stc

I think their point was that I-680 to I-780 to 37 to 101 (or something like that) is probably better than San Jose / Palo Alto to Petaluma in the morning.

I hadn't considered the Sheraton in Pleasanton. I thought it had gotten some bad reviews (but maybe I was confusing it with the DT Club).

mahasamatman

San Jose is about the worst choice considering the drive. San Rafael or Emeryville would be much closer to "en route".

stc

Have San Rafael and / or Emeryville been renovated recently?

I thought that San Rafael and Emeryville were old Four Points. When I checked one was cheaper than the Four Points SFO and one was the same price. Other than the gym sucking, the Four Points SFO is actually a pretty nice hotel. I guess I'm looking for something better than San Rafael / Emeryville / SFO Four Points. Otherwise, I might as well just stay at the SFO Four Points. (I won't stay at the Westin SFO again.)

The Westin Versa in Napa is within my budget. The Sheraton in Pleasanton is a possibility and it is certainly less driving than the Four Points SJC.

mahasamatman

They often have two-night minima, but if you can get a one-night reservation, it is nice (even though the resort fee is annoying). Driving-wise, SFO-Napa-Petaluma is only slightly shorter than SFO-Pleasanton-Petaluma.

stc

I checked and for the first Thursday in November they had one night stays available.

jotaylor

Are there any hotels in the Bay Area with good, reliable, fast internet connections?

dko3tgk

I have a stay in SF planned for Nov 2-5.
I need to be in the area of Union Square/Market Street, which makes many of the Starwood properties convenient. But the lowest rates on SPG.com are the Sheraton Fisherman's Wharf for $199 /night before the high taxes, and the Westin Market St. for $207/night before taxes.
The W, St. Francis and Le Meridien are $289, $242, $322 per night.
According to alot of posts prices are more in the $100-$200 range normally and not the $200-$400 range like it seems to be now.

Am I missing something? Is there a big event or are these rates normal for this time of year? I'm a noob when it comes to Starwood hotel stays, but according to the reading I've been doing on FT, this seems really high than what everyone else stays for.

stc

Those seem plausible for midweek rates, especially without any sort of discount. Have you tried AAA rates?

ramalama8

Hey guys,

My wife and I are 20-somethings, staying in SFO this weekend on FWNs. I wanted to book the St Regis, but they're all booked. We were at the W in South Beach last month, and while I really enjoyed the W, we want to try something different. So right now I'm looking at both the Palace as well as Le Meridien.

Which would you recommend? We want something that has a good location, a good chance of getting an upgrade, and if one of them gave breakfast coupons or had a lounge, that would be a huge plus. Also something that's nice and that won't disappoint. We noticed that the Palace had it's last renovation in 2001 and the Le Meridien in 2008. Is the Palace kind of run down? Reviews on other websites have the LM rated higher than the Palace. But I also know that the LM experience can be had in other cities, whereas the Palace is strictly SFO.

Any comments?

mahasamatman

We've never stayed at the LM, but we enjoy the elegance of the Palace and often stay there on FWNs when we don't want to travel, or when we want to see a show in The City and not have to worry about getting home. It has a somewhat better location for a weekend stay (the Financial District can be kind of dead), but they're not all that far apart so that's not a big concern.

Sam P. Goodman

Hands down the LM in my book. To be fair, I prefer a modern hotel to a historic one, but I think the LM wins on room quality and elite treatment. The area around the LM can be quiet on weekends, but the Ferry Building is only a couple of blocks away and North Beach and Union Square aren't far either. The LM staff are friendly and there's a reasonable (for SF) parking lot across the street if you have a car.

apollo_liumin

what is the best one to visit Monterey???

Did a search, and there is no starwood hotel nearby.....weird..

mahasamatman

It doesn't really matter - Monterey is about a three hour drive from SF. Something down in the San Jose area would shave an hour off your drive.

ramalama8

Thanks for your comments. I, too, really like old-world style so long as it is kept up and has all of the modern amenities you would expect in a new hotel. But LM has better reviews.

Still torn...

mahasamatman

You could always stay at the LM and visit the Palace. The most interesting parts of the Palace are the public areas.