Great location and value

We have stayed at the Donatello at least 10 times. The location cannot be beat and the value is uncomparable to other hotels in the Union Square area. One big plus for us is the off-street valet parking. A lot of the smaller hotels we have stayed at have only one or two spots in front which make dropping off luggage a pain, and in alot of cases you have to circle the block more than once to try again. With the pedestrian traffic in the city, this is made even more difficult. The rooms are very spacious as other reviewers have stated, with the microwave and such. There is also a stereo and VCR. Street noise can be a problem so it is best to stay in a room at the back of the hotel. Our last trip, two nights ago, we were give a terrace room (5th floor only), on the end, (on Mason Street) it was so noisy we were unable to sleep. This is the first time we have had sleep interupted. It was also Valentine's Day, so there was extra partying going on. If your room number ends with 01 or 02, which will be the end rooms, noise may be a problem on the lower floors. These rooms have extra windows in them which is part of the problem. The lower floors tend to be for hotel guests, and the upper for vacation club members. The staff is very friendly and helpful, and we see the sames faces each time, which is nice. For those of us that live fairly close, and get S.F. newpapers, they run ads with incredible rates including parking. We have also been given coupons for returning visits (199.00, two nights including parking). Sometimes it is hard to make reservations directly with the hotel at the last minute, but I have been able to get a room on Travelocity with a decent rate. For a small hotel, this is really a great place. We already have a date to go back.

Perfect!!

We stayed 5 nights at The Donatello and thought everything was perfect!

This was our first trip to San Francisco, but when we return we plan to stay again. The location was central to everything without having to trek UPHILL too much. Plenty of retaurants and shops within a block. We were also very pleased with the concierge and other staff. Everyone was very helpful and the concierge was able to book us a table at a very busy restaurant at the last minute. Very good service and very reasonable rates....in fact, we were upgraded to a room with a terrace at no extra charge because they were not fully booked. Those rooms had no street noise whatsoever.

4 Star hotel, 3 Star service.

The Donatello is placed in an excellent loation. We found the street noise a little loud through the nights, and found it hard to sleep. The rooms are very spacious complete with a microwave, coffeemaker, bar fridge, and toaster which is very convenient. Upon check-in however, the cleanliness of our room was questionable. The main concierge staff on the "club" floor are very knowledgable and will give you excellent dircetions. The bellmen/concierge in the lobby however didnt seem to be quite as iwell informed, or able to provide us with accurate directions. We also did not recieve a rather important message which was left for us as the front desk. When we asked the front desk if there had been any messages, we were told to "check our voicemail" because they did not take messages. That would be alright, if the desk had not already assured the caller that our message would be forwarded to us. Internet connections are also not available. Overall our stay was satisfactory however we would rate this hotel as a 3 star rather than a 4 star facility.

Can't Beat The Donatello

I've stayed at The Donatello half a dozen times and want to share the benefit of my experiences with others. (I've also stayed in at least another half dozen SF hotels, including The Clift, The Fairmont, etc., so I have a good basis for my opinion.) The Donatello is about as good a value as you'll find in The City. That doesn't mean it's a budget hotel, just that it's not as elegant as some other places, but it's definitely well above average, with huge, well-furnished rooms (the largest standard rooms in SF). Room service is quite good, parking a little cheaper than at better-known hotels, service is fine, etc. One reviewer complained about street noise. I am a very light sleeper, so I can sympathize, but what do you expect in the downtown of a big city?

One of the best attributes is it's location: 1 block from Union Square, so you're near the action, but it's less noisy than being right on the Square. Simply reserve a room on the back (south) side of the hotel and as far from the street as possible, and you'll be fine. If you want a much above-average site, with good facilities & service, in a good location, and at a very reasonable price, you can't do better in SF.

The Donatello was a pleasure

I just returned from a six night stay in SF last night. I was in town on business & was lucky enough to have been booked at The Donatello. They really have the traveler's needs in mind. The microwave, fridge & toaster are life savers for a traveler who has a packed schedule (business or leisure - or even attempting both!). Of course you'll be dining out for the most part (it's SF!) but for left overs & even some bagels, cream cheese & juice it's perfect. The room was a very good size & mine even had a patio! The only downer was the "exercise room" was quite limited - one cycle, one treadmill & some free weights.

Great room and hotel but too noisy

Just got back from a trip that included four nights at the Donatello. We chose it due to the positive reviews we saw, unlike other hotels that had mixed reviews. Hate to break this record but there was one thing we didn't like about this hotel. The street noise - it was horrible! The windows are only single pane. Now I understand this is a problem with most older hotels in downtown San Fran. Rooms at the back may be better. But we had to sleep with ear plugs every night - and we were on the ninth floor! A plus noise wise is that we couldn't hear a thing from any other room. The other positives are the very large rooms (includes couch sitting area and mini kitchen with microwave, dishes, cutlery, fridge) new Euro furnishings in great condition, great central location, on-site valet parking, paper at your door every weekday morning. The morning coffee and donuts(!) is not worth getting up for (I would have thought a hotel this nice could have done better than donuts for the morning pastries!) but the fridge and coffee maker in your room lets you do your own continental breakfast fairly easy. In summary, the size and amenities of the rooms are great for people staying for a few days or longer but not a good hotel for light sleepers!

Best choice for a SFO hotel

Location, staff, facilities, price are the best. Would recommended this facility over other better known and higher price hotels.

Awesome

Just got back from a week in San Francisco. Stayed at the Donatello for the first time. The hotel was excellent. Perfect location, very large and very clean rooms. Extremely helpful and friendly staff. We had and excellent time. Thank you to the hotel from some people in Hawaii. The Donatello is fantastic.

Donatello does it

We spent two nights at the Hotel Donatello at the end of August 2002, the rooms are large with a microwave, toaster and refrigerator. The cable turnaround is a short walk as is the Gold Dust Lounge for an early AM bloody or Irish coffee. We spent $170 a night including parking, although we never used it. We could have gotten a better rate without it. Free (good) pastries and coffee in the morning. Great hotel, great value.

Great time at Donatello

I spent four days at Donatello last May. It is an excellent hotel. The room was spacious and the staff was very attentive. I would strongly recommend it.