The Cartwright Hotel – Union Square San Francisco, Best Western Premier Collection is located on Sutter Street, one block off Union Square, San Francisco. This hotel is branded as Best Western Premier Collection, the top level brand with fewer than 100 hotels worldwide.
To cut to the chase, The Cartwright Hotel San Francisco Best Western Premier Collection makes the Premier Collection grade primarily for its location in the city center main retail shopping area of San Francisco. San Francisco’s primary upper upscale hotel district is located around Union Square and Market Street. Plus, this 1913 hotel building is one of the oldest structures standing in downtown San Francisco, where the 1906 earthquake and fire completely destroyed nearly every building in the downtown district of the city.
The normal reward night rate at Best Western The Cartwright is 36,000 points year-round. I stayed in San Francisco for 10,000 points per night during the current Best Western Rewards promotion for any hotel in North America at 10,000 points through January 31, 2018.
Loyalty Traveler – Best Western North America 10,000 points reward nights to Jan 31, 2018
Clockwise around Saks Fifth Avenue on Union Square are skyscraper hotels Kimpton Sir Francis Drake Hotel (left), Marriott Union Square (behind Sir Francis Drake) and Grand Hyatt San Francisco (right rear). Photo was snapped on Powell Street standing in front of Westin St. Francis Hotel on Union Square.
Best Western Cartwright is about 150 feet from Marriott Union Square (left photo), also located on Sutter St. Right photo below shows Kimpton Sir Francis Drake on Powell Street with Grand Hyatt behind.
 
Hotel Cartwright Union Square San Francisco
Arrival and Parking
After a few days driving around San Francisco, Kelley and I agreed that we will try and avoid taking our car into San Francisco again when we stay downtown in a hotel. I used to pride myself on my San Francisco free street parking skills and rarely paid over $20 to park overnight in a garage on dozens of nights I stayed from 2008-2013. Kelley was not into a free street challenge on this trip.
The cost to park at Best Western The Cartwright is $45 valet or $35 self-park. I charged self-park to my room, just under $40 after tax. The parking garage is one block up the hill on the left side of one-way Bush St.
The Cartwright Hotel Lobby
The lobby of The Cartwright Hotel is a highlight of the property with several seating spaces. I spent a couple hours in the early morning on a couch by the fireplace drinking morning coffee and writing Loyalty traveler posts.
 
 
 
I was under the impression there would be a complimentary breakfast service, but that is not part of the deal at this hotel.
Lorie’s Diner on the corner of Sutter and Powell is a 24-hour restaurant.
 
One part of old hotels I enjoy are the stairways. The second floor of the hotel has a conference room and historic artifacts.
 
Room 306
The room was a bit tight, but I have certainly seen smaller rooms in other historic hotels of San Francisco like Starwood’s The Palace and St. Francis.
King bed was quite comfortable with good pillows.
 
 
The chocolate bar and a bottle of water were part of a Best Western Rewards elite member amenity bag I received at check-in. There was a large closet behind the door with a mirror. Large enough to make a small child’s bed or a pet bed.
Seems like most hotels I have stayed in the past 18 months have USB ports by the bed for phone charging.
Room 306 Window Views
 
306 bathroom
The small bathroom detracted from the room in Kelley’s opinion. The bathroom was so small that my left knee rested up against the shower glass when sitting on the toilet.
 
On the upside, the rain shower at Best Western The Cartwright was better than the rain shower at Hyatt Centric Fisherman’s Wharf where we also stayed on this trip.
 
Good Value at 10,000 BWR points per night until Jan 31
Best Western Premier Collection The Cartwright Union Square has room rates as low as $100 to $120 over the next couple of months. I enjoyed this hotel at 10,000 points per night, but I would not spend 36,000 points per night there, unless I could not find a better option.
Best Western Rewards promotion for any hotel in the USA at 10,000 points is quite a good value offer for many Best Western hotels for stays through January 31, 2017.
Now and then I find good redemption value with Best Western Rewards points in various countries around the world. This San Francisco stay was one of the few times I have used my points for a USA hotel. As I recall, Ruby’s Bryce Canyon Utah in 2013 is the last time I redeemed BWR points in the USA.
I am taking advantage of booking another 10 or so hotel reward nights in the USA over the next two months during the 10,000 points per night promotion.
I will use this opportunity for cheap Best Western reward nights to take a trip to Miami and Key West in January when hotel room rates are peak season and normal reward night rates are 36,000 points.
Best Western Premier Collection Sooke, British Columbia
This is only my second stay at a Best Western Premier Collection Hotel. I stayed at Best Western Prestige Oceanfront Sooke, British Columbia in 2015 prior to the division of BW Premier and BW Premier Collection. Sooke was an impressive waterfront property for Best Western Hotels.
Loyalty Traveler – Go west from Victoria for Best Western Premier Prestige Oceanfront Resort Sooke (May 1, 2015).
In San Francisco, I think The Cartwright Hotel Union Square has a better location than Best Western Plus Americania, unless you are going to a nearby theater or desire a rooftop swimming pool. Perhaps I will book a night or two there to check out that hotel before the end of January.
