Loved the Argonaut, rooms lovely, bed comfy, location fabulous! Didn't manage to take advantage of the free wine hour but great idea! All the staff were happy and friendly, nothing to complain about at all.

Would stay here again easily

Spent three nights here recently during a visit to San Francisco. We arrived over an hour before official check in which wasn't a problem as we were accommodated immediately. Taylor on reception was fantastic, asked why were in San Fran and pointed out loads of things to do and where to go.

The hotel, due to the use of the building before it was a hotel, is a little quirky. The bare brick walls and room doors which open outwards add to the ambience. Wifi is free is you join the hotels frequent stay programme. This isn't hard to do and I signed up for this within minutes to benefit from this. The hotel has a hosted wine hour from 5pm to 6pm each night where you can sample one or two or more glasses of wine! This is the only hotel chain I know that does this.

The Blue Mermaid restaurant is good for both breakfast and dinner and worth a visit. Their clam chowder, although not sampled by me, has won awards and I'm assured is worth a try by my partner.

The location couldn't be any better as you are right next door to the cable car stop and right on the waterfront in Fisherman's Wharf.

Overall, we had a comfortable and convenient stay. Hopefully the descriptions below will provide a good summary.

Rooms:

We found the rooms comfortable, spacious, and quiet. We had a nice view and found the overall facility clean and well-maintained. The cleaning service was also great in keeping the room tidy throughout our stay. The beds were comfortable and allowed for restful sleep after long days of exploring this wonderful city.

Location:

This was a plus for the hotel. It is walking distance to many restuarant options and shops. It is within great walking distance to many neighbourhoods, including North Beach, Chinatown, Ferry Building, and Nob Hill. If you turn left as you exit the hotel, you can even walk to Crissy Field. It is also close to the F-line and the cable car turnaround. We rented bikes to ride across the Golden Gate Bridge and found many options just next door to do so.

Service:

We found the service to be indifferent and rushed. Questions were answered when asked but without any further conversation or offers of assistance. We had registered for the Kimpton InTouch program but were not offered any of the benefits unless we specifically asked for each one on separate occasions. For example, we asked about Wifi and the and mini bar credits were handed pieces of paper without further instruction. When we asked how to use these, the receptionist just told us to read the papers. The doormen also often seemed distracted.

Having stayed at the Omni San Francisco during my last visit to San Francisco, the service at the Argonaut was disappointing in comparison. While the serivce at the Argonaut didn't ruin our stay, it really could've been better.

We stayed here for a couple of days before heading up to wine country. The location is great - very close to a cable car stop, lots of restaurant choices in the area, and within easy walking distance to Pier 39.
It's hard to beat the eclectic-ness of a Kimpton hotel...I forgot how much I love them! And, the Kimpton loyalty program includes some unique personal touches that differentiate it from your typical hotel points program.
(The evening wine hour is a great touch!)