Great Holiday Inn..Great Price

How could anyone give this hotel a bad review....I found the contemporary look quite lovely. (It was just recently renovated to my understanding). The employees at the front desk gave us fast, courteous and polite service. This hotel is centrally located to terrific San Fran tourist attractions such as Pier 39, the cable car terminus, shopping and "Little Italy" The complimentary breakfast is very good and has a wide variety of selections to choose from; hot cinnamon rolls, cereals, hard boiled eggs and different types of muffins.

There's enough selections to please the whole family. If we return to San Francisco, I would definitely return to the HI Express. A great deal for a lot less money than most S.F. hotels.

Can't believe negative reviews

I was very impressed with the stay I had at the HIE Fisherman's Wharf.

It is perfectly located, just two blocks from The Bay, and the staff are some of the friendliest I have come across on my trek around North America. The rooms are huge, comfortable and spotless and the breakfast (free) is the best I have come across so far. I can only surmise that those who had problems had actually booked into the non-HIE hotel across the road from the HIE. They are actually two separate hotels as far as I can tell. The fact there is also a Denny's on site which served excellent food was another bonus. The free internet access, available around the clock near the lobby, just confirmed the quality of the hotel. Even a couple of small problems I had with the faucets in my room were dealt with within seconds. Many thanks to the HIE for a fine four night stay!

Why bother?

Stayed for 3 nights in March 03. Upon arrival after lengthy flight, advised after standing in massive queue that room is located in another building only a short walk away but not assistance with luggage can be provided. (they had obviously never attempted to navigate luggage, small children, and an elderly mother down this supposed short walk).

Upon arriving in our room, we find that it wasnt the room type we had requested and confirmed and that my mother was located at the opposite end of the floor. The pool so beautifully pictured was also located back at the original building as was anything else of use. We found the staff to be lacking in numbers or simply not interested in offering assistance or doing anything faster than a snail's pace. I believe i could of taken a tour of the area twice over in the time it took to organise for the luggage to be minded. We are heading back to San Francisco shortly and have decided to try elsewhere. It can't get any worse.

Good Value

We stayed at HI express in March 2003 for around $75 a night. The hotel was an excellent value for the quality of room. If you sign up for priority rewards with HI you get a free newspaper. The breakfast was awesome! Variety and quality food for breakfast allowed us to eat less for lunch. I have stayed at much worse hotels for over $100 a night.

Being our first trip to San Fran, and that we are on a budget, this hotel was great for us. The location is perfect for first time visitors since you can walk to all of the "touristy" things.

Great Price, Location, & Clean

Stayed for 6 nights over July 4th 2003 (Rm. 362) on an Expedia vacation package ($700 each for air / hotel / transfers). The Holiday Inn Express is located in the Fisherman's Wharf area and bus tours, cruises, tourist shops, etc. are right around the corner. MUNI bus, tram, and cable cars are at the corner of within 2 blocks walk. Our room was a good size with 2 doubles, 2 phones, 2 chairs, large closet, safe, ironing board and iron, 3-drawer armoire that also held the 21-inch TV. Bathroom was a good size and always clean. Most rooms, as did ours, open onto interior courtyards (not accessible by guests and have no greenery) that provide window light and quiet for sleeping. Window only opens a few inches but it was enough for fresh air when needed. Staff were extremely helpful; lobby and room was kept very clean and we never had to ask for anything. Lobby is attractive and the complimentary breakfast of cereal, muffins, cinnamon buns, fruit, juice, coffee, and hard-boiled eggs was a welcome treat as most American hotels do not include breakfast. Free Internet access can be found just off the lobby or guests can pay $10.99 per 24-hours of Web TV. There were bus groups and cheerleading groups staying at the same time but we never heard any untold noise. Because of the large number of hotels in this area, taxis and limos are easy to come by. North Beach, the Italian area, is within walking distance for a great selection of restaurants if you tire of the selection at Fisherman's Wharf. We used Super Shuttle to get us from airport to hotel and back for $13 each way. We are already thinking of an autumn trip to SF and will definitely consider staying at the Holiday Inn Express, Fisherman's Wharf again.

Holiday Inn--Fisherman's Wharf--great location, irritating problems

Our recent stay at the Holiday Inn at Fisherman's Wharf on two different weekends was a mixed bag. The location is great, housekeeping staff are excellent, and the rooms are nice. Don't expect a view unless you are a business traveler on the top floor(5). But several irritations exist for a young family with kids. 1) The picture of the pool is misleading. Many hotels shoot the photo to make the pool appear larger. If you swim laps, you won't like this one. 2) Laundry is a rip off at $4.00/load. Worse than the gouging is the lack of a change machine. When you ask the front deck for change you are told to wait in the usually long check in line. The gift shop is separately run and can't give out too much change. 3) The workout room is stifilingly hot on summer days. I noticed that they put in AC in the office, how about some for us sweaty exercisers? 4) Parking is pricey at $26 a day. Either do with out a car, or look for a package including parking. 5) Coffee in the lobby is two bucks for a cup of Starbucks. You get the cup...see if you can figure out a way to beat the system...

Excellent hotel - great value

Clean modern hotel offering excellent value for money. Very good inclusive breakfast and well located for all the amenities of Fishermans Wharf and the Cable Cars. We would certainly use this hotel again.

Perfect for our needs

My son and I recently spent 4 nights at the HI Express, FW and were very impressed. Our room (#468) was large, clean, bright and airy. The housekeeping was good; the desk-staff were friendly and helpful. The Continental Buffet Breakfast was superb; the food area was exceptionally clean and everything was well-stocked, despite the hotel being busy during our visit.After spending 4 nights at the HI Express, we moved to the Union Square area for a further 4 nights. In retrospect we should've stayed where we were. The area around the HI Express has a much more pleasant vibe than that 'downtown'.

Great acess / not muchwalking

Found hotel to be clean and quiet. Needed this after active day in Fisherman's wharl area. Close to stores ,restaurants and sightseeing. Cable cars, Piers,Alcatraz and more no more than 5 min walk from front door. Will defintely be back there. Breakfast an added ,fine quality. Only negative thought is that airport arrangements have to be made early in stay so as not to miss plane home. There is at least a 3/4 hour ride to airport.

Good Clean Accommodation

This hotel offers good, clean accommodation. Nothing fancy but more than adequate for a few nights stay, with the added bonus of continental breakfast being thrown in for the price!Situated within a few minutes walk from the Wharf and the cable car terminus. Worth a look!