Fairmont San Francisco

My husband and I went for our 20 year anniversary. We got a deal, so at least we didn't pay the usual $500 but I was astounded at how bad the room was. The mattress had both our backs in pain the next day. There was only the most basic of cable stations. There was no wireless charging, and they didn't have a service or a way to charge phones other than an outlet anywhere in the hotel. The shower was a low-pressure disappointment fest. Then, the worst: the pillows. The pillows ALL had these bizarre hard lumps throughout. I ordered more pillows to be sent to our room but they never arrived. So we had to sleep (poorly) on this hard mattress with lumpy pillows that woke both of us up all night. I get that we received a good deal for the night, but this is NOT the service I would expect from a standard room at a place like the Fairmont. Will never be staying there again.

Overall, it was not as special a wedding hotel experience as we would have hoped for at SF City Hall and Fairmont. Young couples go elsewhere, they will judge based on appearance. Everything emailed as promises did not really happen.

We gave the more negative reviews a wide berth and jumped into booking this hotel, wanting to experience history and 5* hospitality. Sadly, we were disappointed. To me, service is a big thing and it was not cohesive here. I described it like parents taking a hotel and leaving the kids in charge. Check in took a long time with one long queue. Once at the front it was fairly speedy but we were directed to a lift which was broken and then ended up in the wrong part of the hotel before finally arriving back to reception in a sweaty mess! We eventually found our room but it opened on to an open bathroom door which had a large scuff on it. To be fair, the overall room was in a good state with just a few scuffs but it was the first thing we saw. The WiFi access wasn't explained which caused issues too and we just felt stressed. The login was confusing and the free access was not obvious. My husband went to reception and the person he spoke with was really lovely and resolved the issues. The next evening we went to the lobby bar for cocktails and the waiter cursorily threw down the napkins which was a little rude. He did seem better as the time went on but it just didn't feel like I was in a good hotel. I do travel a lot due to my job and stay in all sorts of hotels from basic up to the very best, so I have a good feel for reasonable expectations and I was disappointed. Our standard king room was a good size with a nice large window with a view of the bay to the right. The bed was comfortable but be mindful there are interconnecting rooms and you can hear everything!! The glass is also single glazed and we were woken up early every morning with what sounded like banging crates. The shower was brilliant and there was shampoo, conditioner, body wash and body lotion. The body lotion was empty on arrival and we had to ask this to be refilled on day two at reception as it still hadn't been checked. They sent someone up with body wash and they were not happy when they realised it wasn't what we asked for. It was then sorted. Our blind also failed to operate on night one (the curtains are only for show). Luckily, Jerry the maintenance guy, fixed it quickly but again, it perhaps should have been spotted before we checked in. There was a good hair dryer, a great steamer and an iron and ironing board. We had a huge dressing room with a safe, two long mirrors, slippers and dressing gowns. There was an ice machine nearby which was handy. There is a resort fee of $35 per room per day but you do get some inclusions. There is a $10 credit per room per day in the coffee shop. A drip coffee starts at $6, an orange juice starts from $8 and a large pastry is $10. So it's not bad value. The area could do with a spruce up and I did strangely find a drill bit by my chair. You also get $10 per room per day for the mini bar. A cola is about $6 and then you have tax on top plus a restocking fee of 22%. I didn't use the gym but they have one. We didn't dine here but drinks in the lobby bar and Tonga Bar were brilliant. The Tonga bar is worth a visit. They had a great live band on and a fantastic atmosphere. The Porters at the front of the hotel were brilliant and always said hello and were professional and helpful. The Porters inside the hotel were a mixed bag and I had an item damaged on check out day having specifically pointed out it was fragile. The reception team was largely good especially Ashley on check out who tried her best to deal with this issue. The hotel seems very set up for business guests and there was a large conference on when we were leaving. The lobby was totally changed and we felt like we were in a conference, not a hotel. From various conversations, I get the impression this is not a hotel for leisure guests. The area itself is lovely. It's very hilly and it takes about 30 minutes to walk down to the Bay area. We walked most places, only getting a taxi to the Palace of Fine Arts, and it felt safe. If I were to return to the city, I would not stay here again sadly. Upon returning I did complete a survey sent by the hotel and I did receive a prompt apology and suggested resolution. The hotel and brand are excellent at resolutions but I really with they didn't have to work so hard on this. Get the small details right and good things follow.

Overall a beautiful property, a fantastic location and lots to see and do besides just sleeping. We only had 1 night here but will definitely consider the Fairmont San Fran for future stays. The property has history at every corner you turn, and the elegance is enduring. We spent a lot of time wandering the long halls, looking at all the historical pictures, and even peeking our heads into a 300+ person wedding in the ballroom. The staff here are great, as expected at such a fine property. Shout out to Susan in housekeeping who was a fantastic spokeperson for the hotel, giving us a quick glimpse at the view on the Golden Gate Bridge side as we walked past her cleaning the room. She had so much excitement and friendliness that we would come back to stay just to see her again. Our room was perfect and quiet. Very spacious including the massive bathroom, comfortable beds and clean. No issues at all with the rooms. Parking is a bit of a nightmare, particularly at busy times. The road in front can be an absolute circus with buses, cars, waymos etc all going every direction. Valet was something like $90 a night so I found a local garage to park at on SpotHero ... I assume space is limited so the high price is to dissuade people from bringing vehicles. The Tonga Room oozes history and is a great place to get a tiki drink, albeit quite an expensive one but sometimes you pay for the experience also, and the band they had playing was amazing. Breakfast was limited to a buffet when we visited and was pitiful. I feel bad for anyone paying the $45 per person, as it was at a level of a basic hotel buffet. Eggs, sausage, bacon, some basic pastries, fruit, yogurt etc. Thankfully our breakfast was included in our stay, otherwise I would have been livid. Our comped bill came to $112 including taxes and auto gratuity and I am not exaggerating when I say the food was of a Hampton Inn buffet quality. Steer clear and find a local cafe if you get sticker shock easily. The location of the hotel is one of the standouts I believe. It is in a very historical neighborhood, high atop a hill with fantastic views in all directions. The area is clean, right next to a cable car route and easy to navigate. If you have time, the free Cable Car museum is only 2 blocks away and is a fantastic insight into all the history of this famous attraction. Overall, the Fairmont San Francisco is on our list to stay again on a future visit. We felt very relaxed staying here and in a busy city like San Francisco, this is an important factor.

Love the location and the history and tradition that is so apparent throughout the hotel's premises, from its grand lobby to its corridors with pictures of historical people and events to its statue and large part portrait of Tony Bennet ("I left my hear in San Francisco"). The first room I was given had an ordinary view of the Grace Cathedral square, but the second one (after a transfer due to heater problems) displayed a lovely view of the bay featuring Fisherman's wharf and Alcatraz Island in the background. The shortcomings were evident too. Housekeeping that didn't replace the coffee mugs and glasses used (they took them away but no replacement), so I had to call to request them. The aforementioned non-working heater (some defect in the hot water pipes in that part of the hotel). I was also told that I had a $50 credit that I can use, but didn't realize until I clarified (after spending a bit in the gift shop) that it only applied to the main restaurant. I was also informed too in the middle of my stay that I had a $10/day credit at the coffee shop. Some bath towels that were freshly put in our room one day turned out to have a few dirty stains in them. Then when I requested for an email to send the housekeeping feedback, the front desk gave me an email address that didn't work. And when I sent an email to the customer relations desk that welcomed me, I received no confirmation or acknowledgement of the email feedback. I would like to commend Ms Mai from the front office who was extremely helpful in arranging my transfer to another room late at night when I had heater problems. While problems like the heater could be expected from a hotel as old as The Fairmont, the issues I had were not related to its age but to its overall management, something that can and should be improved upon so that one can thoroughly enjoy their stay at such an iconic hotel as this.