The Fairmont is my 2nd home in San Fran. I visit once a year in January to celebrate my deceased parents wedding anniversary. They were married on Jan 6, 1943 at Old St. Mary’s Church in Chinatown. Had their honeymoon cocktail at Top of the Mark. My only brother and I stayed in 1999, 3 months before he died from cancer. So yo7 can see it is very special to me.
I selected this hotel as it was perfectly-place for a Book Signing Event... My view of Alcatraz, San Francisco Bay and Beyond were nothing-short-of Spectacular. But where the 'Rubber Meets`the`Road' for me was in the service levels by the team who work here. Even the Bellman has a history to share-there! And that wonderful lass behind the front desk, 'pinkie-promised' not to tell a single soul about my leaving my ammenities kits at the last hotel! She kindly topped me up with toothbrush, shave gear and other items I'd left behind in my wake... I'm up at 5 am every day to write, and I set up my laptop-nest in the massive lobby, surrounded by fabulous memorabillia of the Hotel, it's famed guests and more...
Unfortunately, this once beautiful hotel has been falling into disrepair. The lobby while grand had quite visibly stained carpets and dim lighting which I assume was there to try and hide the wear in the building. The men's bathroom in the lobby had graffiti in it. There was noticeable visible damage to some parts of the exterior. While we were eating in the main restaurant, we saw a mouse run across the room. The staff is pleasant, but not anything special. They did not greet us when we returned to the building. Overall, while the building has a grand lobby and exterior facade, I don't recommend staying here if you are looking for a luxurious experience.
We spent two nights at the gorgeous Fairmont San Francisco. Walking through the grand entrance into the impressive lobby for the first time is awesome. We were welcomed by every staff member from the valet to the doorman to the front desk. The front desk lady (sorry didn’t catch her name) went over our American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts benefits and offered us an upgrade to a suite. DUH! I jumped at having a suite over a regular room. We got our room key and then we went off to our room. I really like that your room key accesses the room floors. That is a bit of comfort that I wish a lot of the larger resorts would adopt. We were upgraded to the Dover Suite (room 690). This was a huge upgrade! Two rooms and two bathrooms on the corner of the main building overlooking California Street. We could hear the cable car bells! However, if you want a quieter room, I recommend you request a room on the other side of the building. Fairmont uses a text message system to check on you and to fill guest requests. My first request was for a fan (can’t sleep without one). Nice young man delivered a tower fan that literally didn’t make a sound. Another text and the same young man brought another of the same type of fan. A few more texts and that poor young man brought me a white noise machine. Dude I am sorry you ran back and forth so much but thank you!! FYI: didn’t know the room had a second bathroom until I went looking for the closet and found a second full bathroom. There was a huge sitting area with sofa and chairs and a full dining area. The dining area was perfect for my pre-meeting room service lunch (I ordered from the in-room iPad. Our American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts benefits included $100 food and beverage credit and daily breakfast for two (up to $90 per day). We really enjoyed the service in Laurel Court. We had drinks a few times and of course flexed that daily breakfast credit! I found the Lemon Ricotta Pancakes to be great and the Breakfast Chilaquiles too! I have to admit just two breakfast dishes and coffee for two was expensive! We spent every dime of that $90 breakfast credit each day! The Concierge set us up with Tonga Room reservations (burned the remainder of our food and beverage credit) and a wonderful China Town Walking Tour! We booked the Fairmont San Francisco on a friend’s recommendation and because we LOVE the Fairmont Olympic and Fairmont Orchid. The Fairmont San Francisco is tired. I hate to agree with other reviewers, but some places show their age and need attention. We did find dirty bathroom vents, poor water pressure, dirty windows, frayed carpet on the bedroom threshold and the ever-present long black hair in the shower. We also found the room to be quite warm even though we turned the AC down as far as it would go. It was quite chilly at night outside, but our room was a bit too toasty for my liking. Honestly, with the service so great we found we could overlook some of the stuff we and other reviewers encountered. Is the Fairmont San Francisco Grand – yes! Will we return – yes!…
Great time with all of the staff. Very friendly and accommodating. Enjoyed meeting everyone and got plenty of help from service staff that left us with smiles and relief. The beds were comfortable and the views were immaculate. Only complaint is there was a sock left under a chair in our room, probably by previous guest. It didn't negatively impact our stay too much; we were more-so confused how it might have hidden from cleaning staff and for how long. The finishes in the hotel reminded us of old Hollywood and we loved the vibe. Enjoyed our time in the Tonga Room very much. The band played great music and the cocktails were equal parts strong and delicious. A quick shoutout for Ted who works security at the Tonga Room: he really made us feel safe and appreciated as guests. As two women traveling alone, we felt it would be safe to stay at the hotel to enjoy the night amenities since we weren't familiar with the city. We noticed a much older man was "on the prowl" so to speak, and he would attempt to get in the personal space of every group of young women we saw. It happened twice in front of us and then to us. We noticed how uncomfortable it made all the women, not to mention us. We told Ted and he helped make sure the man left so that we could all safely enjoy ourselves while the band played. A big thanks to Ted for paying attention to the needs of everyone. He is incredibly nice and an outstanding staff member. Additionally, great room service dining options and food was delectable. It was my friend's birthday and first time to San Francisco. Thank you for a very memorable trip.…
I arrived late 11:00 pm and was greeted by pleasant but otherwise unhelpful staff. I had to ask how to find my room and was not given any information about wifi, restaurant or hotel amenities. The exterior, location and main common areas of the hotel are impressive. However I reserved a suite which was dusty and felt like it hadn’t been used in awhile. There were suspicious stains on the sofa. For the price of the room I expected a vanity kit and stocked mini bar and was greeted by neither and of course the restaurant was closed on my arrival. For a 750sf suite the majority of it was a useless living room with a full sized dining table that I didn’t need. What I could have used was a bottle opener and some wine glasses. I’d recommend renovating for a bigger bathroom and amenities. I paid the same price for the Peninsula in chicago and had a massive bathroom with heated floors, spa like shower/steam room, upscale amenities and smart features/thermostat. I paid half the price for a suite at the SF Omni which was smaller BUT provided nice amenities and superior service and the location was comparable. The Fairmont felt tired and no one I encountered made any effort to provide service. I stopped by the front desk and asked for some assistance with wifi and getting acquainted with then hotel’s offerings. ( supposedly a rooftop terrace, wine bar, Tonga tiki room, gym, restaurant, taxi stand ) they were polite but just pointed to a sign. I found more information from trip advisor than any staff there.…
This is a superb hotel. I’ve stayed here before and would absolutely stay here again. It’s a stunning building built in another time and another era, yet functions extremely well in the 21st century. The rooms are spacious and have good amenities, plugs, outlets, etc. The bed was super comfortable and the shower has plenty of hot water and good pressure (or at least as much as the government will allow). I love the large, wide, bright hallways. The service is eager, polite, and helpful always. Also, the in-house gym is updated so it actually has useful weightlifting equipment. I highly recommend the Fairmont SF.
Preference for a room away from the elevators is on my Accor profile as well as the room reservation for this stay. Despite that, I was assigned to a room directly across from the bank of elevators and was subject to the elevator dings and guests conversations throughout the night. Despite providing a soap dish at the sink, a bar of soap was not provided. To wash my hands, I had to reach into the shower and use the soap pump that was BOLTED TO THE WALL of the shower. During my last stay, slippers, shower cap and vanity items (cotton balls, cotton swabs) were provided, so I did not pack these things. They were not provided this time, and I was informed that these items are only available "upon request." Despite sharing these concerns in the kindest possible manner at checkout, I was not offered any compensation to address my complaints. So disappointed in the Fairmont.…
Had a nice stay. Rooms are a bit tired & should be re-done but centrally located with nice views. We enjoyed the Tonga Room which boosted the hotel from Avg to Very Good. Best suited for business travelers but ok for families looking to tour SF.
I'm a loyal Fairmont guest. This visit was very disappointing much more because I always rave to my children about the exceptional Fairmont hospitality. They get to experience the neglect that is not expected from a five-star rated property.
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim Your Listing