Palace Hotel, a Luxury Collection Hotel, San Francisco

Note stayed here April 2023. Our first room was a junior suite, lovely but a strange noise. We were upgraded to a corner suite which was truly amazing. Whole hotel was spotless with a beautiful aroma. Due to jetlag I used the pool as soon as it opened daily so had it to myself, watching the sunrise through the glass roof was amazing. Full changing room facilities so no need to traipse through the hotel in a robe (I hate that). Husband used the gym and found it very good. Used the Batt from the airport which was very convenient for the hotel. Would definitely stay here again. A genuinely luxury hotel experience Only 4 stars though as no free WiFi when I stayed, which is unacceptable.

I did not stay here for the hotel but rather stayed here for lunch with my mom. Min was the one who helped us with our food and had an AMAZING attitude. He was super joyful and just amazing and kind when the chefs got the food wrong and had the best intentions for everyone. I hope to see him next time I come!

PROs: - True old charm, delivered in many layers of the experience (valet, entrance hall, rooms, pool, dining, hotel museum). - The dominant color of guest rooms walls and upper floors corridors is a well calibrated light indigo. Nice match with white plaster cornices and the oak wood guest room doors. Actually, the distinctive beauty of these doors is a trait that (picky) Grand Tourers will notice. Not a look-alike old charm. - The Fitness facility is in a newer building. Glass rooftop offers a view of the Financial district towers - it does make the pool area look even larger than it is. The pool is very well sized. - The Pied Piper is another treat for Grand Tourers. I consider it a benchmark for American Bars, at National level. We noticed full alignment in what you'd expect from such a venue, in a Luxury Collection branded hotel: the service was spot-on; the host, Nicole, showed unique sympathy and elegance in treating a request we had; the food was delicious. - Breakfast at the Palace offers the un-matchable experience of the central hall (or garden-hall). The light of this hall and the height of the ceiling have a rejuvenating effect. Buffet and service were wonderful. I would like to mention that our server Carmen, was attentive, dedicated and went the extra mile (even when unrequested), adding joy to anything she did for us. What a start of the day! - If you're Grand Tourer, you're interested in the history of the places you visit. The hotel Museum is a delight, in this perspective. Very dense: it gives you a glimpse on the relevance of the Palace for the type of city San Francisco has become from the Gold Rush to the Silicon Valley boom. - We received a splendid corner suite. Furniture, fabrics, curtains, the more-than-heavenly bed were a true delight. The bath was quite small, with very fresh and clean white tiles (and if you're a world traveler, you know that white tiles show confidence in the cleaning staff's procedures). The unexpected presence of a Toto toilet reminded us that after all, Japan is not that far from San Francisco... - Corridors carpets at guest rooms floors were clean and smell-less. I care to mention this because this is a typical fail of heritage hotels. - The ambiance: it is rare in the US to experience this charm in such large spaces. The garden hall but probably even more in the long corridor that's parallel to new Montgomery Street provide a breathing experience and a chromatic therapy to tired tourists of business people. One important point: we felt in a Grand, not in a Huge property: if you know, you know. CONs: couldn't find anything. Actually, there's something: no Palace hotel-branded pencils. Outrageous. The PALACE v. other heritage Hotels. Among the heritage SF hotels I've stayed at over the years, the Palace is right now my favorite. The Fairmont is the only one in its ball park. (My portfolio includes also the Westin St. Francis, the Ritz Carlton, the Intercontinental John Hopkins, the Adagio Autograph Collection. I must mention that the ball rooms at the Intercontinental Hopkins are a must-see. I haven't visit the Palace's ones yet - hopefully we'll get the chance for a sneak-peek next time). I noticed that the rates have been increasing at the Palace over the past year or so: I believe that they're aligning it to the expectations Customers have from 'the Luxury Collection' brand. I imagine that there will be continuous upgrades in small details. When it comes to the core items of a traveler's wish list, they've got it right. CONCLUSIONS: A Grand-Tour experience, with aligned staff and service. The presence of such a large swimming pool is an unexpected pleasure. I have no hesitation in saying that this is my new fav heritage hotel in town. All family members voted for the Palace, for our next trip to San Francisco.

The Palace, true royalty feeling! 4.5/5.0 Review- Palace Hotel San Francisco, a luxury collection hotel by Marriott Card member status: yes, Gold member Address: 2 New Montgomery Street, San Francisco, California, USA Cost: $1,350/2 nights Room: Deluxe suite Score: 4.5/5.0 First, an overview. The Palace Hotel, a Luxury Collection Hotel, San Francisco is a historic, 5-star luxury property located at the intersection of Market and New Montgomery streets in downtown San Francisco. Originally opened in 1875 as San Francisco's first premier luxury hotel, it was meticulously rebuilt in 1909 following the 1906 earthquake. Today, it seamlessly pairs its opulent Gilded Age architecture with modern, high-end hospitality. A week before my stay at this hotel, marketed as the classiest in San Francisco, the concierge team emailed me, curating a customized list and itinerary for the weekend and offering to help with special events as needed. A great start to the stay to be sure! The head concierge soon directed me (through email) to their website days before check-in to reserve any room upgrades and welcome amenities I wanted, among which included a choice of wine, champagne, handmade cookies, locally-sourced fresh fruit, locally-crafted cheeses, charcuterie boards, caviar trays, and chocolate dipped fresh strawberries. The concierge team maintained exemplary contact until minutes before check-in. Room upgrades were just that and included (late-month) upgrades to various suites including the magnificent Grande Suite. You can also book a private dinner and violin concert. Conventionally, you can reserve dinner at their hotel restaurant which is generally encouraged as the concierge states they book up fast unless the restaurant states that they offer walk-in service, in which case it is first-come first-served. The Garden Court restaurant is luxurious and expensive but the menu for breakfast and lunch (no dinner is served here, though they do have proper afternoon tea) is expansive, filling, and ranges from steel-cut oatmeal to Wagyu beef burgers with a House sauce, with numerous items in between, featuring something for everyone, just don’t expect it to be cheap; this is the palace after all. Upon entering the room, the suite was immaculate, the bed was cozy, and you felt every inch of the 650 square feet available to you in the Deluxe suite. As a bonus, we were given a bottle of Brüt champagne that retailed for $450 a bottle to celebrate our marriage, along with chocolate dipped strawberries. This was a beautiful touch. Additionally, the truffle fries I had ordered late at night were fantastic, but not worth the $40 USD I paid for them. The staff were so friendly and helpful. We did run into ongoing problems regarding the WiFi connection and general in-suite electronic connectivity. This necessitated a call to guest services downstairs. This was successful but the resulting WiFi was incredibly slow with poor performance; we ran a speed test both on the smartphone and laptop. The hotel's connectivity came in at a very poor .08 mbps. That is plainly unacceptable. The fitness center and pool are located on the 4th floor of the hotel. They're quite spacious but unspectacular. I did not partake as I had a pounding headache. Unfortunately, the more we explored the room, the more issues we found. Rapid charging, for example, was advertised but this was not available. The charging cylinder in the room was disconnected completely and has to be reconnected in order to get anything attached to it, to charge. The complimentary shoe horn was a nice little touch and very effective when dressing for dinner. I should mention, there is an unofficial dress code for dinner at the Garden Court restaurant. This is not a criticism, and is a welcome aspect that more hotels should enforce. Housekeeping was wonderful, punctual, and our room was taken care of within just a few hours while we were visiting around town. Turndown service was provided complimentary every night which is a signature feature of a five-star hotel. Toiletry amenities were all provided by Byredo Le Chemin which were delightful; the shampoo, conditioner and body-wash were all very smooth and smelled like coconut. As a delightful part of turndown service, the hotel provided note cards with the following day's weather forecast and condition; the note cards are complimentary. It should be noted that while you are permitted to take the toiletry items, you will be charged for replacements upon check out. All the furniture is covered with hard leather, which is actually aesthetically pleasing, aside from the leather fronts and drawers, the furniture was made of actual antique wood.The hotel offered numerous services including dry cleaning. The bed was firm yet just soft enough. Extra bedding was available in a storage container on the closet. The bedding was down feather in nature. These two nights were some of the best sleep I ever received. Checkout was at noon and the bill folio was sent to my email before checkout. Overall, I'd give the Palace Hotel San Francisco a solid and an extremely well-earned 4.5/5.0 on the Brooke In The Air Travel grading scale.

Janet at the front desk is the best- extremely helpful hardworking and efficient, excellent stay, beautiful place and location