TRAVELSIG

Some people like to stay on top of Nob Hill- if you consider the Huntingdon, the Fairmont, the IC, the Ritz-Carlton, and the Stanford Court are all in this area.

Personally I do agree with you that walking up the hill is fun the first 3 times and not so fun afterwards. If you have a car it is a little better however traffic in this area is also often a bit of a pain.

offerendum

That´s not 100% correct, you can earn airline miles (One world, staralliance) and sometimes redeem Amex award points (bad deal, but it´s possible)

FlyerEC

Oh , forgot about airmiles not MO points ..

time2go1st

That's what taxis were invented for! Actually can believe the restaurants there don't seem so stellar -- but then you just walk DOWN the hill in many directions to find something great, and taxi back after dinner. The location just above and slightly detached from all its surroundings -- with killer views to match -- would be a strong selling point for many, not so much if you want to be in the middle of lots action right outside the front door. But the hill -- well that has its own glamour, less so I admit if you live there...

adonde

Thanks for the replies. Booked the huntington. Spa and bar look to have more character than the others. We'll just take a cab to/from the hotel if the mighty hill gets the best of us. Ill report back after the trip. Thanks.

time2go1st

Huntington sounds like a lovely choice if you like a beautifully maintained classic property; as I recall it was good enough to be Liz Taylor's preferred choice for her stays in the city. Also, it's nice just to stroll around the top of Nob Hill, daytime or evening -- see the Cathedral right there, stop into the other hotels to check them out or have drinks, drink in views from every direction, etc. I'm sure you'll have a great time there -- let us know how it goes!

mstraveler

1+
Beautiful location and has a slightly different feeling since there are real neighborhoods where people live nearby. Not just hotels.

SeamasterLux

Given the lack of really interesting options, I always opt for the Pacific-Union Club at 225 USD a night in a deluxe room.

LarkSFO

Recently spent two nights at the Ritz San Francisco.

I love the location / area.

Parallel 37 itself is worth a visit even if you are not staying at the hotel. Chef Michael Rotondo and Camber (well known in SF bar circles) running the bar / mixology make for a wonderful combination.

The lobby bar is OK, classic grand dame San Francisco. Fun people watching.

My original room had some issues, which I notified the front desk about. Not expecting anything, but two hours later a manager calls to ask if I would like to move to a suite. OK, yes.

Very big and nice room, but again, in the classic style. I like this style (not always, but sometimes), and I really liked the huge suite they moved us to.

They are beginning a complete(?) renovation of the rooms, and apparently after building out some test concepts have decided on their new style. I did not get to see a new room, but it sounds like a serious 'modernization' is underway.

That's ok, if you want grand dame you can always stay at the Fairmont once the Ritz finishes their renovations.

Overall a very pleasant stay. The staff is wonderful top to bottom.

offerendum

Good to hear you liked it. Wish I could say the same

tubulus

How high up the hill is the RC? We have a suite booked for Labor Day week. Need a 2-room suite as we have a baby. A bit worried about shlepping the stroller up and down, though I get the impression that the RC is not so far up the hill (unlike the Fairmont, etc). Is that correct?

To others - are there any other better 2-room suite options that I am missing? Of the hotels I see mentioned here, only the Taj has a suite at the $500-600 level (and that one is tiny with a windowless parlor, though maybe would get upgraded through FHR). The only other options I've found in SF are the Clift and the Kimpton hotels.

offerendum

This is correct, it`s not a very Long way. Otherwise it`s a hill and from my memory at one point we always walked over steps to Union Square. To Fishermans Wharf etc. the way is much too far in my eyes.

sonomawine

It would say it is halfway to the top of Nob Hill or a tad more. The steps down to Union Square and Chinatown are a help, but probably not with a stroller. I like the Taj better for style of rooms, and location-- and, you don't have to worry about a hill.

LarkSFO

I thought it was pretty far up the hill myself (from Market), but I guess I could be in better shape! With a stroller I think it would be a challenge, but not undoable.

If you are going to be walking around San Francisco a lot, of course you are expecting to go up and down alot anyway.

Is this an option? I know they have larger multi-room suites there, but have never stayed myself: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/fairm...li-square.html


This looks like a cool little tool:

"Colors show which streets go uphill or downhill when you approach them from the stick-figure location marker"

http://hillmapper.com/#16/map/37.781...3450/-104/-273


This is not luxury related, but I found it interesting:

"Currently, only one new hotel is under construction in San Francisco, a 172-room Hampton Inn that will open in the fall at 942 Mission St. The last new hotel built in San Francisco was the Intercontinental at Fifth and Howard streets, which opened in 2008."

"Hotels currently are above 80 percent occupancy, a historical high for the city. Average room rates jumped 13.4 percent over the past 12 months to $203.18, according to STR Global, a hotel industry research group. "

http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/articl...=hp-hc-bayarea

KatW

We live on the peninsula so stay in San Francisco often for opera, symphony, theatre, art exhibitions. Because we aren't tourists (we used to live in the city), location is unimportant. With that in mind we love the rooms (and views) at the Mandarin Oriental. We also like to get a suite at the Ritz on the club level. Love the food presentations there, not so wild about their Parallel 37 restaurant. Actually, not wild about the food offerings at the MO, either.

Can't abide the minimalist ethos on offer at the Four Seasons and St. Regis. Purely a matter of personal taste.

Speaking of which, whilst it's true the Ritz badly needs refurbishment, the pricing of rooms in this luxury hotel is very attractive. Meanwhile, the Ritz lobby HAS been redone and is positively awful but that's ok since we have the club lounge in which to repose.