Today I read that the Radisson Hotel at Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco is being transitioned into Hotel Zephyr. I decided to share here a review I wrote a year ago about my experience at the Radisson. I was actually very happy with the hotel, mainly because it felt safe and was in a great location on the Wharf. It also felt modern, so I am not sure how much work they will need to do for the transition.
I stayed for a weekend in November, got in late Friday and left Sunday evening. I booked directly through the Radisson website to get 10% off, however it was still expensive for what you get. But, this is the Wharf, and you are paying for the tourist location.
I don’t know if I would stay on the Wharf again, but if you are going to, this is a great option. It is located right across from Pier 39. Quick walk to anything you need on the Wharf. There is a hotel guest only entrance off of the main street along the waterfront. Also in the building is a 7-11, Johnny Rockets, and IHOP as well as some tacky gift shops. Yes. This is for tourists only; I wonder how long these “low end” shops will stay after the phase in of Hotel Zephyr.
The hotel itself is nice enough. It was clean and well maintained. We didn’t use the pool, but were surprised it was open in November. It looked fine. The outside looks like a 1960’s motel which is actually a nice thing. They have kept some cool mid-century modern touches, and fun updates like the wall mural. We had a double bed room with a balcony. It was not huge, but does the job.
The Sleep Number beds were okay, nothing special. But nice touches include complimentary bottles of water, chocolates on your pillow. No mini-fridge.
Overall, if you want to stay on the Wharf, this is a great option. Argonaut looked much nicer but also twice the cost. It will be interesting to see if the jack up the prices after the remodel (my guess is yes). If you stay at the new Zephyr, let me know in comments what it is like.