I'll never stay at the Battery. The people are a turn off. Ive also been there many times and found the food unimpressive.

Fairmont Heritage Place. Felt like a home for retirees from Florida who wanted to feel rich. $900 for the basic room (admittedly, a suite), but no hot breakfast. Terrible location.

Four Seasons. Not as bad as I expected. The suites are meh but the rooms are actually decent value if you can score at the $400/night rate. If you're booking during a major conference, expect to pay $800+. Senseless.

The Ritz. I dont like Ritzes in general. Just feels like mass produced "luxury." The only Ritz that ever wow'd me was Kyoto. Id never stay at the one in Paris.

I'm curious to try the StR given all the good reviews in this thread.

I've also heard good things about the Hotel Vitale.

Hotel Drisco was also surprisingly decent. Too much of a retirement vibe but we'll situated if you want to be in Pac Heights.