Our Family Friendly stay at the Westin San Francisco Airport Hotel

October 30, 2018February 17, 2021 Margalit Sturm Francus

Located at 1 Old Bayshore Highway, Millbrae, CA 94030, the Westin San Francisco Airport hotel is another perfect hotel to stay for families with kids who love airplanes.

Like the Aloft San Francisco, this hotel has a perfect view of the San Francisco Airport runways. Apart from proximity to SFO airport, the 397 room property is close to the BART and Caltrain stations, the Bayfront Park as well as the quaint downtown area of Burlingame.

What we liked about the Westin San Francisco Airport

We liked the traditional, elegant decor throughout the property.
The indoor heated pool was a great spot to relax after a busy day.
The property offers a free shuttle to the International airport as well as to downtown San Mateo.
The restaurant on the premises had several interesting dishes for lunch and dinner.

What we didn’t like about the Westin San Francisco Airport

The property doesn’t offer a two Queen beds option, so a family of four with older kids needs to book two rooms.
Though cheaper than parking in the city there is a hefty charge for parking. Self-parking is $30 a day, and Valet is $40 a day.
If you are noise sensitive staying at the hotel may be challenging since most rooms are facing the airport runways and you can still hear the airplanes taking off and landing.
restaurant food relatively pricey for families with limited food options in the immediate area

Our pre-arrival special requests

Per usual, I called ahead to make sure they could accommodate a quiet room and feather free room. The Westin chain is known for their heavenly feather beds, but they were very accommodating when it came to my allergies.

Our welcome

Upon arrival, we were greeted with orange cucumber infused water. Our check-in was super quick. As I was checking in, the front desk clerk noticed that I was a Gold SPG member and automatically upgraded us to a larger room on a higher designated floor.

Décor

The Westin San Francisco Airport hotel has a traditional old-fashioned hotel feel to it. Like in any luxury hotel there were multiple sitting areas all comfortable to lounge in a while waiting to check in. The candelabras and the fireplaces provided an elegant touch and complimented the setting. We stayed the first week of January and still got to enjoy the pretty holiday decorations on display.

Fellow travelers

I noticed a lot of families at the hotel during our stay. This might have been because of the holiday season. Other fellow travelers included business people, as well as retirees that opted to stay at the property before pending flights.

Our Room

Our double beds’ room decorated with subdued tones of tans had a mid-century vibe to it. The flooring in the room was a standard tan plush carpet, while the light wallpaper added texture to the room. I liked the blond wood paneling over the beds and the Golden Gate wood sculpture between the beds, a nod to the city by the Bay.

Furniture wise, the room had a mini-sized nightstand, desk with a leatherette chair and functional teak wood dresser. On top of the nightstand, we found a lamp as well as a phone and alarm clock. The dark wood desk was coupled with a comfortable chair while its neighboring dresser housed storage drawers along with a 40 inch TV on top.

The closet was quite spacious with plenty of room for our clothes. Inside we found an ironing board and iron along with a safe to store valuables. The room had several electrical outlets that enabled us to juice our electronic devices.

We liked the soft linens and robes provided but would have appreciated a couple of extra electrical fixtures to supply the room with more light.

Our Bathroom

The wallpaper decor continued into the modestly sized bathrooms. We were glad to discover that the white stone bathroom countertop allowed for plenty of room for our personal belongings.

Our bathroom had no tub which may prove challenging for families with little kids. But it did have a shower with two shower heads a rainfall style and handheld one as well as the obligatory grab bars.

Of course, we appreciated the White Tea amenity kit and the standing counter top mirror, that I could move around where ever I needed it.

The Pool

The surprise wow factor for us was the indoor heated pool. The size of their indoor pool is huge, 1000 square feet to be exact, and when I tested the water, it was the perfect temperature. At pool depth ranging from 3.51 feet to 4 feet deep it was a great way to relax for families with kids.

The Gym

Yes, the Westin has a nice sized gym too. But what I really like is their WestinWORKOUT® Gear Lending Program. To help travelers pack less, the hotel lends out (by request) clean workout clothes and New Balance shoes for the length of their stay. The program costs $5 a day, and they even give you socks which by the way you get to keep.

The restaurants on property

At the Westin, a Gold SPG member, you get your breakfast for free. The property didn’t have an executive lounge but did offer a breakfast buffet at its Grill &Vine American style restaurant. Their menu included cold cuts, bakery items, granola, and dry cereals, bacon, eggs, sausage, pancakes, fruits, yogurt, and even smoothies.

The venue is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The restaurant offers 18 specialty wines by the glass or carafe as well as interesting cocktails to pair with their American foo dishes.

We also stopped by the Runway Café to grab a few snacks for our room and was pleased with the selections on hand.

Cost

Keep in mind, while I was here in January 2018, the rooms cost between USD 110-115. But the rates do change depending on the day you wish to stay. But there are additional WIFI charges for non-SPG Gold status or higher members as well as parking fees to take into account.

Service

The service at the Westin San Francisco Airport hotel was phenomenal. The housekeeping and concierge made sure they went over and beyond to ensure that we had a comfortable and great stay.

Autism Travel Tips

Though the property has triple pane windows travelers with noise sensitivities should ask for a room that doesn’t face the runways or next to the elevators