DoubleTree by Hilton San Francisco Airport

My family checked in at 7 p.m. Friday for two nights, but the room was 81 degrees and never got below 77. It was so hot my kid had to sleep in his underwear. At 1 a.m. I went down for a fan, and the front desk got one from a storage closet full of box fans labeled "double tree," so this seems like a known, ongoing problem. Pointing the fan at the bed helped, but the room stayed hot. You can feel the heat as soon as you enter the lobby from outside. I had to give up the second night and find another place. I’d never stay here again.

The service was fantastic, the lobby was clean, and I loved the location and airport shuttle. The room was a little outdated, with a torn drape and a clock outlet that wasn’t working right, though I didn’t need it. I wasn’t happy with the breakfast buffet because the food was cold.

I had to switch rooms three times because of their condition. The rooms were dated and not clean, with hair around the tub and stains on the pillowcases. The furniture looked old and dingy. I showed the photos to the front desk and got no apology or acknowledgment. I’m completely unhappy with the hotel’s quality and customer service, and wouldn’t recommend it.

The only bright spot in an otherwise very negative stay was the shuttle driver, an Asian woman whose kindness, positive attitude, and genuine smile stood out. At the front desk, I got no comparable care. I arrived almost at 2 a.m. on Monday, January 19, with a prepaid reservation, though I was leaving at 7 that same morning. The agent asked for a $50 deposit. My corporate card was declined, and my bank temporarily blocked my personal card because the transaction was unusual. With no other electronic payment option at that hour, I offered cash and even offered my passport and laptop as collateral. The agent flatly refused and made no effort to find a solution. She said I could spend the night in the lobby and warned that security would remove me if I fell asleep, despite my valid prepaid booking and having just come off a 20-hour flight. I asked for a manager, who never came. After I insisted again and spoke with another employee, the original agent went to the back office. She eventually accepted cash, but only after increasing the fee, which felt punitive rather than procedural. It was painfully clear she disliked her job and was taking her frustration out on guests. Front desk staff should show basic empathy, problem-solving, and human decency, especially with exhausted travelers in the middle of the night. Management should seriously reconsider who they put in this role, since it shapes guests’ first and lasting impression of the hotel.