Galleria Park Hotel Rating: 3.0 Pearls

Union Square, San Francisco, California

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The lobby pays tribute to the building's Art Deco history

The 177-room, Art-Deco-inspired Galleria Park Hotel is an example of a boutique overhaul done -- mostly -- right. Built as the Hotel Sutter in 1911, the space was purchased by California boutique syndicate Joie de Vivre in 2005 and lovingly renovated in 2007. The lobby, bedecked with calla lilies, makes every effort to pay tribute to the building's history, with silvery textured walls, mirror-paneled furniture, and an oversize Art Nouveau fireplace. Even the framed artwork in the guest rooms spotlights art from the hotel's heyday.

Aside from the art, though, the rooms are unfortunately drab. The cool blue-grey walls can make the space seem dark and even dreary at times -- an attribute that wasn't helped by the lack of natural light coming from the single, interior-facing window of my "deluxe" standard room. My room's unusual L-shaped layout broke the space up into awkward segments and made its alleged 300 square feet seem much smaller. A nondescript sitting area consisted of a couch, a tube television, and an "honor bar" that looked like a dorm-room fridge. The double bed, with Frette linens, was too squishy for my taste and wedged into a poorly lit alcove. The bathroom was comparatively bright, with immaculate white tile and a large (but somewhat grimy) window that opened wide to provide the room with ample circulation.

Service is casually friendly but not remarkably helpful in the way that it is at the nearby and similarly priced Hotel Adagio. Amenities are spartan: Valet and front desk personnel double as concierges (and the results are uneven); the gym is a glorified guestroom with three machines; and the business center is similarly small and rudimentary, with two desktop PCs and a printer. A free daily wine reception in the lobby, while not a particularly exciting scene, is a nice touch. And free Wi-Fi throughout the hotel is a significant perk: Daily Internet fees in the $10 to $20 range are standard in San Francisco hotels.

One of the Galleria Park's nicer touches is the "urban garden" and "jogging track" on the 3rd floor terrace. In the midst of the skyscrapers of downtown, the terrace, ringed by flowering bushes, is truly an oasis -- a perfect perch for reading and relaxing, if weather permits. A casual sandwich shop, Bread & Cocoa, is convenient for a quick bite, and a tasty low-key French brasserie, Cafe Claude, is a block and a half away. The hotel recently added HECHO, an on-site tequila and sushi bar.

View on a Larger Map

On a somewhat dreary commercial street surrounded by vacant storefronts and high-rises, the Galleria Park's location is hardly picturesque. Nonetheless, it's an ultra convenient few blocks' walk from the heart of the Union Square shopping district (and yet far enough removed that it's relatively quiet). Home to enormous outposts of Niketown, Saks Fifth Avenue, Tiffany, Macy's, Louis Vuitton, and Neiman Marcus, among others, Union Square is to San Francisco what 5th Avenue is to New York. Locals don't hang out there much, but the square is great for people-watching nonetheless, and occasionally plays host to concerts, small festivals, and demonstrations. If shopping isn't your priority, you might prefer a hotel in a neighborhood closer to some of the biggest tourists attractions, like the Hyatt in Fisherman's Wharf.

• Three blocks northeast of Union Square
• Two blocks from the Montgomery Street BART stop (Bay Area Rapid Transit, the commuter train to the farther reaches of the metro area)
• Three blocks from the Powell-Mason and Powell-Hyde cable car lines, which run to Lombard Street and Ghirardelli Square or to Fisherman's Wharf, near Pier 39; a 20-minute ride for $5
• $10 to $20 cab ride to the Golden Gate Bridge, Golden Gate Park, the Presidio, and Haight-Ashbury
• Discount day-of theater seats available at the Union Square ticket kiosk
• $40, 30-minute cab ride from San Francisco International Airport (or about $65 from Oakland). The hotel can arrange shuttle service to either airport (SFO: $16 per person; Oakland: $25 for one person and $12 for each additional), but you're on your own arranging transportation from the airport to the hotel.
• An array of dining options, including the nearby Café Claude and Café de la Presse, are a short distance, and lauded watering hole Rickhouse is one block up on Kearny and Bush.