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San Francisco Post-merger luxury opinions

San Francisco Post-merger luxury opinions

Old Aug 7, 2018, 4:11 pm
  #1  
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San Francisco Post-merger luxury opinions

I've been weighing the benefits and drawbacks of several hotels for a 5 day summer vacation me and my wife are taking with Marriott points.

We are considering:

St. Regis - Seems wonderful, although a few of the reviews hint that it can be disappointing for a St. Regis level property
Ritz Carlton - Again, reviews are very good. Not sure whether this is a better option than the SR.
The Palace - I like the history and the 50K redemption rate, which is less than the above 2. I've heard the rooms are very average.
JW Marriott - Not really on the top of our list. Seems 50K is pricey for this property.

We also have been considering just saying forget it to the lux options and staying at the Courtyard downtown, simply because none of the above three are jumping out at us begging to be stayed at.

I am marriott Gold FWIW

Last edited by jbandy10; Aug 7, 2018 at 4:29 pm
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Old Aug 7, 2018, 4:19 pm
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The JW has very nice rooms now, after the renovation, and is the only property with a lounge for elites.
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Old Aug 7, 2018, 4:29 pm
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I should have said. I'm gold status.
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Old Aug 7, 2018, 7:32 pm
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I recently stayed at SR and was wholly unimpressed.

I like the W and le Meridien best. Haven't stayed at the RC.
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Old Aug 21, 2018, 2:25 pm
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Originally Posted by jbandy10
I've been weighing the benefits and drawbacks of several hotels for a 5 day summer vacation me and my wife are taking with Marriott points.

We are considering:

St. Regis - Seems wonderful, although a few of the reviews hint that it can be disappointing for a St. Regis level property
Ritz Carlton - Again, reviews are very good. Not sure whether this is a better option than the SR.
The Palace - I like the history and the 50K redemption rate, which is less than the above 2. I've heard the rooms are very average.
JW Marriott - Not really on the top of our list. Seems 50K is pricey for this property.

We also have been considering just saying forget it to the lux options and staying at the Courtyard downtown, simply because none of the above three are jumping out at us begging to be stayed at.

I am marriott Gold FWIW
I am SPG Plat100 Ambassador level and have stayed at many of the top luxury hotels around the world. I also stay frequently in San Francisco.

What priorities you may have notwithstanding, the St Regis is considered unquestionably the best luxury hotel in the city--not just in the Marriott portfolio. Its service standard is superb, its facilities are top drawer, and its StR brand standard butler service is excellent. It also has some of the best food/beverage in the city. Many love its SoMa location. It's going through a refurbishment in 2019, but it still feels pretty clean and fresh (and very modern). Its bar is one of the best in the city. I'll be staying there for leisure next weekend, and again in Nov for work and in Dec for leisure. I was last there in July.

After that, the RC is unquestionably the next most luxurious. If you like a Club level for food/beverage, the RC may be your best choice. Its location can be a factor for some, though admittedly it's nothing more than a 15-20 min walk between the StR and RC. Service is to a very high standard, and the rooms/suites just had a refurbishment a few years ago. I will be staying there for work in Nov. We toured the hotel while staying at the StR in July.

The Palace and JW are different beasts.

The Palace just finished a room/public spaces renovation and is one of the more beautiful properties in the city. It has a tremendous sense of place that makes you know you're in a historic hotel (brought to modern standard) in San Francisco. It has a great service standard, but it is a large hotel. its lobby bar is considered one of the best in the city, and its food/beverage are also very good. I last stayed here in 2016 but visited again in July.

The JW isn't a proper luxury hotel in the same breath as the others. It never would be ranked along with any of the other 3 properties. The JW brand is about "affordably luxury" according to even Marriott. For luxury adherents, it is closer to "watered-down" luxury. The hotel is bland and could be anywhere, but it is a nice hotel. It's more of a business hotel that's very good than a proper 5 star luxury hotel. I visited this hotel in 2017.
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Old Aug 21, 2018, 6:45 pm
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Heres an extremely important caveat to post #5 above:

At St. Regis San Francisco, you only receive butler service complimentary if you book a suite. Butler service is one of the top benefits of St. Regis. But a suite is staggeringly expensive. If you are super rich and part of the top 1/10th of 1%, then no problem. Otherwise, this hotel is disappointing for the price you pay.
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Old Aug 21, 2018, 7:29 pm
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Originally Posted by HookEm
Here’s an extremely important caveat to post #5 above:

At St. Regis San Francisco, you only receive butler service complimentary if you book a suite. Butler service is one of the top benefits of St. Regis. But a suite is staggeringly expensive. If you are super rich and part of the top 1/10th of 1%, then no problem. Otherwise, this hotel is disappointing for the price you pay.
That butler service is a fantastic service, indeed. And it is true that it is guaranteed only for the suites. That being said, I know that many Ambassador and Plat guests who haven't received upgrades have sometimes been granted butler service as a nice gesture.

That the hotel is disappointing for YOU for the price paid is an opinion to which you are entitled. That is not an opinion shared by the overall service surveys of all luxury hotels in San Francisco, which consistently rate this as the city's best. The price paid is about supply and demand, and the prices here in San Francisco are particularly high at all hotels because there are far more customers than available hotels. It's not like the rates at the RC or Palace are much cheaper, and it says something that the JW rates are usually well below those of the aforementioned 3 hotels. Price reflects the demand, and there's obviously plenty of demand for the St Regis. It rates even higher than the Four Seasons for a reason.

That being said, the overall St Regis service unrelated to butler service STILL is considered the best in San Francisco. Service in the restaurants, service in the bar, service with housekeeping, service with the concierge (which has never failed to book me at any restaurant in the city with advance notice), service with the bellmen, service with the valets, service with the front desk--all are tremendous. Not to mention the food/beverage, the larger guest rooms, the modern decor, and the superb location.
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Old Aug 21, 2018, 8:22 pm
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Originally Posted by HookEm
Heres an extremely important caveat to post #5 above:

At St. Regis San Francisco, you only receive butler service complimentary if you book a suite. Butler service is one of the top benefits of St. Regis. But a suite is staggeringly expensive. If you are super rich and part of the top 1/10th of 1%, then no problem. Otherwise, this hotel is disappointing for the price you pay.
The St. Regis is my top choice even without the butler. After that I would choose the Palace and then the Ritz. The price increase is usually worth it for me for the St. Regis, but I've always thought the Ritz is a bit overpriced for what it is. The Palace rooms are on the small side though, so if I'm with my spouse or family, we'll usually pick the St. Regis or the Ritz since the base rooms are a decent size.

And I think your last sentence applies to almost all of my San Francisco hotel stays; hotels in the city all seem expensive for what they are. They've been this way for years, but I still haven't adjusted. Early on in my travel days one of my first stays was at the St. Regis for ~$200/night, and I was upgraded to a Metropolitan suite, which at that time was one of the nicest rooms I'd ever seen. I think that set the bar way too high; I have stay an upcoming stay in September and a base room was $610/night.
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Old Aug 22, 2018, 11:43 am
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Originally Posted by bhrubin
That butler service is a fantastic service, indeed. And it is true that it is guaranteed only for the suites. That being said, I know that many Ambassador and Plat guests who haven't received upgrades have sometimes been granted butler service as a nice gesture.

That the hotel is disappointing for YOU for the price paid is an opinion to which you are entitled. That is not an opinion shared by the overall service surveys of all luxury hotels in San Francisco, which consistently rate this as the city's best. The price paid is about supply and demand, and the prices here in San Francisco are particularly high at all hotels because there are far more customers than available hotels. It's not like the rates at the RC or Palace are much cheaper, and it says something that the JW rates are usually well below those of the aforementioned 3 hotels. Price reflects the demand, and there's obviously plenty of demand for the St Regis. It rates even higher than the Four Seasons for a reason.

That being said, the overall St Regis service unrelated to butler service STILL is considered the best in San Francisco. Service in the restaurants, service in the bar, service with housekeeping, service with the concierge (which has never failed to book me at any restaurant in the city with advance notice), service with the bellmen, service with the valets, service with the front desk--all are tremendous. Not to mention the food/beverage, the larger guest rooms, the modern decor, and the superb location.

My o my. I seem to have irritated someone. I was merely expressing an alternate viewpoint that it is not a good value hotel. That does mean I should be marginalized. When I read a different opinion from mine, I dont write something like: thats what YOU think, but everyone who knows anything agrees with me because surveys agree with me and not YOU.
Sorry I irritated you. Cheers.
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Old Aug 22, 2018, 11:48 am
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Originally Posted by HookEm
My o my. I seem to have irritated someone. I was merely expressing an alternate viewpoint that it is not a good value hotel. That does mean I should be marginalized. When I read a different opinion from mine, I don’t write something like: “that’s what YOU think, but everyone who knows anything agrees with me because surveys agree with me and not YOU.”
Sorry I irritated you. Cheers.
Not at all! I merely want to set the record straight for anyone else considering those top hotels in the city. Just as @spgplat21 did after me.

Everyone values service and luxury amenities differently. You don't seem to value them nearly as much as I do or @spgplat21 does. But I think it's worthwhile to elaborate on those for others so they can choose for themselves.

Your blanket assessment that the StR service is all about butler service just isn't true for me and for @spgplat21.

Your assessment that the StR is so expensive ignores for me and for @spgplat21 that all hotels in San Francisco are very expensive. You know it's a pricey town when even the Sheraton Fisherman's Wharf can reach over $800 a night!

I respect your reasons for thinking the StR is not a good value based on the priorities you have for a hotel. I ask that you respect mine and @spgplat21's for thinking the StR is an exceptional hotel based on our set of priorities.

Last edited by bhrubin; Aug 22, 2018 at 11:58 am
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Old Aug 25, 2018, 9:59 pm
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And I agree that this St Regis is wonderful. It is also a great choice for a 5 night points stay coupled with SNAs if you want to leverage points and save your cash. Our SNAs cleared here and they further upgraded us above Astor to a Metropolitan Suite.
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Old Aug 25, 2018, 10:16 pm
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Originally Posted by HookEm
My o my. I seem to have irritated someone. I was merely expressing an alternate viewpoint that it is not a good value hotel. That does mean I should be marginalized. When I read a different opinion from mine, I don’t write something like: “that’s what YOU think, but everyone who knows anything agrees with me because surveys agree with me and not YOU.”
Sorry I irritated you. Cheers.

I'm with you. I stay in plenty of nice hotels around the world and I was thoroughly unimpressed with the St. Regis when I stayed last month. Perhaps they were just having a bad weekend, but I found the hard product unimpressive and the service was downright poor.

Originally Posted by bhrubin
Everyone values service and luxury amenities differently. You don't seem to value them nearly as much as I do or @spgplat21 does. But I think it's worthwhile to elaborate on those for others so they can choose for themselves.
You really need to get over yourself.
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Old Aug 25, 2018, 11:38 pm
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Originally Posted by Kacee
I'm with you. I stay in plenty of nice hotels around the world and I was thoroughly unimpressed with the St. Regis when I stayed last month. Perhaps they were just having a bad weekend, but I found the hard product unimpressive and the service was downright poor.
If you have time and inclination, would you say more about it? What was poor, checkin? Room service? Something else? Did you try the butler service? Which aspects of the hard product were disappointing and how?
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Old Aug 26, 2018, 11:57 am
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I have stayed at the St Regis several times. Always looked forward to dinner at Ame. With the loss of Ame, it just doesn’t seem as special. Service and rooms are fine.
Recently stayed at the Ritz, I love most Ritz hotels, but there as well I found dinner disappointing. Granted, San Francisco has an amazing dining scene and there is little reason to dine in, but, I am disappointed that neither of these two hotels offers destination dining.
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Old Aug 26, 2018, 12:21 pm
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Ive lived in Manhattan for nearly 20 years, but I was born and raised in SF, manage a team out there, and return monthly (sometimes even more). To be honest, I generally find SF hotels to be pretty disappointing, especially relative to their cost. Ive stayed in nearly all the SPG properties in the city (sans StR and the one by fishermans wharf), and a couple of the Marriotts.

Im probably a huge outlier in this regard, but to be honest LM is my favorite. Its on a block relatively free of vagrants (even StR and the Palace cant claim that), the rooms are nicely sized, and the upgrade rate is, in experience, very good for plats. It is quiet at night, and a pretty easy walk or Uber to key sightseeing areas.
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