked if we needed a late check-out and was just personable, kind and a service-oriented for the entire time. After more than two years of no travel and border closures for our country, the inviting attitude and kind accommodation of the hotel was second to none. We were really impressed and would like to extend our heartfelt thanks and best wishes to the amazing Hotel Emblem team. Our lives are that much richer having had the opportunity to cross paths with you!
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Date of stay: March 2022Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from McClinton Heil, Owner at Hotel Emblem San Francisco
Responded 7 Mar 2022
Thank you Anyamilmad for your amazing review. It was a pleasure to meet you during your first trip post COVID. I hope you made it home safely and we look forward to seeing you again at Hotel Emblem!
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My wife and I stayed at Hotel Emblem during the difficult COVID time in January 2021. We very much enjoyed our stay. The staff was very courteous as we had a late check-in. As to cleaning, I understand the hotel has a very strict policy. Before a new guest checks-in, they not only wait 24-48 hours to enter the room after a stay, but they install a blue light to help sanitize the room before it’s entered for a thorough cleaning. In addition, the person that checked us in said he is required to get a weekly COVID test to protect himself and guests. I would stay here again as it’s very close to Union Square, Chinatown, restaurants and shopping.
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Date of stay: January 2021Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Brad Busby, General Manager at Hotel Emblem San Francisco
Responded 18 Feb 2021
Thank you 884joelt for your review. Health and Hygiene are of the utmost importance to us, and we've taken great care to go above and beyond in our protection procedures. Hopefully you'll be able to come back to Hotel Emblem soon!
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Yes, it will be both safe and not a problem - that said, if you go out at 3AM, the answer might be different. But during normal hours, even as late as midnight or 1AM, in our experience, it's absolutely no problem.
"Parking is a nightmare. There are no valets standing by to handle your car. Go straight to the parking garage around the corner and pay $40 a day instead. "
There are more places to choose from in the San Francisco area.
PRICE RANGE
₹15,121 - ₹20,189 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
rex hotel san francisco, hotel rex san francisco, rex san francisco
FORMERLY KNOWN AS
Hotel Rex San Francisco
LOCATION
United StatesCaliforniaSan FranciscoDowntown San Francisco / Downtown
NUMBER OF ROOMS
96
Prices are provided by our partners, and reflect average nightly room rates, including taxes and fees that are fixed, known to our partners, and due at time of booking. Please see our partners for more details.
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