This is a beautiful, historic hotel in a prime location near public transportation. The garden dining room is breathtaking! The indoor pool with skylights is a nice perk since not many SF hotels have this amenity. Because it is an older hotel, the bathrooms aren't as luxurious as they are at the newest Vegas type hotels, so no jets in the tubs, etc. But you don't see this type of building craftsmanship anymore at newer hotels. Very stately. Great experience.

When I foolishly asked the registration clerk if I could have a “room with a view,” he almost rolled his eyes at me and said, “There are no rooms with a view. This is a ‘historic’ hotel.”

“Historic” is an understatement. It was like touring the Vanderbilt Mansion (in Poughkeepsie, NY), but getting to sleep there. In fact one of the speakers at the conference I attended said that he did not realize the Palace of Versailles was located in San Francisco.

I would recommend this hotel for business, solo travelers, and maybe couples. However, there were quite a few families with younger children staying there and they - the kids - seemed to be having fun. There is a lot to look at.

Staff was gracious and room was comfortable. The prices for extra things, internet, food were very high. You must though have a cocktail in the Maxfield Parrish bar. The mural is incredible. It is worth the $16 glass of wine. There are plenty of inexpensive excellent restaurants outside of the hotel within a couple blocks - gotta feed those bankers.

You can't beat this location for proximity to the BART station! You literally come upon the hotel when you get off at the Montgomery street exit.
There is a Ghiradelli store right in this building.
It was a short walk to the ocean to the market in the morning and not too far of a cab ride to Lombardi area (to see the crooked street)
We also walked back from Grant Street (China Town) and later a shopping district. Union Square was an easy walk from here, and pretty much anything you need to see. (It was less than a 10 min cab ride to the Pier where we boarded the Alcatraz cruise)
The room was clean, and pretty much quiet.

It is a grand and imposing looking hotel. There are plenty of gilded furniture pieces. The public spaces are well kept. The staff cannot be nicer and courteous. The BART station is in front of the hotel. Union Square is only a 3-4 blocks away as well as the Ferry Building.
However, if you are picky about how the room looks and the condition that it is in, then I think it might dampen your overall experience. My junior suite is big enough, but the furniture is falling apart. The bottom level of the end tables collapses with the weight of one book. The ceiling paint is cracking/peeling, the walls have red streaks what looked like somebody running a lipstick across it. The bathroom faucet is loose and leaky, the mattress needs to be replaced, and the carpet is showing its age.
It is not the most expensive hotel in town, it is close to the downtown and financial districts of the city. You can walk to many attractions. If the price is right, I wouldn't mind staying here again. However, better upkeep of the rooms would have made staying at the hotel a much nicer and grander experience.