Beacon Grand, San Francisco
Expert reviews
“Beacon Grand, formerly the 96-year-old Sir Francis Drake Hotel, reopened in 2022 with a new name and an extensive remodel. Its location in the heart of downtown, overlooking Union Square, along with its elegant bar, the Starlite, and whiskey lounge, the Hidden Library, evoke the hotel’s glamorous history.”
“Enter Beacon Grand, the rejuvenated embodiment of the landmark Sir Francis Drake Hotel. Elevating one of San Francisco’s most famous historic hotels into a modern destination for the 21st-century traveler, the hotel has been updated and rebranded. Combining legacy with ambition, it’s still the social focal point of Union Square.”
“This 1928 landmark—renovated and reopened in 2022—welcomes guests in its ornate, high-ceilinged lobby and classically elegant rooms that come equipped with 21st-century tech amenities but evoke the hotel’s heyday with gorgeously restored wood plank floors and plush white comforters.”
What guests liked
- Central location
- Private parking
- Free Wifi
- Comfortable beds
All you need to know
Beacon Grand (formerly the Sir Francis Drake) is a seriously cool spot right in the heart of San Francisco’s Union Square. The building oozes old-world charm, think marble staircases, vaulted ceilings, chandeliers, but it’s been totally reimagined for modern travelers.
Their rooms mix elegant craftsmanship (European oak floors, high ceilings) with contemporary perks like high-speed internet, Chromecast TVs, and eco-luxury toiletries.
When you’re not crashing in your room, there’s plenty to do: The Post Room is their cozy all-day lounge spot perfect for breakfast, dinner, or a cocktail, complete with local live music on weekends.
And for a bit of glamour, head up to Starlite on the 21st floor. It’s got a storied past as a rooftop bar and now spins vinyl nights, creative cocktails, and killer views.
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Location
Recent guest reviews
18 January 2026
Exceptional
Clean location was perfect. Starlight on 21st floor was amazing.
Bathroom shower was awkward with no door. Water spilled out to the floor.
15 January 2026
Very good
Easy check in, comfortable rooms, loved the blackout curtains and strong AC. Christmas/ holiday decorations were beautiful!
I had requested some champagne flutes in the room several times but none were brought, I think because the staff were very busy. We didn't have clear communication as to why we weren't allowed to the roof top bar at the end of the evening
14 January 2026
Wonderful hotel, in a great location, with friendly staff and gorgeous decor.
Gorgeous hotel, we loved the cocktail bar and location close to Union Square and access to cablecar stops. Very friendly staff, great service.
12 January 2026
Comfortable but could use some updates
Nice decor, beds were comfortable, clean.
Booking.com said we had an upgrade to a king room but it seemed like that was the most basic room. Could use a bit of a renovation in the bathroom and wall light switches. No breakfast except room service.
11 January 2026
Fabulous
The staff were lovely and extremely helpful. The location is excellent and the period features of the hotel are worth a stay.
Noisy at night, especially on weekends. The plumbing is old and you may need to flush a few times.
7 January 2026
Exceptional
The lobby has an old world charm to it and I fell in loooove! Feels like a hotel in Europe! Service was great, room was lovely and location is on the union square, it doesn’t get more central than this!
7 January 2026
Clean hotel,comfy beds, nice entrance, very central location.
Clean hotel,comfy beds, nice entrance, very central location.
6 January 2026
Exceptional
Everything!! Beautiful hotel!!
5 January 2026
A beautifully decorated hotel with friendly staff in the heart of SF.
It is clean, beautiful, and the staff were very friendly. The artwork in the common spaces is stunning. Having both the Starlite and the Post Room is a great addition. The bed and pillows were very comfortable, as well. Very nice hotel and we will be back for sure!
There was a bit of street noise as it is well located in the center of the city. Car alarms and loud people, though we did stay on a Friday night, so there were lots of people out and about until the wee hours. We would’ve appreciated earplugs in the room.
5 January 2026
Beautiful historic hotel perfect for a quick stay on Union Square over the holidays.
Beautiful old hotel in the midst of everything on Union Square. Walking distance to shopping, restaurants and bars with a variety of room types for a decent price.
While still nice, some of the rooms are very small so we chose to upgrade our rooms and spend more to have a little more space. Was worth it.
4 January 2026
In short , it is a good hotel. Old , but still good ! They should work on parking pricing
Location
That they don’t make your parking free, if you book with booking .com they don’t validate , but I am not sure , they just charge you the same amount that a other person without staying at the hotel will be charged. It is not fair
4 January 2026
The Most Memorable Stay in a Hotel!!! The Beacon Grand!##$%^**
Awesome incredible stay!!!! The staff. Reception, Doormen. .Bellmen...Cleaning staff..bartenders hostesses at the lounge on the 21st floor were exceptional!!! I want to celebrate my birthday on January 8th here!!! Bring my best friends!!! Reza Michele, Pamela, Franchesca, Sheri, Trish Erik here to party with me at the Beacon Grand...because Grand it is!!! Remarksble!!!
Everything was great!!!
4 January 2026
Good hospitality
Nice conservative place
Good service
2 January 2026
Pleasant
Great location. The foyer is beautiful and it’s clean. Bed was super comfortable. Staff were absolutely lovely.
Room was nice, just a little smaller than expected. The pillows could use an upgrade.
1 January 2026
Fabulous stay.
Staff were exceptionally helpful - very comfortable room with fabulous view
House keeping failed to replace coffee/showercap/vanity package but reception happy to oblige
1 January 2026
Exceptional
Beautiful
Room was a little small
29 December 2025
Great
Great Location and beautiful lobby
25 December 2025
Pleasant
Location Beds are very comfortable
Bar staff never paid attention to us. We waited a long time for our drinks
24 December 2025
Fabulous
The staff was really friendly, the location was great, near union square and the hotel was bustling (holiday vibes).
Room was a bit small but comfortable and well equipped. Elevators were a bit slow due to lots of people going up and down.
22 December 2025
Exceptional
The beds were soooo comfortable and the bed linen is so nice and comfy The roof top bar is very special and has so good cocktails . And the staff up there is so nice . The DJ sets were well worth going up there .
Nothing to complain about
20 December 2025
Classy hotel in the heart of the city. Visit the starlite room. Highly recommend.
The bed and pillow were very comfortable. The proximity to union square perfect. The staff were very pleasant and attentive. The decor for the holidays beautiful. Quiet despite being in the heart of the city.
20 December 2025
Very good
great location, friendly staff. atmospheric lobby and rooms decoration. Nice view from the room.
a little dusty and some of the interior parts looked like they were about to break
19 December 2025
Excellent in every way!
Very comfy beds, attentive staff, great location, and just a beautiful historic hotel.
We were there on a very busy weekend, so didn’t get to experience the Star Lounge. But I don’t fault the hotel for that. Obviously a very popular place!
14 December 2025
Great location, comfortable, very noisy
The room was really comfortable and well appointed. The bed was very comfortable. Location is great, easily walkable to lots of SF.
It was super noisy. There was construction going on all night, and because the window's weren't double glazed you could hear everything - even on the 15th floor. This is an old hotel with very little soundproofing. You could hear people in the room next to you putting down their blinds.
13 December 2025
Okay for the price
Location near to Union Square
The bathroom. Baffles me how short women of 5’2” are supposed to get clean under rain showers…. Badly designed bathroom
11 December 2025
AMAZING!!!! WILL BE BACK AGAIN!!
Clean, staff are nice overall its a great experience!
None
11 December 2025
Nice stay for work
A really cool hotel, the position is near all the major transports even if it’s too close to the Tenderloin area, ste staff was super friendly they let me do the check out a little bit late without any problems
There was a little bit of noise coming from the air conditioning of the hotel
9 December 2025
It was great
Location. The Post Room. Very accommodating!! And nicer than the Starlight.
My hair dryer didn’t work and the coffee pot didn’t work . And that donut at the Starlight~~ absolutely horrid. Get it off the menu. And I wanted to watch the sunset and Macys Christmas, ect. I was told I had a table so I could see both. When I got there at my reserved time the sun had gone down, and I couldn’t see Macys or other.. no view at all. Very disappointing!!
8 December 2025
The staff was so friendly and welcoming. The valet service was a plus! I loved the hotel, I will be staying here again
It is beautifully decorated and cozy.
Some of the space is a bit small
6 December 2025
Fabulous
This a beautiful tradicional hotel. Great location!
We used the bar a couple of times and we felt the service was not very organize. Love the lounge and the location.
3 December 2025
Very good
Historic building
Name change
3 December 2025
The best of San Francisco! Can’t wait to come back.
Beautiful hotel, excellent location. The most comfortable bed!
3 December 2025
Pleasant
Affordable and centrally located, and has a sense of history about it. Bathrooms were in good shape.
Like many older hotels, the rooms are on the small side and it shows its age a bit. Valet service is quite expensive.
3 December 2025
Exceptional
The location is excellent.
The two bottles/cans of water was open when we made the check in.
27 November 2025
Lovely location and easy access to all events/shops/activities
Location and ambience - great staff
Room was not huge but we did not spend much time in it!
25 November 2025
Very nice historic hotel in a convenient location
Bed was so comfortable, room was small but lovely, with classic elegance but some modern amenities. All the staff we interacted with were pretty nice. The bartender Casey was the best and went above and beyond for us.
Room service was so expensive, but it was delicious. A light in the room entryway would be really helpful.
24 November 2025
Very good
Very comfortable bed, nice lounge and atmosphere. Excellent breakfast.
20 November 2025
Fabulous
In the heart of downtown, convenient to restaurants and shopping.
The neighborhood can be a little seedy, but this is not the hotel's fault.
19 November 2025
Fabulous
Staff was very helpful. Rooms were nice and clean.
Price was too expensive for the property.
17 November 2025
Good Hotel, But Valet Parking Is Overpriced
Great location, nice rooms, very clean.
The hotel itself is nice, but be aware that there is no on-site parking. They offer valet parking only, and it costs $72 plus tax per day, which is definitely not the same as having proper hotel parking. The price is excessively expensive, and it felt unreasonable for what is essentially a basic service. If you’re planning to drive, keep this in mind because it really affects the overall value of the stay.
15 November 2025
Central and boujie
Friendly staff. Nice locality
They don't have photos of the older rooms you might be in. All be it clean, quite dated and worn out. Also i was disturbed twice when privacy was requested. On two separate days.
13 November 2025
Exceptional
Beautiful old hotel. Nicely renovated in reception areas and once you got inside the bedrooms.
Drab corridors to rooms. Some bathrooms still need renovation. Our second room was better than the first.
11 November 2025
Excellent location and extremely comfortable stay. Would recommend
Excellent location around the corner from Union Square. Old worldly building- well maintained with very comfortable bedroom and bathroom well appointed. Staff were exceptional. Roof top bar with an amazing view of San Fran. Value for money
Staff casually dressed seemed strange but very polite and courteous
5 November 2025
Exceptional
Good location, nice interior. The manager is a thoughtful and nice person.
5 November 2025
Memorable, comfortable and relaxing stay - thank you!
Beautiful art deco hotel with wonderful staff and service.
4 November 2025
Very good
There was no fan in the bathroom. Sinks were too small, hard to rinse face off without hitting the faucet or getting water all over the floor, and the towels could be fluffier.
4 November 2025
Exceptional stay, amazing staff and stunning historic centrally located hotel,highly recommended.
What a stunning hotel. The entrance was of course grand,impressive and had the wow factor. A beautiful historic hotel with a modern twist. Alma on reception gave us a warm and very generous welcome, offering us a complimentary room upgrade and vouchers for drinks at the beautiful lobby bar. Our room was beautiful, luxurious,stylish and had a fantastic view over Union Square but was surprisingly quiet. Beds were the best I've ever slept in, room was immaculate and had everything we needed. We ate in the restaurant for dinner and the food was exceptionally good and we enjoyed lovely cocktails and our son a delicious milkshake. The waiter whose name I've forgotten ( so sorry) was warm and friendly and very attentive. We really enjoyed the experience. Location wise, it's super central and the Powell line cable car goes right past the hotel. Walking distance to Chinatown, Union Square etc.. We went up to have a look at the Starlight bar on the 21st floor and it had magnificent panoramic views over the city. Being Halloween there was a brilliant party atmosphere in there and it again was beautifully decorated. We were unable to stay for a drink as there was a party on and we had our 11 year old with us but it will give us a reason to return 😊 The only downside was that one night of course was not long enough. The concierge staff and doorman Angelo out front were warm, friendly and kind and nothing was too much trouble. I do hope that the Management acknowledge the exceptional staff they have at the Beacon Grand and customer service they deliver. They really made our stay perfect in every way and we would of course, love to visit again one day.
Nothing.
3 November 2025
Beautiful hotel with amazing staff
Absolutely beautiful and the staff were amazing
Rooms were a little small but very tastefully decorated
3 November 2025
Exceptional
It is a beautiful, clean hotel in a great location.
Parking is pricey and the room was warm.
Hotel facilities
Food & Drink
- - Restaurant
- - Bar
- - Wine/champagne (additional charge)
- - Coffee house on site
General
- - Room service
- - Non-smoking rooms
- - Facilities for disabled guests
- - Family rooms
- - Lift
- - Safety deposit box
- - Heating
- - Non-smoking throughout
- - Air conditioning
Business facilities
- - Meeting/banquet facilities
- - Fax/photocopying
Reception services
- - 24-hour front desk
- - Tour desk
- - Luggage storage
- - Concierge service
Activities
- - Fitness centre
- - Fitness
Cleaning services
- - Laundry (additional charge)
- - Dry cleaning (additional charge)
- - Daily housekeeping
Parking
- - Parking garage
Miscellaneous
- - 24-hour security
- - Key access
- - Key card access
- - Smoke alarms
- - Fire extinguishers

More photos

18 January 2026
Loves it here, will def come back!