Hotel Nikko San Francisco Rating: 4.0 Pearls

Union Square, San Francisco, California

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The lobby

With its high-ceilinged, sparkling marble lobby meticulously decorated with imperial Japanese design elements and carefully curated artwork, the Hotel Nikko proffers an image of understated, Zen-style luxury. Once co-owned by Japan Airlines, its clientele skews heavily toward Japanese business travelers. An array of distinctly Japanese-informed amenities -- granite soaking tubs in some of the suites, Shiatsu masseuse on-site, traditional Japanese menu items on the breakfast buffet -- pay tribute to this.

Standard rooms are affordable and boast fabulously comfortable pillow-top beds with Frette linens. But at 270 square feet, the awkwardly laid out Petite Queen room (the base-level room type) is little more than a few strange, gauntletlike corridors and a bed wedged between the window and a small desk. The gorgeous, newly renovated bathrooms stand in stark contrast to the drab, beige-toned bedrooms, which have yet to receive a facelift.

Many of the features that set the Nikko apart from its competition -- like its huge pool, quirky in-house cabaret and beautiful Japanese design flourishes -- aren't included in the price of a standard room. Unless you've booked an Imperial Club room (which affords access to the Imperial Club lounge, free Wi-Fi, complimentary breakfast and free entry to the Club Nikko workout and pool facilities), or gone whole hog with one of the two gorgeous $1600-a-night Japanese suites, you don't get a true taste of the hotel's unique offerings. You might as well be staying at the Hilton across the street.

Alternatively, it's worth checking the rates at the JW Marriott, also in Union Square, which offers larger rooms, more amenities, and superior service features like its 24-hour butler service. Or, for a more cohesive, traditional Japanese design experience and a better spa, the Hotel Kabuki, though slightly removed from the action in quiet Japantown, is a better option.

The front desk

The Hotel Nikko San Francisco prides itself on its Japanese approach to service, which purportedly means that its staff makes an effort to anticipate guests' needs. Fellow travelers I spoke with sang the praises of the hotel staff, especially as it pertained to their business-related needs (great catering services and responsive event-planning team). I didn't experience any of this ostensible bend-over-backward treatment. The concierge was friendly but not overly helpful when I asked about getting tickets to see that evening's performance at the in-house cabaret. Waitstaff at the restaurant was adequate but not noticeably solicitous. And though the hotel claims to offer poolside food and drink service, it wasn't immediately apparent how to exploit this, as there is no staff or attendant on duty.

• Staff concierge
• Room service from Asian-fusion restaurant Anzu restaurant available daily, 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.
• Poolside food and drink service available (but not apparent)
• Valet parking is $45 per day plus taxes.

View on a Larger Map

Two blocks from the upscale shopping mecca and transportation hub, Union Square, the Nikko resides on a nondescript stretch of commercial street lined with hotels, divey Irish bars, and midlevel restaurants. It's convenient but not scenic, and travelers should know that, though it advertises itself as a Union Square hotel, it lies right on the edge of the Tenderloin, a neighborhood rife with panhandlers and vagrants that gets dicey at night.

• Two blocks from Market Street, a bustling commercial thoroughfare
• Two blocks from San Francisco's shopping and transportation hub, Union Square
• Small theater district two blocks north includes the Curran and American Conservatory theaters
• Two blocks from Powell Street BART station
• Two blocks to Geary Limited bus line
• Two miles from Fisherman's Wharf and the ferries to Alcatraz
• Five miles from the Golden Gate Bridge
• San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is about a 30-minute, $30 to $40 cab ride.

Deluxe room

The hotel's piecemeal renovation strategy is evident in the guest rooms. The beautiful, modern bathrooms are clean and vaguely Zen, with large square porcelain sinks, sleek fixtures, attractive black wood shelves and marble counters and showerheads that have great water pressure. But the bedroom belies superficial wear-and-tear (scuffs, scrapes and dents on chairs, desks and walls) and drab beige furniture that could use an update (the hotel is in the midst of "little by little" room renovations that are scheduled to end in early spring 2012. )

Also, unique to the Hotel Nikko, is that there's a doorbell outside every guest room that changes color to indicate whether the room is inhabited -- a helpful feature for the housekeeping staff, and also one that dovetails with the hotel's multiple green initiatives (the sensors inside the rooms automatically turn off the thermostat if there's been no activity in the room).

• At 270 square feet, the standard, Petite Queen room is a touch smaller than the average hotel room in San Francisco, but it feels even smaller due to its awkward layout; a narrow hallway leading from the entrance takes up a good chunk of the square footage.
• Deluxe rooms, which feature either two queens or one king-size bed, are significantly bigger at 364 to 420 square feet (ask about an upgrade at check-in; the cost could be as little as $20).
• Comfortable bed (queen-size in the base-level room type): pillow-top mattress; silky Frette linens; goose-down comforter; four pillows
• Large, 42-inch flat-screen plasma TV
• No minibar
• In-room Wi-Fi usually costs $14.95 a day (some web rates include free internet)
• Complimentary coffee and tea
• Gilchrist and Soames toiletries
• Imperial Club rooms have been renovated within the last 18 months and offer free access to Wi-Fi, the gym and spa facilities at "Club Nikko" and the Imperial Club Lounge, which serves a free breakfast buffet and an evening wine and cheese reception.
• At about $1,600 per night, the Japanese Suites are studies in exotic beauty: The bedroom features two queen beds, a Japanese rock garden at the foot of the window and shoji screen sliding doors. The pièce de résistance is the bathroom, outfitted with a stunning black granite soaking tub, wood-slatted stall shower and Vibe TV embedded in the mirror above the sink.

The lap pool

One of the hotel's most impressive bragging rights is the so-called Club Nikko, which encompasses a huge, glassed-in lap pool, small Jacuzzi, an outdoor balcony, impressive fitness center and Zen-designed locker rooms outfitted with a steam room and sauna, plus a Shiatsu Massage Center (really just a one-table room that's open Monday through Saturday). Massages cost about $125 for an hour and are also available in the room. If you're staying in an Imperial Club room, you get free access to the facilities. Otherwise, a onetime $10 fee applies.

The kitschy, 170-seat cabaret, The Rrazz Room, boasts an impressive, if niche, lineup of acts most days of the week that range from jazz and R&B to gay-friendly comedy acts. The cost of admission can be steep (it was $55 the night I went) and doesn't include the two-drink minimum.

• Pool open daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
• 24-hour gym is huge and stocked with cardio and weight-training machines, free weights and ample floor space for stretching and yoga.
• Shiatsu massage services available Monday through Saturday; $125 per hour
• Small, free 24-hour business center accessible by room key
• On-site Starbucks, Enterprise rental car office, salon and gift shop

The hotel mainly attracts international business travelers, so it's not surprising that there aren't any kid-focused amenities on offer, though the friendly staff does what it can to accomodate families with children. The huge indoor pool -- a rarity in San Francisco -- is a potential draw for travelers with tykes, but the scene during my stay was decidedly quiet and relaxed, and seemed geared primarly toward guests hoping to get in a few uninterrupted laps in, pre-massage.

• Room service offers a kid's menu.
• Deluxe rooms offer option of two queen-size beds.
• Free cribs available
• $30 charge for rollaway beds
• Kids' buffet breakfast is half-price.
• No adjoining rooms available
• Neighborhood adjacent to hotel can get dicey at night, so families traveling with children should be wary of wandering.

Anzu

"EuroJapanese" restaurant Anzu serves breakfast, lunch and dinner that's commensurate with run-of-the-mill hotel restaurants, which is to say: overpriced for food that's merely okay. My Farmer's Market Salad ($9) with pear, Roquefort and pumpkin seeds was fresh, bountiful and seasonally appropriate but my main course of Wild Japanese Mushroom Pappardelle ($21) was flavorless, messily composed and swimming in butter. Best to stick with the more straightforward menu items like sushi and steak. Anzu really shines at breakfast, with an extensive array of American and Japanese dishes. A wider variety of food options at all price points is within a few blocks of the hotel and well worth taking advantage of.

• $20 buys a worthwhile American-Japanese Breakfast Buffet (served every morning from 6:30 to 10:30 a.m.) featuring standard American fare -- fruit, scrambled eggs, bacon and sausage -- plus an interesting array of Japanese items, including miso soup, pickled vegetables, salted salmon and individually packaged cups of the pungent, sticky Japanese breakfast staple natto
• Room service is available from 6:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. and can be ordered poolside.
• Four blocks from San Francisco greasy spoon institution Dottie's True Blue Cafe and the high-end cocktail bar, Bourbon and Branch

The lobby is sparkling and hallways are shipshape. Many of the guest rooms have been only partially renovated, meaning that the bathrooms are clean and attractively modern, but the rooms themselves show signs of wear: Superficial scuffs and scratches on the furniture and walls were common throughout my room. Upon entering my very petite, Petite Queen, there was a persistent stench of cloying, perfumy cleaning products. As far as smells go, it wasn't so bad, but the odor lingered and induced a splitting headache. Since the windows don't open, there was no way to circulate fresh air in the room.

There is a $50 per day fee for pets, and a 40 pound weight limit. You must also notify the hotel in advance if you plan on bringing your furry friend.

• No special pet amenities available
• Pets may not be left unattended in guest rooms

The Nikko has taken pains to appeal to guests with an environmental conscience and has earned a government-bestowed Energy Star award six years running for its efforts. Among its green initiatives are guestrooms outfitted with sensor-controlled thermostats, low-flow toilets, a laundry system that uses filtered, recycled water from second and third rinse cycles, and low-energy fluorescent bulbs in 82 percent of the hotel's light fixtures.