Great location, great staff, but the property is run down. The red carpet entrance is threadbare. Our room had the smallest bathroom I have ever seen. The window was flapping open and would not shut. We had to buy duct tape and tape the window shut. Another window was cracked. The front desk clerk said all the windows were bad, so we decided not to switch rooms. I would be embarrassed if I was Kimpton.
The staff was excellent, particularly the concierge and front desk staff.

This hotel is very conveniently located right in the heart of San Francisco, by Union Square.

The public rooms are very impressive. Our bedroom had a great view of Union Square. We enjoyed the wine reception held late each afternoon.

There were a few downsides to staying here:

1. There are only four fairly small lifts (elevators) in this large hotel. Besides serving the bedrooms, these elevators carry those going to the popular Starlight Room at the top of the hotel. As a result elevators often took quite some time to arrive and, when one came, it was frequently full.

2. The ensuite bathroom was tiny with very little space for toiletries. However, it was nice that the bathroom had a window which opened.

3. The main body of our room was extremely well lit, but the walk-in closet was not lit at all and was therefore dark. The in-room safe was near floor level at the back of the closet, behind all the hanging garments. It could only be accessed by crawling on the floor, pushing our longer hanging garments aside and, as there was no lighting, using a torch (flashlight) to see the numbers on the door and to see within the safe.

4. The bed was exceptionally high, which would be difficult for short guests.

Stayed at this hotel with family. Calvin at the reception desk was extremely helpful upon check-in. The rooms we stayed in were on the smaller side but comfortable, charming and have a lot of character(older but refurbished). The bathroom has a tub but still small, the walk-in closet is spacious enough to have all your luggage. The room has a smaller fridge with a mini bar but barely enough room to fit you. The location is great but the parking is $50. I walked two streets over and parked for $13 from midnight to 9:30am. The view from the top floor is amazing. Heater made some noise during the night, but I was fine with it.

We love San Fran and usually stay by Fisherman's Warf. But this time we selected Union Square location. The Sir Francis Drake is at a great location. The cable car stop is right outside your door , as well as hundreds of restaurants, GREAT shopping and even discount theatre tickets. The staff is very helpful but the best help for suggestions is Lief, the head conciergre. He really knows his city.
The rooms are nice, clean and comfortable but nothing outstanding. The one negative is the bathroom is really really tiny. The Starlight Room on the roof is a must for an evening cocktail. Be aware of the rooms on the street side for noise. We were on the 11th floor and still heard the street noise, it wasn't bad , just be aware.