He must have stayed in a different FS NYC than I did -- we're talking 57th St here, right?

I haven't been in many FS hotels lately but returned to try a few lately. I found service in both -- NYC and Westlake, California -- to be not at the standard I expect from a luxury hotel. And that certainly also applies to the neighborhood FS as well: East Palo Alto, California.

While some individual hotels may still shine, I wonder if FS as a chain is past its prime. Maybe it expanded too much to areas which don't support the high levels of service one expects in a luxury hotel.