The Westin San Francisco Market Street Hotel

Near Moscone but that's the only advantage. Food quality and choice low - prices outrageous. Room provided (suite $599/night!) had stained bathroom tiles (urine), small closet, cheap and poor functioning window drapes, Ikea level furniture, cheapo wastebaskets, no wet bar as promised, etc. Ice machine in hall broken - 4 days. Staff in DR slow, confused, and unhelpful.Overall staff very lean. Everything observed/received showed new owner (whose "reserved" suite we got - locked out closets - we booked 8 weeks ago!) focuses on cost saving and high prices. We selected this room to entertain business clients - it was utterly useless. Worse than Embassy Suites in Brooklyn !

My family & I stayed here for two nights. It was a very nice stay. We arrived early in the day & called to see if we could check in early. We spoke with a gentlemen & he was most helpful & kind. He said we could & it was not a problem.

A word of caution. If you plan on having your car valet, make sure you are ready to pay the $44 or so in charge. We ended up parking across the street in a Parking Garage for $20 a day. It wasn't a big deal for us. There were plenty of parking spaces & the walk was just across the street.

When we finally checked in to the room, I had originally reserved for a double bed. What they gave me was a king bed. I called down & they were happy to oblige & change our room to a double. The double was much more spacious for our family. The original king room was very clean & nice. It had a flat screen TV, but we weren't really there to watch TV and it was a bit small for us. Good size for a couple though. Our second room, the double, was clean as well. It had two queen beds that was very firm & comfy. The sheets were crisp clean & white. Pillows were very comfortable.

We had dinner at the hotel restaurant our first night. It was really good, but on the pricey side. The restaurant was Italian. The lobby is spacious & the staff were all very friendly. We did not encounter anyone who was less than helpful.

*On a side note, I had lost one of my luggage with an airline & the staff were very helpful in trying to help me find my luggage. I had to call around to different hotels in the city b/c they had delivered it to the wrong hotel, but it was still not found. All in all, the staff were very eager to help find our luggage.*

The location of this hotel was fantastic. It is close to everything. Union Square shopping is a few blocks a way. Chinatown is either a bus, train or taxi ride away. Not very far. The bus stop was right across the street. You can get a taxi easily w/the bellman & the train, it was right around the corner. We drove for the most part b/c we had an elderly traveler w/us. Finding parking around town was not bad for us. We got a meter parking near Fisherman's Wharf. We walked about two blocks to the Wharf. It's best to drive to experience most of the streets in SF. We also took the train trolley, but be warned, the line is very very long. The trolley station is about 5 or so blocks from the hotel.

We were very pleased we got a very good deal with this hotel. We enjoyed our stay here & would definitely come back if we ever stay in SF.

From the moment you walk into the lobby this place exudes class. This is the famous Argent, regardless of the name change it will always be The Argent!

Terrific stay, staff excellent, room first rate, and a view to die for.

What I Loved...

- The Staff - Very responsive, helpful, punctual and organized.

- The rich history of the hotel - Gorgeous architecture, a fantastic story about the survival of the building from its birth, lovely classic decor without being tacky.

- Rooms - Well furnished rooms, comfortable beds, and fantastic views

- Location - Very central to shopping, on the cable car route, lively area at night

- Michael Mina's Restaurant - On site and a must do for gastronomics.

Not so great...

- The rooms are starting to show some wear - peeling paint in the bathroom, scuff marks on walls/doors

- No WIFI available

- Noisy area - Woken by emergency vehicle sirens both nights

- Room Service issues - Overpriced for the quality of the food (it wasn't bad, but the value wasn't there), 24/7 room service was sloppy (couldn't reach room service at 1:15am), operator comprehension (did not seem to understand some of my requests and would avoid answering questions by gushing).

New Year's Eve in San Francisco always makes for an exciting time. With VIP reservations at Dolce, we needed a place to stay. The four in our group decided to book a room with two queen beds and a stunning view of the city at the Argent Hotel.

If first class luxury is what you are looking for, then the Argent is for you. We pulled right up to the lobby and immediately the valet attended to us. The bellhop had our bags on the cart ready to go by the time we even were to the desk for check in.

The hotel lobby has a young and exciting bar/lounge area where we enjoyed some delicious appetizers. Then it was out in the city for the countdown. The minute we walked outside, the hotel staff had a cab waiting for us.

With a simple drop of the hotel keys, our car was waiting for us and we were on our way the next morning. Overall, the Argent proved to be a perfect hotel to bring in the New Year in classy style. Its central location provides for a sophisticated retreat whether you are spending New Years, or just on a shopping spree at the new Westfield shopping center or in good old Union Square.