Expat415

Not anymore. I just stayed at the Palace and the platinum breakfast is now just the cold part of the buffet (which admittedly was still quite nice) or a menu item at the Pied Piper. There was a marginal upgrade fee for the full buffet ($7 maybe?).

LovetoTravel83

Still sounds good.

silentbob1974

So many great places to eat in and around San Francisco, from Michelin-type restaurants to holes-in-the-wall, the idea of getting stuffed on hotel breakfasts just doesn't make sense to me personally.

On a remote island where you're captive to the resort's food, I can see great value in the hotel buffet (the St. Regis Bora Bora, for one, was quite good) though.

Antonio8069

We had a much different experience @ The Palace. Full buffet breakfast included for Plat members.

Why post this here? This thread is about Starwood properties in SFO. Please post your Plat breakfast options in the correct thread!

taipeiflyer

It is relevant to the topic at hand. I see no problem with it being in this thread.

davesfolhr

Hi FT,

This is sort of a random request. Mrs. davesfolhr's due date was today, and we found out today that she's not likely to go into labor for a day or two (or three). I've been on a campaign to distract her for the past five days or so (last night, she went to see the new Star Trek with noah and me, but I'm running out of movies in the theater).

I need to pick a Starwood hotel in San Francisco to take her to tomorrow (Friday) night. My normal criteria are out the window, as it's the city where we live, and nightlife and surrounding attractions are not an option. I'm looking for just a comfortable room, comfortable bed, big HDTV, and access to movies not yet in theaters that will distract us both from the imminent baby. Great room service/in-house brunch are a definite bonus.

For those of you familiar with the local SF properties, and knowing the criteria above, would you pick the St. Regis, the Palace, the St. Francis, or Le Meridien? All are available with points, which I'll be using.

The St. Regis is probably the most luxurious, but we stayed there on our wedding night, so something close is OK. But if that's the clear choice, we'll head back.

Many thanks in advance for your advice, FT!

taipeiflyer

Yes, StR is clear choice.. And it is not really close.

clublounger

Don't you need to be the President, or a Hollywood titan to see movies BEFORE they reach theaters?

Well, unless the movies are so bad that they'll NEVER reach theaters, I guess.

Best wishes with the baby !

PS. The Palace is a viable option, imho.

davesfolhr

Oops...I meant before they're available for rental

azeckel

For those that are interested: the letter of the law is exactly this - the continental portion of the buffet is included with the plat breakfast option. To upgrade to the full buffet is $7/person. However, ymmv, and even the front desk will tell you this. For every three mornings, I get charged maybe once. I think it depends on the waiter/waitress. Either way, $7 is a steal for that meal in SF

silentbob1974

What's better, confirmed Fantastic Suite at the W or basic room at the St. Regis with good chance at a better non-suite but remote chance of Plat upgrade to Astor Suite, which appears sold out for one of the three nights? Assume paying with points or free night certificates, so money is not in play. And if it matters, we're traveling with a five month-old.

LovetoTravel83

I'd always take space above everything. So Fantastic suite it is, but then again, it is the St. Regis.

I'm also thinking between a W Suite at the W Doha and a basic room at the St. Regis. Still confused.

boolean64

I've stayed in both the fantastic suite and the astor suite in the last couple months. Overall, I loved the St. Regis because it was a very special occasion we were celebrating. But I thought the W was a good hotel and the fantastic suite has a lot of room. I would have a very tough time spending the extra 8-9,000 points for the St. Regis unless I felt reasonably certain I was getting a suite to get the butler service. And even then, I'd probably still go W unless it was a special occasion where I could really take advantage of the butler service. Unless your SO really hates the W vibe, I'd say go with the guaranteed space of the fantastic suite...especially with the baby.

I thought the layout of the fantastic suite was much better than the astor suite. Certainly it felt much roomier.

The beds were equally comfortable.

The materials and finish in the St. Regis were noticeably nicer. But the W didn't feel cheap.

I thought the bathrooms were very different. The St. Regis was MUCH more luxurious but felt cramped. Double vanity, soaking tub, toilet, and stand-up shower all in a small space. (I don't remember this to be the case in the non-suite rooms) The W suite had two bathrooms with standard fixtures, shower/tub combo and much more space.

W has the acura house car, St. Regis has the Bentley. Acura is bookable though which is a big plus if you book ahead of time. And the acura runs longer hours.

bgriff

Any thoughts on which of the SF hotels offers the best chances of a Suite Night Award clearing? I know the W has very few suites so I'm assuming that's not great...it looks like the Westin Market Street might have a decent number of suites? What about the Le Meridien? SNAs have eluded me in other cities thus far but I'm determined to have success with them at least once

taipeiflyer

2/2 on my last 2 two-night weekend stays at StR to Astor Suite. I do book these months out and apply the SNA right away... When you apply the SNA will make a big difference.