mdbe

It’s sad that in a major US city Bonvoy doesn’t have a “top” hotel.

Adelphos

I think most would consider St. Regis the luxury option in San Francisco. Ritz Carlton too.

In contrast:

Hilton - no Conrad, Waldorf Astoria, etc
Hyatt - No Park Hyatt, Andaz, etc.

My best hotel experience in San Francisco was Four Seasons Embarcadero (back under prior names). Among Marriott stays, I liked Palace and Le Meridien. Hyatt Regency is my work / ferry terminal hotel. For convention stays, Marriott Marquis or Parc 55. For boutique, I like Hotel Zetta. I'm there a lot

mdbe

Tried both before actually. ritz was aging fast and the vibe i got from St regis was indifference. Hard product was there but soft really bad.

Kacee

It's overall a crappy hotel city. There was so much demand pre-pandemic that ownership acquired bad habits, and then demand dropped so precipitously during the pandemic they're still all looking to cut costs to the bone.

BR787

Ya, the service level at the STR was terrible when I stayed there last year. Not worth the money at all, nor up to the brand to be frank. Recommend avoiding it.

gator91

I’m looking at quick trip in April - JW executive lounge remains closed, $25 resort fee and bad reviews in Bonvoy app sending me to St Francis, Palace or maybe Adagio? Thanks for the thread.

Radiation Station

Palace is pretty good for an American hotel. Breakfast benefit is a bit stingy but the room you eat in sort of makes up for it. Good location and I liked the suite that I got with my SNAs. Late checkout given.

Kacee

Palace has a more BART convenient location and nicer public spaces. St. Francis has a much better breakfast and is in the heart of Union Square. Both are tight with upgrades and will tend to default to a Grand Deluxe unless you push for something better (which they may or may not give). I don't find the base rooms at either property particularly appealing, though the upgraded room at St. Francis should have a view if it's in the tower.

WillBarrett_68

Palace is 100x better than Adagio if the rates are even remotely similar. Better facility, better location, literally everything is better. They're not even remotely comprable, search upthread for my comments on Adagio, it's not a bad property necessarily, just a pretty dismal location and just a somewhat... OK property in general.

caveat: I haven't been there since before covid.

Tajador

I like the Palace better than the Ritz. The Ritz didn't offer much with its higher price. Plus, the Palace has Japanese toilets with the buttons and bidet in their rooms which is kind of amusing considering the historical significance.

Dan Weber

The St Francis has a new GM - coming from the Palace - and he is bringing back the glitz and service.

ntamayo

News sounds hopeful - looks like he’ll also be in charge of ops at the area properties long panned here:
Clif Clark has been appointed General Manager Area General Manager of San Francisco at The Westin St. Francis San Francisco on Union Square

ElevatorEnthusiast

The reason the Palace has Japanese toilets is that the property is owned by Kyo-Ya, a Japanese company, that also owns the Sheraton Maui as well as the four legacy Starwood properties on Waikiki (SW, RH, MS, and PK).

DELee

That's a whole bunch of properties that need operations direction. Unless he can find managers who will focus on service, he's doomed.

David

FlyerSwede

I'm doing a roadtrip with my Wife and our 3 year old daughter. Spending 1 night in San Francisco and trying to figure out the best option for us. I've been to SF a number of times but first time for Wife and Daughter. I'm Titanium with Bonvoy and have a number of suite nights left.
For me Breakfast is probably the highest priority. Lounge would be nice for when daughter gets cravings, and since I have a Suite Nights left it would be nice to get a decent upgrade.
I always stayed around union square before and I liked it but with a kid I want to be able to walk around in the evening without too much nuisance.

So here is what I have been considering so far

Marriott Union Square - Really good price for our date, the destination fee isn't an issue as both the tram tickets and $25 would be used. Staying Sunday to Monday so from what I understand at least basic breakfast would be served in the lounge?
W - Location is probably not optimal for family but only one night. Managed to get a cheap rate of $190 and some sort of breakfast should be included through bonvoy. And hopefully possible to get a suite upgrade as well.
Marriott Fisherman's Wharf - Feels like this location is probably better when visiting with a kid. However barely any titanium perks and the destination fee seems completely useless.
Marriott Courtyard Fisherman's Wharf- Cheaper than the Marriott, higher ratings and no destination fee. Also we at least get $20 Food & Beverage here.

Saw people recommending the Palace Hotel. Price is actually not to bad for our dates. Would this be a better option than the ones above?