Kimpton Sir Francis Drake Hotel

Don’t stay in this hotel if you don’t want to get scammed. I booked this hotel through the travel and expense system my company uses. I checked into the hotel, stayed there and checked out without any problems. After I checked out I got a $300 charge on my credit card for no reason. I thought it must have been a mistake and contacted the hotel. They told me it’s the ‘hotel fee’ that needs to be paid for everyday I stayed. They DID NOT tell me anything about it when booking, checking in, staying for 6 days or checking out. I checked out at the reception and asked if there was anything I had to pay (I ordered a burger once) and they said I should only pay for the burger and there’s nothing else. I paid for it and they said it’s all good to go. I was later charged $300. I stayed in many hotels in San Francisco during my business trips. This is the first time I experience anything like this. Absolutely insane. The room and the service in general was ok but this made the whole experience extremely unpleasant. Never again.

We had a wonderful stay at the Beacon Grand. It is a beautiful hotel with a fascinating history and it is in a great location. The rooms were very clean, the bed was very comfortable with great linens and the hotel staff were welcoming and helpful. The streetcar runs right in front of the hotel. There are a few great places to eat within a block to choose from and there's a Walgreens's close by which is convenient if you fly in for your visit to San Francisco. The hotel itself has some great dining options, too. We will stay at the Beacon Grand again on our next visit!

Perhaps we misunderstand the US definition of hospitality and we are spoiled by European 4- and 5-star rated hotels (which we use regularly), but we got depressed by the extremely small space in our Classic King room (we could hardly walk along the bed when going to the bathroom, which is also one of the smallest we have ever seen in a hotel in this class). Also, in hotels that qualify themselves on this luxury level (and price level) we are used to small, but welcome, amenities such as complimentary fresh fruit, ice machines, a welcome card & gift in the room, et cetera. Also, we were surprised that a hotel - which such a history as the Beacon as well as taking into account the available floor space - has no well designed and maintained lounge area (aside from the space in the lobby where the hotel bar and breakfast room are crammed into one space) for hotel guests to relax, read and/or work. On a final note, we consider the Beacon hotel NOT family friendly. Our kids (12, 16 and 18 years old for which we booked a Junior King Suite) could not go to the Starlite room to enjoy the wonderful views of the city. The argument “it’s the law” is not relevant to us, because we think the hotel should make such arrangements that families can go to the Starlite floor (i.e. by simply splitting off a smaller part for families). Although valet service and the concierges did a great job, we consider the Beacon nothing special and next time we visit San Francisco we will try the Westin or the Fairmont.

We were greeted by Alex who was very helpful with information and taking care of our luggage. He also was very friendly and helpful as we departed as well. All staff encounter were very friendly. Highly recommend staying at the Beacon Grand. Excellent service, friendly, helpful, wonderful restaurant and comfortable room.

The hotel is so unique and in a great area of town. High tea was fantastic and the Starlight room for drinks at night was fantastic.