A below-average urban hotel in a decent location.
I stayed here for 3 nights recently, but wish I had booked elsewhere. Unfortunately it was a last-minute reservation as part of a "wing it" road trip, and it was one of the few hotels downtown still available. I now see why.
The issues began with their 3rd party reservation service, which you're required to use if you're booking via phone. The female on the phone knew little to nothing about the hotel itself, including the actual prices of the rooms along with the specials being offered on the hotel's site. You'd think this would be important information for their booking service to know? Initially she only offered the highest prices until I pointed out the hotel web site's pricing. She then checked and confirmed I was correct. Ultimately I agreed to pay for an upgraded room with a "view of the street and trolley" (their description, not mine). After taking my reservation information, I had asked a question about shuttle service to the airport. The woman said she'd find out and then (conveniently?) disconnected.
When I get to the hotel, the first thing I notice is that the entire building is serviced by the slowest, single elevator you can imagine-- and it has a five person capacity! Now, if they had a bar or something in the lobby, this could be a good gig. Push the call button, have a beer, and wait for a spot on the elevator to your 8th floor room. But nope... All they have is the hotel desk and small couch. Not very inviting at all. Hope you like stairs.
After checking in, I was given a tiny room with an even tinier alcove bathroom containing a toilet and shower. Including all my travels in Europe, this was by far the smallest hotel room I had ever been given. Oh and my view: an alley, the roof of the building next door and the window of the adjacent guest room. I could *hear* the street, but could not see it, even if I stuck my head out of the window. I did go back to the desk to ask what exactly my upgrade bought me, and it was learned that despite my arrangement with the 3rd partly booking service, I had been assigned their basic-rate room (at the upgraded price). I discussed the inequities of that and was given the option of moving. But after seeing what little else this hotel offered, I chose instead to just pay the lower $170/night for my closet room, which was significantly cheaper than the "upgraded view" room. My bill was adjusted accordingly, however in hindsight I should have used this opportunity to try and cancel my reservation as even the lower price was just not worth it.
While the room itself was generally clean, there was a dark stain on my bedspread, right on top, so it was immediately noticeable. Also, the fact that there was no coffee maker in the room seemed a bit odd to me. I had just spent 10 days on the road from Seattle to San Fran along the 101, and even the cheapest places I stayed at had a coffee maker. Yeah, there's a Starbucks on the corner, but then you'd have to deal with the elevator again...
In addition, if you're looking at saving money by finding a hotel that offers free breakfast, the continental breakfast offered at the Stratford is low-end, and is only available between 0730-0900.
On a positive note, the Stratford is in a pretty decent location if you want to enjoy the high-end shopping this part of Frisco has to offer. But ironicly, if you're staying at the Stratford, your draw to San Francisco was probably not the upper-class shopping Union Square offers, anyway. And as a tourist, I'd say the Stratford 'is in the middle of everything but close to nothing'. Due to the distance (and hills) to major tourist attractions like Fisherman's Warf, you're going to need to use the BART (subway), trolley or cab as walking to these destinations is just not practical.
Anyway, I had a great time in San Francisco, but I'd encourage you to stay elsewhere.