Overall, I would have to say - yuck.

This hotel is mediocre - old small rooms, moderately updated, poor service, and not all that competitively priced. The online reviews and web site definitely make it look at lot better then it is. Some hip new furniture and curtains can't cover the shabbiness of the rooms and the location is VERY marginal.

Great hotel

This hotel was a great find. We had stayed in the location before and were looking for a more luxurious hotel that we could afford - we found it. It's a great compromise between a really high end hotel and an average one. It is a boutique hotel with lots of character and style.

We got a great rate as teh hotel, if you book through them, will match any rate you can find on the internet. They will then rebook it at a lower rate if you find it later up until the day before. The rooms are small but they all are in San Fransisco. We were originally in a room that looked at a brick wall, otherwise it was great. We asked to be moved further up and ended up with a city view. The rooms are very clean, comfortable and nicely furnished. The staff were great. There is free internet in the business centre 24 hours a day and a small gym and sauna. The location is great. You can walk everywhere in San Fran if you are reasonably fit and the cable car is 2 blocks away as is the subway system. We walked almost everywhere. One note is that there are some really seedy areas if you walk the wrong way. I would not recommend walking very far south of the hotel, especially at night. The other directions are ok although you are still in a large US city.

There are lots of homeless people, especially towards and on Market street. Recommend taking the sub or trolley to the Castro but walking to the financial area, anywhere north or west or east is basically fine. There are car rental places (several) within 1 block of the hotel - renting a car for a day trip to wine country is a wonderful thing to do and cheaper than the bus tours and much more interesting. Don't rent a car for the whole time or bring a car in - parking is almost as expensive as your hotel room. Taking the new rapid transit (forget what it is called) from the airport is easy, comfortable and safe. If you don't have too much luggage it is only a four block walk to the hotel (or cab) from the subway station. It is cheaper and also completely avoids the traffic that the buses and cabs get stuck in. Have fun.

Beats The Multi-National Business-focused chains

Just back from a five night stay at the Serrano with a business colleague whilst attending a conference at the Moscone Center. We were a bit apprehensive prior to the stay, with the label of 'boutique hotel', wondering if we might get eyed suspiciously as a couple. It was booked through Priceline, so we could only choose class of hotel and district. Last time, I'd done this, I'd got a good deal on the Hilton across the Street. Our fears were unfounded though. It is a very friendly establishment, and the wine reception each evening lent itself to chatting with other guests, which was a great ice-breaker. The rooms are by no means the biggest I've ever seen, but they were clean and well serviced. It's really handily located too; 8-10 min (safe) walk to the Moscone Center, and 4-5 from Powell Street cable car station, as well as the other attractions around Union Square and the Market Street shops. I'd definitely be happy to return here rather than the Hilton if I was offered similar room rates.

Be Careful

The facilities and rooms at the Serrano are fine. So is the location.

However, I want to add my voice to those complaining about personnel-type problems with this hotel.

Here's why: About six months ago, I booked a room at the Serrano -- two double beds, standard -- for my two sons and my partner for eight nights. I got the room via Hotwire. I called the hotel to confirm the booking and was immediately pressured into upgrading. (Another $60 per night.) After some heavy selling and threats of being left out in the cold, I agreed to upgrade. After thinking more about the cost and our needs I called back a couple hours later and requested the original room. I was told "sorry, but you're locked into" the upgrade.

Next, I e-mailed the owners of the hotel (the Kimpton Group, which owns many more similar hotels in San Francisco) explaining my situation and saying that I wanted to original room. I received a very pleasant letter from head office informing me that the booking had been changed back and that we were good to go.

I e-mailed the head office a couple more times with questions and got answers and reassurances that the room was still ours. I called the hotel directly twice to confirm the booking. My final e-mail to the head office, less than a week prior to leaving for our trip, got the same positive response: the room was a standard double and was paid for in full via the Hotwire payment.

When we arrived at the hotel, exhausted from the east-west trek and the plane changes, I gave my credit card to the desk clerk (as is usual for incidental charges). But, instead of simply punching in my number and checking available funds, the clerk tried to charge $1,000 (i.e. to actually remove that amount from my credit card, not simply put a hold on it) WITHOUT TELLING ME. It wasn't until he had silently tried to make the charge a second snd third time that I began to suspect that something was wrong. I asked him what was the problem and he asked me if I had another card, since the one he was using was being declined.

That was when I asked him what he was doing and he told me that he was attempting to "upgrade" our booking as we had requested. Fortunately, the card he was using was my ATM card, which has a $400 per day limit for withdrawals.

On the one hand, this was an administrative oversight. On the other hand, and more likely, this was an attempt to grab as much money as possible from us -- WITHOUT OUR KNOWLEDGE (He could have put us in any room after making that charge, including a standard double, without me ever knowing he made the charge had I not questioned it.)

I believe that this was a deliberate act. I simply can not imagine a reoutable desk clerk "accidentally" forgetting to tell a guest that they are going to charge that person's credit card $1000, particularly with such a paper trail saying that there was to be no upgrade.

The bottom line here is that, if you do stay at this hotel, (and we never will again) make sure you check that they are going to do everything they say they will. And, particularly, ask them exactly what they are taking from your credit card.

Great hotel!

We stayed at the Serrano Hotel for work for about a week. The staff was

very attentive. Free use of DSL internet access in your room with a

business center available for printing and faxing. Great location and

quaint rooms. Wine happy hour nightly was great to unwind to.

Perfect Choice!!

My husband and I stayed in the Serrano Hotel for a portion of our honeymoon on the weekend of June 14th, 2003. We were so impressed with the character and ambiance that this hotel possesses. The lobby and rooms are all beautiful and unique, and it is in a great location. We stayed in a king deluxe room on the 17th floor and the view was absolutely amazing. The staff was very helpful with all of our questions and always made great suggestions. This is really a high class hotel with great deals! We got it for $99/night from hotels.com.

There were some other hotels in CA that we stayed at during our trip that were $300/night, and they weren't half as nice!! We will definitely stay at the Serrano again when we return to San Fran!

They Double Charged a hole wedding block

I was doubled charged at this hotel, along with the entire wedding block. When I confronted the accountant I was told it was a holding fee that would drop off of my account in 5 to 10 business days, which it didn't. I talked to the manager and he told me they don't charge a holding fee and that according to Their records I was only charged once. GET YOUR STORY STRAIGHT, before you lie to your guests!!!

Discriminatory and snobby

Our stay was awful. Just because we were a young, non white couple the workers there were giving us dirty looks and treating us as though we did not deserve to be in the "establishment". I know that is what it was, because there was another young couple who did not look like us and they were treated with the utmost respect. it was our first wedding anniversary, and we wasted time and money here. My husband tried out the wine hour and everyone there was gawking at him as though it was a bad joke. We got facials and massages and though our actual facialist was great, everyone else had the worst attitude ever! When we checked out, they RAN to get our keys as though they couldn't wait for us to leave, and still had us waiting for our car. The front desk was rude and unaccomodating. We had a suite, and though our room was great, this hotel can still go straight to hell! If you aren't what "normally" would patronize a "high class" hotel, don't go here! We definitely will not ever again!

Loved our stay

my husband and I just returned from celebrating our 20th anniversary in San Francisco. We stayed at the Serrano Hotel for 7 nights.Not only did we love the location of the hotel, we liked the smallness of the hotel, and ''old world'' look of the lobby..The first night we stayed in a deluxe queen room,which we had reserved.It was small, but bright and clean and the view from the 17th floor was great! When the hotel staff heard it was our anniversary trip we were brought a tray full of snacks, assorted chocolates and bottled water[we do not drink alcohol] and the next day we were given a complimentary upgrade to an executive king room on the same floor. The bed was one of the most comfortable beds we have ever slept on and as the room states, king size!The room was bigger and brighter and the view was still awesome, especially at night.We enjoyed the privacy we received. We did not receive room service or buy any of the generous snacks or drinks in the room , but they were available for purchase.The staff was friendly ,not overbearing or pushy.One thing we found unusual was that the staff did not seem to know us by name or even by face when we came and went.Often times we were never even acknowleded unless we said something first to them. .We were there 7 nights.For being small, they should ''get to know'' their customers, especially the ones that are there a week or more on a more personal level, that is my opinion.Other than that, and the fact that the doorman never seemed to be near the door when we came or went,we loved our stay at the Serrano. It was a small , quiet and non pushy or uppity hotel in the center of San Francisco and that is the kind of hotel we wanted.We enjoyed our stay and would return again.

Not bad

Not a bad hotel, it's housed in a dated building so the rooms are extremely small. They have renovated the rooms extensively, but what this building needs is a complete gut out.