More and more I am seeing hotel properties catering to our little humans. I’ve seen teddy bears on turned down beds, scavenger hunts at resort properties, even all-out theatrical performances! Child hospitality is the way forward. With so many families traveling, and often for business (more than you’d think), why not create a few special elements for those miniature travelers? After all, it’s their experience too! Of all the varying ways I’ve seen hotels extend hospitality to children, I have to say Hotel Union Square in the heart of San Francisco, California brought the epic of all epics to their property when they designed the Kid’s Suite.

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The Little felt right at home. He was in his glory.

For the Kids

Picture this, your kid walking into a giant double sized room, with an entire half of the space dedicated just to their sheer delight. I’m talking toys, a kid’s bed, Nintendo Wii, a flat-screen TV, a computer loaded with games, books, and board games all nestled alongside four tall loft-like windows that overlook Union Square. Talk about epic! There’s no fighting for space! There’s no hotel boredom! There’s no going to sleep! This is what all family hotels should have, this is exactly how mom and dad get to enjoy that glass of vino after a long day of sightseeing! SCORE! For the divas in the family, check out this other Personality Hotels property in San Francisco, Diva Hotel with the Little Divas Kid’s Suite!

This is way cooler than I ever thought it would be! -The Little

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A little something for the Little, thank you Hotel Union Square!

For Mom and Dad

This room is just as glorious for you as it is for the little monsters! With a king-sized bed and plenty of space of your own to unwind while your kids flip out on their side of the room. Yes, there’s a flat-screen TV on this side of the room too right next to the view of the city. I especially loved the sleek design and comic art toss pillow on my bed.

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I face planted into this sack after a long day of driving and sightseeing. I’ll tell you, it was like a cloud.

The History of Hotel Union Square is Pretty Cool

Originally built in 1913, it housed the Golden West Hotel. Dashiell Hammett, famous scribe from the roaring 1920s and author of the Maltese Falcon and the Thin Man series simply adored this place. In fact, he adored it so much that he booked his bride-to-be Josephine Dolan in a suite on the night before their 1921 wedding. After this and during the Prohibition Era it had a home above a huge speakeasy called The Golden Bubble. In the 1950s, it became the Golden State Hotel until it was purchased by Personality Hotels in the 1980s and opened as Hotel Union Square in 1982 to be the first boutique hotel in San Francisco.

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A closer look outside.

For the Grown-Ups

This building has a lot of character with exposed brick walls, vintage exterior, and modern glam design. The open, loft-like layout with “floating” white paneled ceiling installations will make you feel like you’re in your very own Union Square flat with all the conveniences and amenities of being in a hotel. There’s no kitchen so this is not an apartment space, but it is so big that extended stays would be a breeze.

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More of the lobby area. Photo courtesy of Personality Hotels
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Lobby area, very sleek and glam. Photo courtesy of Personality Hotels
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More of the lobby Photo courtesy of Personality Hotels

About Union Square

Hotel Union Square is a mix of class and nostalgia right in the middle of the bustling Union Square area of San Francisco. Staying in Union Square is probably the most convenient area to stay, in all of San Francisco with the famous cable cars and other modes of public transport just outside. The area also backs up to China Town, the largest Chinese population outside of China in the world.

Visiting San Francisco? Check out their awesome visitors site here

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Cable cars are right there! Who’s going to SF without riding a cable car???
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Some of the cool stuff in the area. I love the nostalgia.
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Easy enough! All modes of transport right at your toes.

So What’s the Value for the Digs?

I guess this depends on how much your sanity is worth it. To me, I would pay a fair price for my kid to be entertained in his own space while we relax after a long day of sightseeing. The going rate for the Kid’s Suite is $140.00 – $186.00 average. Not bad for peace and quiet! The hotel is pristine at every turn, the staff is very friendly and helpful, and the location couldn’t be better. We give Hotel Union Square 100 Fairytale Traveler points for staff, cleanliness, convenience, and value.

For up to date rates for Hotel Union Square click here

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If you aren’t rocking any mini-humans, maybe you’re looking for a swank double. Photo courtesy of Personality Hotels.
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The outside of Hotel Union Square. Photo courtesy of Personality Hotels.

This review was made possible by:

San Francisco Travel Logo PERSONALITYHOTELSLOGO_zps3f28a42c

 

 

 

 

Though we were provided complimentary accommodations for our stay, this in no way affects the outcome of our review of this property.

 

Author

Christa Thompson is the Founder and Chief Editor of The Fairytale Traveler. She started traveling the world in 2003 when she attended a summer abroad study at the University of Cambridge in England. Since then, her wanderlust has been fierce. Her three passions in life are her son, traveling, and being creative. The Fairytale Traveler brand gives Christa the opportunity to do all of these things and to live intentionally every day. "It's never too late to believe in what you love and to pursue your dreams." -Christa Thompson

25 Comments

  1. This Kid’s Suite looks incredible! My oldest is almost 18 now and when we first started travelling with her there was nothing like this available. I love how so many hotels are now making the conscious effort to appeal to families! I would consider staying at the Hotel Union Square on a visit to San Francisco just because they are obviously family-friendly – even if mine are too old for the Kid’s Suite!

    • I know tell me about it! It’s so nice to have something special stand out for the little travelers. I often wonder if he will remember half the things we do. When he has experiences like this, I know it stands out and is very memorable for him. He’s still talking about it!

  2. Wow what a fantastic idea! First off, it looks amazing (I love boutique hotels) and I can imagine kids wouldn’t even want to leave the room. Secondly, the rate seems quite affordable, considering I paid a similar amount for a nice chain hotel in the same area- without the extras of a kids suite!
    Great find!

  3. Wow that looks like so much fun! I’m a big kid and I’d love those perks! I think it’s great that hotels are starting to cater towards the little ones- fantastic ideas here!

  4. Those accents are just incredible! I’d love to stay in a place like this. It almost reminds me of Agatha Christie’s Aswan Hotel – the Old Cataract Hotel, a must for travellers to Egypt.

  5. This place looks wonderful! I don’t have any little people of my own yet, but I actually wouldn’t mind getting a gift bag like that. Color crayons and play money, awesome!

  6. This looks absolutely amazing. I know my kids would love it, especially my son. It would be hard getting him out to do sightseeing! I do think you’re right though that more hotels are waking up to this and doing stuff for kids. As we know, if the kids are happy, then the parents are, right?

    • Oh don’t we know it! Another place that really made a good impression in the Little was Dromoland Castle in Ireland. They had this plush teddy bear on his bed, games, and even a cool go cart for the kids. They also had activities scheduled all day. Really cool.

  7. SJ @ Chasing the Donkey Reply

    Move over little… Mrs. Chasing the Donkey is taking your place next trip. What a fabulous hotel!

  8. Wow, that’s actually a really great value for that much awesomeness. Even though I don’t have a tiny human in tow, I can definitely imagine how fabulous it is to have a space like that to keep them entertained. 🙂

    • Oh you have no idea. It was so nice to just come back to the room and relax! I really felt like he had a little vacation of his own -as did we!

  9. What a great room! It’s great that hotels are thinking more about how to appeal to different types of travelers (couples, families, etc.), rather than having one standard-styled room. Seems like everyone was pleased with the set-up, so well done, Hotel Union Square! Forward thinking!

  10. Hi there! Great writing. Thanks for covering this place (and this room). I’m thinking of booking us there with our 2 year old, but I worry that not having a door between the two sleeping spaces will make it hard for him to settle down to sleep, and that we’ll have to be quiet after he does. Any advice? Is the lobby very far away? Thank you.

    • Thank you so much! You’re right about the door thing but I guess it depends on your child’s age. The Little was just 5 when we were there and he had no problem passing out. Plus, we were out on the town all day. I don’t think we even got home until after 9… so he was in Neverland in no time at all. The distance between beds is pretty far, like a good 15 or so feet. There’s tvs on both sides so, that helps diffuse as well. I never felt like we were all too close. It was way more space than a regular double room that’s for sure. The room is huge! The lobby is just downstairs. It’s a boutique hotel so it’s pretty small. We hope to get back there soon. We really enjoyed our stay there.

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