Cartwright Hotel Union Square

This hotel is very nice I love the feel of the place.
We were also upgraded to a bigger room which was very nice! The staff was really nice as well.
So many places just steps away from the hotel that was really cool.
Hotel parking was just around the block, not too bad of a walk and 24hr parking was 31 $

Guessing it survived the earthquake of 1906… a nasty old tiny room… we didn’t actually stay there in the end… lost our money as they refused to refund it… I will say the bed looked fine & it was clean so that was a plus… but there are plenty of other similarly priced spots that are updated so don’t stay there

Awesome location! It is in the middle of downtown near really cool restaurants, Chinatown and other attractions. The staff was helpful and friendly. The rooms are small, but clean. It’s San Francisco after all. Worth it for the price.

Great location. The room size is what you would expect for San Francisco. If you are a light sleeper you don’t want to be in a room at the front of the building but it didn’t bother me because once I’m out, I’m out. I like the downstairs sitting area where they have self serve hot beverages in the morning but it seems under utilized. Would love to see a bar and simple menu dining added.
One big negative I have to say is the hotel has a check in deal on Unilocal that does not state you have to book direct with them just no prepay. Well clearly they have had issues with this as the clerk assisting me pulls out an old internal memo about it; just update your deal on Unilocal so you don’t have an issue that buts a sour taste in your guest mouths.
I would stay again because the location is very good and the staff is really kind.

Staff members are very helpful and friendly.
Parking costs $ 31 valet $ 41 per day with unlimited in and out. Expensive but I think it’s worth it.
Room and bed are very small but clean. Heating and cooling are so antiquated that I have never seen it any where in the world!
Extremely thin walls! Heard every sound and noise neighbors made. Not kool.
Don’t ever pay more than $ 99 per night or you will regret it. They have no other amenities such as gym or jacuzzi.

I stayed here last night. Though I live in the Bay Area, I had an evening of Christmas parties. I got a good rate for this hotel through
a couple of months ago.
The good things: Great location just off of Union Square. Friendly, helpful employees. Very clean room.
The less than good things: One elevator. Small room. Older furniture. Inaccessible electrical outlets.
This hotel has obviously been around a long time. It is obvious that it has been updated (fresh coats of paint) but never fully remodeled (though my bathroom appeared to have newer toilet and sink). I think that the Cartwright is perfectly fine and I would stay here again in an instant as long as it is the good value that I was able to take advantage of last night.

Self parking lot is on Bush, about a block away and 30 dollars a day. The check in process was quick and the concierge was very friendly. The room on the second floor was cozy and small. The bathroom was a bit cramped. The heater set to 80 degrees did not heat up the room.
We tried to redeem the free bottle of wine offer but we were told since we booked the room through a third party the offer did not apply. No where does it say that we need to book directly with the hotel to recieve the free bottle of wine.

Tiny bathroom knees hit sink (I’m 5’9″)
Uncomfortable bed
Lumpy seats & floor (how is a floor lumpy??)
No usable outlets at desk
Shower head sprayed like crazy from leaks
Poor ventilation. Could smell pot like it was being smoked in My room
No fridge
Tiniest elevator in the world
Would not honor free bottle of wine Unilocal offer
Musky smell throughout the hotel
Invested heavily into a front lobby that looks great but misleads patrons into thinking the rooms are as nice.
Ironing board sucked
BOOK IN ADVANCE AND STAY ELSEWHERE AT THE SAME RATE.

AC window unit is useless. One may say that it is less important is SF but it’s not always the case. Opening a window lets insects and street smell into your room just so the fan can blast it all over you as you sleep.
Rooms and bed are tiny. If you’re under 5’8 you’re probably fine. I’m not, so it sucked.
The TV was broken and it took 3 days for them to replace it after continuous inquiries.
The same guy that I talked to about the TV asks for my room key every night as if I’m a vagrant trying to find a place to use drugs. I stayed for 2 weeks and you can’t remember me?
After being rushed out of the room, I left a remote control for a DVD player. The receptionist directed my call to a voice mail to room service. They haven’t called me back yet.
I have more work in SF and plan not to stay here again.

They are barely OK. For $ 200/​night I would have expected much better. Stayed in room 315. The room was an awkward shape. There was a noisy A/​C condenser (aka the big loud fan that is outside your how house that turns on when you turn on your A/​C) that was right outside the room that ran almost ²⁴⁄₇ and it wasn’t even to cool our room. The toilet was like what you see at a stall with that handle you flush with your foot and all. All the Unilocal deals only apply if you directly book with them and not through an external sight. If you bring a car parking was I believe $ 40/​day. Just be aware.

Worst hotel experience I’ve ever had. The younger guy that works at the front desk likes to shrug you off and act like you’re not his problem. If you ask to speak to a manager or say that you’re going to take your business elsewhere he shrugs like he doesn’t give a shit.
The room service likes to come and knock on your door at 8 o’clock in the morning when they don’t have permission to try to clean your room early. They also like to vacuum the hallways before 9 AM which is really disruptive for people trying to sleep in.
The bathrooms are tiny and the views are of a brick wall. Not worth the price at all.
Also managers named «Ronnie Navas» like to say that they’re going to give you a partial refund on your room and then not actually provide it.
LASTLY, THEIR FREE BOTTLE OF WINE OFFER ON THE Unilocal PAGE IS A SHAM– that’s why the young guy shrugged me off is because he didn’t want to give me the wine after I did what Unilocal asked me to do. Don’t go here. Seriously.

I can understand why the ratings could be low for this establishment but our experience here was wonderful. Small place and good service plus its located right in union square so walking to a destination is easy. Also if you check in you get ten percent off and wine with a review.
Anyways to start off
We got a one room with my dog ichi and my boyfriend. It was expected to be small but it worked well with us and I was able to fit his crate without making the room too cluttered along with the ironing table exposed.
This was the first time I took my dog out of la and into a hotel room and he loved it and understood what was going on. The staff members were really friendly and very easy to talk to. Kevin, Edward, Josh, and Lilian were more than friendly and accommodating. If you had the pleasure of meeting them then you should have a good experience at this hotel. We stayed for 4 nights and we will most likely stay here again. Pet friendly and fun staff.

Okay, so just for the record I have worked in the hospitality industry and try to be very lax about this thing. I don’t think I’ve ever written a bad review before. This place made me think it was a moral issue to warn people though.
I can’t think of a nicer way to put this, than that this is a laughable joke of a hotel. I don’t normally stay anywhere nicer than three stars, but this place had me reminiscing for noisy hostels from my backpacking days in Europe.
The room is claustrophobically tiny, so much so that the sink juts into the shower stall – the sink is literally in the shower. If you are used to a normally proportioned bathroom you might also hit your hip really, really, hard on the sink in your shower. Just a warning.
There is no thermostat. There is no AC. There is some type of antiquated six gear heater that provides no guidance on how much hit will come out at any given level, and no thermostat to tell you what effect the indecipherable device is having on your temperature.
The wifi went completely down a good chunk of my trip. As this trip was for work, this really messed up my plans.
Union Square is lovely, but the street the Cartwright is on reeks of marijuana almost in a religiously regular schedule from 6 to 7:30 this evening. With no AC and your windows forced to be open there is nothing to do but absorb the odor, even if that isn’t your particular cup of tea.
And then – I’ve been to god knows how many continents, and all across the US – they don’t take your card in the event of incidentals like most places. They take your card and then FREEZE the funds for alleged incidentals that you have not incurred your entire stay. Mine was over a week, and so i had about two hundred dollars put in limbo even though I didn’t incur incidentals, and I’ve been back for days now and still not had the money freed up.
The staff are unhelpful. The only redeeming feature of this place is its location, which is no virtue of its management or staff, but mere circumstance.
I will never, ever, ever, ever stay in this horrific joke of a hotel again. Honestly I would have happily substituted a two hour BART ride from a Motel 6 as WAY preferable to my experience here.

Do yourself a favor and stay somewhere else. The location is good, able to walk to shopping and restaurants, but so are a hundred other hotels.
The hotel charged my credit card every day for «incidentals» even though we paid for the room up front. By the end of my trip, they had charged me $ 800, of which only $ 310 was valid (valet parking). I have really never heard of a hotel charging you every day for whatever it feels like.
Room is small, bathroom is small, one elevator for entire hotel.

Let’s get right to it. It’s a boutique hotel. Not a Marriott or a Hilton. Its literally just a place to sleep. Not much else to physically move around and do in here. It’s literally a 11×10 room with a 4×6 bathroom. The rooms are very clean. Housekeeping does a nice job. The bathrooms are beyond small. I can sit on the toilet, wash my hands and turn on the shower at the same time. Shower head is nice. Nice pressure too. Toilet is solid. The beds borderline suck. The lobby looks much nicer than the rooms. Although looking at some other pictures of the suites, they look like normal hotel rooms. But I’m sure they’re incredibly expensive like everything else in this area. Front desk are very helpful. One elevator too that can fit about 4 people. Location of this hotel is great, but be prepared to pay.

Excellent service A+++ would recommend
Good location
Free bottle of wine upon check in
Dog friendly
Good location

Great hotel for the price! We stayed here for 5 nights and was very satisfied with our stay. The staff is friendly and very attentive. The location was amazing! Very close to everything! 10 minute walk to chinatown, 3 minute walk to union square, 1 minute walk from the next cable car! We will definitely be staying here next time!
They also allow dogs!

My husband and I stayed here for a week a few months ago, and I (we) absolutely LOVED it. Yes the room was a little small, but it was so cute and just my style. The bed was comfortable and the staff was friendly and very hospitable. Anything we needed they had someone bring it up to us in less than 10min, and they always did it with a smile. The bathroom was particularly small but again very cute and just my style. I love history and character in a building and I love an original feel to things. The only downside was there was just one front desk guy that didnt speak good English and was just not very friendly. Luckily we only had to deal with him at checkout.
Another thing is, while you do get a discount on parking at the parking garage behind the hotel, you do have to pay a fee for that, it might seem outrageous if you arent used to paying for parking in the bay area. Also its a pretty steep hike to the garage as well, so heels will fail you there. There is a 24 hr 7 – 11 across the street for late night snacking, and a diner and Starbucks on the corner.
Overall, we absolutely loved it here and would definitely come back. I wish they had more convenient parking, but it was a small price to pay for such an amazing time.

The Cartwright is located on Sutter Street, about mid-​block between Powell and Mason near Union Square. From the reviews I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I have to say that I am very happy with the place.
The rooms are small, to be sure (which I anticipated in an older downtown hotel), but they are clean and comfortable with plenty of closet space and a decent-​size dresser. The bed is comfy as well. The Cartwright actually has a good in-​room wireless connection, something that is not all that easy to find — I was able to watch streaming video on the iPad with only occasional interruptions. My main issue (again, which I anticipated) is that there aren’t sufficient electrical outlets for the electronics that I need on the road. It is also noisy, although that’s probably to be expected since it’s right off the Powell Street cable car lines.
The staff is really good — friendly and courteous and ready to help with recommendations and directions to nearby restaurants. It looks like they take pride in their hotel.
Overall I think you get really good value here and I suggest that you check the Cartwright out. There are many worse options around this section of town.

Classic San Francisco… Nice boutique hotel that is one short block away from Union Square. Rooms are typical SF downtown style. 2 queen beds with ample walking space and a small bathroom. Not too big in square footage but the Cartwright’s location cannot be beat. It’s on Sutter street, a mere steps away from the Powell Street cable car line. That truly is quintessential San Francisco. This hotel is a short walk to not only the many shops & department stores in Union Square but to Market Street, Chinatown, Powell Street cable car turnaround, Moscone Convention center, The Metreon, etc. Too many positives in staying at a hotel as central to San Francisco as the Cartwright.
What made our stay at the Cartwright standout is Tony who works at the bell desk. Tony Arnaldo is his name. He was so helpful with where to go to eat (not just touristy places), sightseeing tours (double decker bus & bay cruises) and many fun facts about the city. He should be commended for his customer service and from talking to him, he’s been working at that hotel for a long time. In essence, he is San Francisco. Friendly, helpful and full of interesting information. We now have our favorite chinese restaurant in the country because of you… Thanks Tony! Hope to see you again on the next trip to SF… We’ll definitely be looking to stay at the Cartwright and catching up with him.