Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco at Embarcadero

In my opinion the Four Seasons hotel chain needs to rebrand. They could start by changing to one season, two seasons, three seasons, and four seasons. The thing is, aside from the bed you do not know what you’re going to get anymore when you book a Four Seasons hotel. Some are extraordinary. Hong Kong. Paris. LA. NY was. Others pretty great. Chicago comes mind. Surf Side. Then so many others are nothing more than fancy Hilton’s. This is one of those. No real lobby to speak of. 1 restaurant. Basic rooms — no tech, no marble in the bath. It’s not bad. It’s just not what i expect when I think of Four Seasons. I recently had the same experience in Houston. Boston too. If the brand cannot manage to keep the quality of the properties consistent across its chain, rebranding as suggested above would certainly help manage expectations.

This hotel is either 100% right or 100% wrong. The staff is amazing but in-room dining or clean-up afterwards could sometimes take more than an hour. I stayed in a one-bed suite which had amazing views, two bathrooms, etc. all very beige but very comfortable.

From the moment you enter the Four Seasons Hotel you know you have come to the BEST Five Star Hotel in San Francisco! The Bellmen and Doormen greet you with the biggest smiles and the best attitudes. I loved talking with them too! We had a Magnificent Golden Gate Studio Suite with views that took our breath away that included the San Francisco Bay and the Golden Gate Bridge, including Alcatraz and East Bay Hills. It was very spacious with a huge television, sofa, table and chairs and the finest bed linens and most comfortable bed. The marble bathroom had a stand up shower and a soaking bathtub that could fit 4 people- looking out of a large window with a beautiful view. The bathroom soaps, gels, shampoo etc. were devine. Housekeeping cleaned our suite to perfection 2x a day. We had a delicious breakfast every morning at the Hotel restaurant. There is a large a la carte menu with lots of choices. If you book with a Four Seasons Partner travel agent you will get breakfast included. The hotel is in a great location- just steps from the Cable Car route. It is a short walk or quick taxi/uber to Union Square, The Ferry Building and Fisherman’s Wharf, as well as Chinatown and Little Italy in North Beach. The hotel was recognized with the prestigious Michelin Guide as a two Michelin key hotel. This distinction, which showcases the most unique and authentic travel experiences worldwide, recognizes excellence in design, architecture, service, and personality. This is the second year in a row that Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco at Embarcadero has received the two key. If you are looking to stay in a Five Star Hotel in San Francisco with stunning accommodations, delicious food and amazing service than you should absolutely stay at the Four Seasons Embarcadero. I want to thank the staff that made our stay so special. Doormen and Bellmen: Rolando, Hag, Patrick and Robert Orafo Restaurant Waiters for breakfast: Peter- you provided us such great service. You are truly amazing! Also Wendy, Rami , and Jose. We had dinner there also with Dee as our waitress. And lunch one day too. The Hamburger and fries was fabulous! Hostess: Lennon and Manager: Kelli Helped my husband with his computer: Daniel (Night Manager) and Alejandro assisted him. Front Desk Agents: Gavin, Matthew, Sequoia, and Hannah. Assistant Front Office Manager: Liam you were always there to help us! Thank you for your wonderful service to us! Concierge: Rosemary and Dean thanks for all your great suggestions. You both are the BEST and a pure delight! Bartender: David- the Mai Tai was the best I ever had! Housekeeping: Thank you for the great service you provided- we are so appreciative. Our hotel reservations: Junda you are so kind and helpful to me with great correspondence . Thank you so much! We loved our accomodations. Director of Rooms: Mackenzie – it was such a pleasure to meet you! We also had the pleasure of meeting Elsevar (Travel Industry Senior Sales Manager)- who also works with our travel agent Josh.

I used to travel to the US two or three times a year and, whenever possible, I’d visit SF. On those trips I’d stay either at one of the Nob Hill hotels or, as a rare pricey treat, the Mandarin Oriental on Sansome. There were always three reasons to stay at MO: 1) the view, 2) the service, 3) the view! If you put it in ratio form, it’s 80/20 view over service. The view from this hotel is unbeatable, and under MO, the service was first class. Whoever you were, staff treated you as a valued guest. The smiles, the welcome, the joy of employees who seemed to wake up each day eager to impress their guests. My August trip was the first to SF since the hotel moved to Four Seasons, so on a nostalgic return I wanted to see how it compared. Here’s where it gets tricky: it’s not MO anymore. It just doesn’t have that vibe. Things went downhill fast when I arrived very early. Four hours early! I knew I was early and just wanted to dump bags and get into the city. To be met by a grinning young clerk pointing out what I already knew, who then tried to switch me to a lower-spec, city view room with no compensation, just so he could check me in immediately. You’d only notice it was a lower spec if you knew the rooms, which I do. I declined and countered by asking for the Presidential Suite at the same rate. He declined! So, I had to wait, which was cool! I was promised they’d contact me as soon as my room was prepared. That took 3hrs55mins. I found that a bit pathetic. The poor boy had forgotten who I was by the time I returned! Limited attention span eh! Here’s where MO would’ve shined: at MO, the room prep would’ve been expedited and my stored luggage would be waiting in my room when I arrived. Four Seasons sent my luggage up 15 minutes after I got in, which was frustrating since I needed some meds. The delay just felt like a childish ploy to gain a tip. This time, no tip. At MO, service felt like genuine care. At 4S, it feels false and a little grubby! For travellers planning a stay. A bridge view is a must, preferably GG bridge and even better, corner rooms that used to be called the ‘bridge to bridge’ rooms. The view remains incredible. I find the ‘nickel-and-diming’ irritating. $10 sodas in the minibar, a $20 club sandwich becomes $40+ after all the add-ons. JP Morgan supposedly said, “If you have to ask, you can’t afford it”—and 4S seems to live by that mantra. But I guess this is now just standard for all hotels! Luckily, there’s a 7-Eleven across the street, plus amazing restaurants, wine shops, and bars nearby that still know how to treat customers. As for the rooms: they’ve been refurbished since the MO days. Nice wood floors, comfy bed, same incredible views. But odd furniture choices—half-finished TV unit with random non-functional elements to it, a table with a chair. Minor maintenance issues too: a scratched bathroom door, and front doors that slam so hard the whole floor hears it. Not self-closing, self-slamming—like they’re mad at the building. Service quality varied. The in-room dining server was fantastic (I tipped him twice). One employee I met in the elevator was charming. But another, when asked about the terrace, soured quickly after two questions, like I didn’t have the right to ask! Odd! Compared to MO rooms, these don’t measure up. My memories of MO include clever touches: binoculars for the view, a chaise by the window, sumptuously soft beds. Four Seasons beds are comfortable, just not sumptuous. The MO rooms always seemed more homely, warm and welcoming. 4S have made them comfy, stylish but a little cold! My two key factors remain: view and service. The views here are unmatched in SF (tell me if I’m wrong). They’re worth paying for, even just one night, but only if you get a bridge view. The service? Mediocre. Anyway, my last trip to this hotel. I’ll have very fond memories of the MO days. I’ll forget the 4S visit!

Fantastic four seasons. So glad we booked a Bay view room - spectacular views of the Transamerica Pyramid, Alcatraz and the Golden Gate. I mentioned when booking my son’s birthday and a lovely chocolate cake was waiting for him when we arrived. Only niggle was the shower pressure could have done with a boost.