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I was in San Francisco on business and stayed the first night of my trip at Hotel Adagio, Autograph Collection. While the hotel is plenty nice, the neighborhood is terrible and I can’t recommend the hotel as a result. The streets around the property are filled with garbage, homeless people, and stray dogs. It did not feel particularly safe even during the day.
Anthony’s Take: The hotel was built in 1929 by hotelier Mortimer Samuel and originally called the El Cortez. The room and service were both fine, but as mentioned this hotel is located in the Tenderloin neighborhood. While it’s convenient to get to most parts of the city from here, the streets are dirty and filled with people that did not make me feel comfortable. I am a city boy, but I even was on guard here. The hotel itself offered spacious rooms and a cute lobby. It was cheaper than other Marriott properties the night I stayed and I now know why this was the case.
Booking
I booked a Guest Room, 1 King on a “Member Rate Flexible.” The nightly rate was $264 and included taxes, fees, and a $30 Destination Fee, which is nothing more than a cash grab. As a Titanium Elite, I had the option of a food and beverage credit or 1,000 points. I opted for the points and was given an extra 750 points because the hotel does not have a lounge.
Transportation to/from the Hotel
I took an Uber Comfort from San Francisco International Airport (SFO). It cost $39 and took around 21 minutes to drive the approximately 14 miles with some traffic. When I was headed back home, I left from the W San Francisco. The ride took around the same time and had a similar cost.
Location
The Hotel Adagio, Autograph Collection is not located in a particularly safe neighborhood. It is near Union Square, SOMA, and most things you’ll want to do downtown. It’s a shame that so many storefronts are vacant and that the streets are so dirty.
Check-in
I arrived at the hotel around 2:00 PM and was promptly checked in. There is a desk straight ahead when checking in. The agent checking me in offered me a glass of Champagne and informed me that there were no suites available. My room was ready. The Daily Destination Fee explained and I was not going to have time to take advantage of the inclusions. My keys were printed a moment later and I was off to my room to hop on a Zoom call.
Daily Destination Fee
- Daily $30 F&B Credit
- Daily Glass of Champagne or non-alcoholic drink for two guests
- San Francisco Cable Car tickets for two guests per stay
- Daily Enhanced Hi-Speed Internet Access (Wi-Fi)
- Bonvoy Elite Amenity (Gold members and above) – Daily (2) Ghirardelli Chocolate Squares. A San Francisco tradition!
I did not get the chocolate upon check-in and did not notice this until later.
The lobby is on the small side, but nicely decorated.
There is limited seating there.
The other half of the lobby holds the restaurant with a good number of tables.
A large bar was also found here.
A second seating area was past the elevator.
Coffee was offered throughout the day.
The elevators were around the corner from the check-in desk.
The elevator lobby and hallway on my floor were clean and in good order. The elevator’s sensor was not working well and my hand almost got caught.
The hallway was small, but well lit.
Guest Room, 1 King (1007)
There are 171 rooms and suites at the Hotel Adagio, Autograph Collection.
The room opened with a full-length mirror behind the door.
A closet was nearby. It held a luggage rack, robes, a safe, a blanket and pillow, an iron, and an ironing board.
The room had a minibar tucked into an alcove. Various snacks were for sale on the counter.
The refrigerator was located in the cabinet below. There was no empty space for guest use.
The room was fairly spacious.
There was a king-sized bed in the center of the room along with two nightstands.
A couch was located near the windows along with a coffee table.
A desk lined the other wall along with a TV mounted above it.
Some old photos were on the wall near the bed. I found these interesting given that this hotel is almost 100 years old.
The view overlooked a few buildings.
The bathroom was to the side of the bedroom area. It was well lit and the toilet was spaced far enough away from the sink.
The glassed-in shower was fine for me. Water pressure and temperature were both good.
Bottles of PURE by Gloss Body Wash, Conditioner, and Shampoo were mounted on the shower wall.
A bar of PURE soap and a bottle of lotion were on the counter.
The toilet was closest to the door.
A towel rack and shelf were mounted to the opposite wall.
Public Areas & Amenities
The Hotel Adagio, Autograph Collection has a small lobby with limited seating, a restaurant, and a fitness center (pictured above).
The fitness center was larger than I would have expected given that the hotel is on the smaller side. Water, fresh fruit, and towels were on offer here.
The hotel has Peloton Bikes, which I’m always happy to see.
There were a good number of other cardio machines.
Other equipment included free weights and some fitness machines.
Overall Impression:
The Hotel Adagio, Autograph Collection offers a comfortable room and friendly staff. Just have an Uber pick you up in front and ignore the neighborhood.
Anthony’s Credit Card Pick: When I’m staying at a Marriott hotel, I want to maximize my points earned. My card of choice is the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card. With it, I earn six Marriott Bonvoy® points for each dollar spent at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy® program. It also includes up to $300 statement credits per calendar year (up to $25 per month ) for dining in restaurants worldwide. Plus, a free night award every year after my card renewal month that I can redeem at any Marriott hotel with a redemption level at or under 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy® points. Learn more. For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, please visit here. Terms apply.
Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
3 comments
We stayed here in early 2020 and had the same impression. It’s a nice hotel but in a lousy neighborhood.
That street looks cleaner than Tokyo …
Just flew out of SFO this morning. Spent the weekend at the W San Francisco. I’ve stayed at this property in the past and when it popped up during my search I immediately crossed it out due to the location. It was sketchy pre-Covid as a mid-20s guy visiting with friends. Certainly wasn’t going to take my wife and kid there.