St Regis San Francisco [Master Thread]
 

I stayed for 3 nights in October. Got a great upgrade to a suite. The suite had 3 flat screens(one was in the bathroom). The bathroom had a huge tub and a separate shower.

strange questions, but from the pictures it almost looks like the toilet is in the shower section of the bathroom, can anyone explain?

xxxxx

Most of the reviews on this hotel on trip advisor lately are very good.
It's been 18 months or so since I was there and the stay was faultless.
We're back next month so I'll post back on what I think but as I say going on recent reviews,it's looking good :)
I've a habit of returning to hotels that I like-though this one is a tad far from home to make that a practical option for here.

But based on my last stay there,it was my hotel of choice for the up and coming visit.

Trip Report
 

Just finished a three night stay at the SR in SFO. After trepidation on the board and a bad SR experience in DC, I almost canceled, but I’m glad I kept it—I was impressed.
Checkin was instantaneous, though there was no one to take me upstairs (not that I need it, I can pretty much handle my own bags through much rougher situations than a St Regis elevator.) Upgraded to a 02 room, which was large for a non-suite and well laid out especially if you like modern décor (which, I’ll admit grew on me). By a small miracle, both the cordless phone and the bedside console seemed to work (even though there was no iPod cable for the console)
Staff were well intentioned and gracious. Concierge handled requests (of average difficulty) with speed and a smile. Doorstaff (when there, I got back REALLY late one night and there was no one around) were efficient and curious (Welcome back sir, did you have a good evening?)
Didn’t get a bill under my door for checkout, but one phone call remedied that in about five minutes.
A few nitpicks (and I’m being picky here).
*) The butler. I never actually met the butler, and I’m not convinced that s/he exists. Whenever I rang the butler button (more on that in a bit), guest services answered. That’s totally fine, I don’t mind the service express concept (so long as it works, which it did here), but if it’s service express, than call it that. Butler service is something slightly different, and I didn’t actually come across said butler at any point. . . ..
*) Lighting. My room was dark at night. Not a big deal, but I have work to do when I get back to my room, and I’d like some light to do it to. Yes, there was a desk lamp, but the complete lack of overhead lighting just led to a shadowy feeling around the room, one that combined with jetlag to keep me from getting much work done. Service Express (sorry, Butler) eagerly sent up a bellman with another lamp, which while helpful, but didn’t do a ton to solve the problem. A floor floodlamp would do wonders. . .

Two small nitpicks at the end of an otherwise excellent stay. I’ll be back.

At the St Regis right now.. The past 4 stays here, they tell me that the platinum amenity is some sort of chocolates.. but I never see it around in the room.. I'm not a chocolate person anyways and wouldn't have eaten them.. but just curious has anyone ever seen these ellusive chocolates that are given out as a platinum amenity?

Ditto as well on the butler.. never seen one here either.. even when staying in the St Regis or Astor suites.. in the other St Regis', the butler usually would come and introduce himself/herself after check-in.. but never in this property...

It is one chocolate bar (OK, not great), usually with nuts, and only provided about 1 time out of 3 in my experience (I stay there every few months). It will be on the desk if they remember it. I suppose you could call and ask for it, but honestly I don't think it's worth the effort. I don't really care that much; the Platinum amenity is only worth ~$15 to me in the best case (500 pts * 3 cents/pt), and that's not enough to get worked up about it.

Just stayed there for two nights this week.

Was upgraded to an executive room XX03. Given the apparent availability of suites, I was hoping for one, but this room was very nice.

The room is shaped like an L with the inner four walls being floor to ceiling glass.

I was there for a meeting and I didn't use any of the hotel benefits (spa, gym etc...), so my comments are limited.

I have stayed quite a bit at both the FS and the Ritz and provided I would receive a similar upgrade at the STR, I would stay there every time in SF - location permitting, of course.

platinum problems at St. Regis, San Fran?
 

Odd experience at St. Regis, San Fran. Called plat concierge on the way from the airport to add my friend's name to the res in case he beat me here. When I called, I asked them to check if, by chance, there were any standard suites available. She said there were a bunch. Great, I thought, I can hopefully snag an upgrade to a suite when I check in.

Checked in, and when the guy at the desk didn't acknowledge at all my status, I asked if, by chance, there was an upgrade available as he was writing down my room number. He said they were pretty full, but he would check. Why didn't he check before he gave me my room?

As he's looking, I ask if they have any suites (knowing that 30 minutes ago they had several). He said that all of the suites were taken (I'm only here for one night). I said that was odd, that the plat concierge told me there were some 30 minutes before. Then I asked if they had been pre-assigned to other plats. If that had been, that was fine by me. I just made plat. He replied that they were all taken by guests paying a suite rate. Hmm. Odd. He said he had no explanation as to why the plat concierge would have just told me that there were any suites available but if there were he would have given me one.

Then he begrudgingly found me an upgraded corner room. So I thanked him for that (and not in a sarcastic way).

I realize that getting a standard suite is a perk that's only available when there are suites available. But I just looked on spg.com again, and there are suites available. I called the plat concierge for her to check, and she said thatt they should have given me one ("especially since you're only there one night). However, there's nothing that she could have done except open a complaint.

They were stingy when I was gold with giving me a one category uprgrade, so this isn't too shocking. But the whole thing leaves a bad taste in my mouth. As most people will note, I throw thousands of dollars in the way of Starwood every year for business travel. And I've come to appreciate the perks. But should I really have to fight for what the program gives me under the T&C?

Ok, rant over.

ps - Most of the time I don't have to ask. Most Westin and St. Regis hotels I stay in are really good about it.

upgrade issues
 

Well Hello There,

I am sorry you were not upgraded properly as a Platinum SPG Member. If you believe you were not upgraded properly, please contact Corporate Customer Service (CCS) at 1-800-328-6242 or send them an email at [email protected] and let them know. If the Platinum Concierge said there were suites available, then they should have given you one. However, they upgrade to the best room or suite at check in, and if those suites were not available when you checked in (maybe a platinum was in some wanting a 4 pm checkout) then they do not have to offer you one.

I realize that there may have not been one available, which is why I asked if it's possible that they may have been assigned to someone else, etc. I was confused by when he said that "they're all currently reserved by guests paying a suite rate."

The general manager left me a voice mail, and he assured me that I had been upgraded. I tried to call him back to thank him for looking into it, and to explain that I wasn't questioning whether or not I had been upgraded, but rather whether I had been upgraded to the nicest available room, including standard suites. I haven't heard back.

Is e-mailing customer care the same thing as lodging a complaint with the platiinum concierge?

Hi thechosenuno,

Please contact the Platinum Concierge if you would like to lodge a complaint on this issue.

Do let me know if there are any further issues.

[email protected]

Regrettably, you were misinformed by the Platinum Concierge associate. All of the standard suites at this property were fully occupied on the date you checked in. If you know who it was you spoke with, let me know and I will follow up with their supervisor about this.

My apologies that he did not recognize you as a Platinum member in the program. That is a required minimum interaction, IMHO. That being said, upgrades are usually pre-assigned in advance so you don't lose the upgrade opportunity should one be available. If the hotel occupancy was high and he already knew this, he would not have to check. In fact, he's probably already checked multiple times before you got there. ;)

Actually, this room was assigned the night before your arrival. There were no room changes day of.

Again, the standard suites were already occupied, so I would imagine that the Platinum Concierge confused the issue.

Actually, if they gave you a one category room upgrade as a Gold member, then they exceeded what was called for according to SPG. :)

Glad to hear that. Good luck on your next stay. ^

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Online Guest Feedback Coordinator
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

[email protected]

I've stayed here about 4 times as a Plat, and have gotten a suite upgrade every time, without asking. Twice I've been upgraded to a really large suite, above the "standard suite" that SPG specifies.

Ame Restaurant
 

So I'm a little late on the reservation wagon for Ame this Saturday the 14th. I'm in SFO for the week and spending the weekend at the Westin Market St. Was wondering if I'd have any clout being SPG Plat and getting a reservation at the restaurant? Opentable says there is no availability, I suppose a phone call would probably be better than using Opentable.

Very good hotel in a good location, next to the SF MoMA. Well appointed rooms with great bathroom.

Just spent 3 nights here - all in all a great stay. Upon check-in was informed that no "standard suites" were available - but did get an 18th floor corner room- was told it was "upgraded" but having never stayed there before I have nothing to compare it with. The corner high floor view though left nothing to complain about. I did receive my Plat amenity - the chocolate bar. Hmmmm. Never saw a butler. Room service was very quick and efficient. Lobby bar was busy every late afternoon - but pricey. Never tried either of the restaurants or the spa. This property is very well located - just south of Market and a short walk to the Union Square area and numerous outstanding restaurants. I would definitely stay here again.

Corner "02" rooms compared to "standard suites"
 

I'm a regular at The SF St. Regis. I'm oftimes offered the standard suites as a plat upgrade, but turn them down. 1. The suites are on the lower floors (below 12) and tend to be dark and have no view to speak of. 2. Somehow, the noise at night into the bedroom area is rather extreme, somehow filtering up rock and roll and the noise of people talking and laughing (more so on weekends).

I'll often take a corner "02" room on a high floor as a better upgrade. 1. These rooms are very large and have a long hallway and separate closet space area. 2. There is a great view across Yerba Buena Park, and the light in the morning and the rest of the day is quite nice. 3. These rooms are quiet. 4. They are definitely superior to any of the regular rooms on this side of the hotel and much better than low floor rooms anywhere in the hotel.

I recently stayed at the St. Regis San Francisco and absolutely loved the hotel. It's uber contemporary with hundreds of pieces of artwork scattered throughout the hotel.

Arrival

We had a sedan pick-up from SFO set up through the concierge a week before arrival. Although it was probably double a taxi, it's really a great way to avoid parking fees, which are now about $55.00 including tax per day. If you are planning on parking, the car ran us around $130, so if you are planning on staying more than 3 nights and you are parking a car, definitely either get a taxi, or arrange a car. Moving on...we were greeted by name at the door and were escorted to the front desk. We were celebrating a special occasion, which I can only assume was noted in our reservation by the res agent, because they congratulated us on our anniverary and offered a Metropolitan Suite on the 18th floor. Nice way to start your trip!

Metropolitan Suite

The suite was very spacious, I'd say a little under 1,000 square feet. There were wood floors throughout the entire suite. It was situated in a corner location with over-sized windows offering amazing views. It had a great dining area seating four guests, so we had some friends who were local over to our suite and ordered room service, which by the way, may I HIGHLY recommend Ame. We never actually ate in the restaurant as we ate dinner in our room 2 of the nights we were there, but the room service was outstanding! Bedroom was great with very advanced features including something I called my bed-side buddy which let me close my blinds, even lower the black out curtains, it could control the TV, lights, temp and I could even look up local attractions/restaurants/hot spots! I would certainly book this suite the next time I stayed.

Staff

The staff was absolutely amazing as well. From check-in to check-out, we felt like VIPS and never had to wait more than about 3 minutes for anything like bringing extra towels/bath amenities. I was called by my last name for the entire vacation, which was an extra touch to make it more personal. Love St. Regis service...never had anything short of a wonderful experience at any one of them.

Location

The location was perfect for us! It was around 10 miles, give or take, to the beach which we did visit during our stay. All of the big touristy locations were within a 2 mile radius. Overall the hotel was just great and I know we will return there soon!

Artwork in the hotel
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c1...March13-20.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c1...March13-19.jpg

Entrance to the hotel/Lobby
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c1...March13-18.jpg

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c1...-March14-3.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c1...-March14-1.jpg

Metropolitan Suite
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c1...March13-16.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c1...March13-15.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c1...March13-14.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c1...March13-13.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c1...March13-11.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c1...March13-12.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c1...March13-10.jpg

Indoor Pool/Spa
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c1...-March13-7.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c1...-March13-6.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c1...-March13-5.jpg

Room Service
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c1...-March13-4.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c1...-March13-3.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c1...-March13-2.jpg

Views
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c1...-March13-1.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c1...March13th2.jpg

Great Review
 

Great review TravelFreak131

Hey whats with the coke with your room service meal:p:p:p
As John Wayne would say I cannot trust a man who doesnt drink;);):p:p

Funny story...I asked for a few cokes/diet cokes to be brought up and they brough a case of each! I wonder what they would have brought if I actually asked for a whole case...

And don't you worry Bonecrusher the cokes were just the mixers! ;)

What an incredible hotel.

Yeah, but I'm thinking I might have to use the "$500 trick" :( to get that suite

Treatment on Free Weekend Night Stay?
 

Thanks to all who have posted reviews. I have found them very helpful. I would like to know how this property treats plats on award/free night stays?

I had a friend who is also a Plat stay on an award reservation and he was upgraded and was given a bottle of wine at check-in. I'm fairly confident to say that this isn't one of those hotel's who discriminates between an award booking and an actual paid rate. Service is a HUGE priority for St. Regis, and it justifies the higher rates...some St. Regis properties don't all have flawless service, but as you can see by my review, this one certainly qualified as PERFECT!

Transport in from SFO. Conservative.
 

I have given up taking our cars into the City. After three bumper swipes at the RC you learn. Also now given the high price of parking. We will drive to SFO and park in the intl garage. $20 per day. From there I know we can take a cab. But can someone comment on BART? Never tried it. I believe there would be a train change. Which station is close to the St. Regis? Thanks. Appreciate.

No train change is necessary. The St. Regis is actually between two stations, but I believe it might be a shade closer to Powell St. The cost is $5.70 from SFO one way. Once you exit the Powell St. Station you want to walk towards 3rd Street. SFO to Powell Street Station is roughly 33 minutes.

Don't exit Powell
 

Montgomery St. stop has an exit on New Montgomery and Market. There is a door to the St. Regis (via Ame restaurant) on Mission between New Montgomery and 3rd. This is a much shorter walk.

Report. 5/2009 Metropolitan suite.
 

Preface: Down to see friends and clients.

Status: Platinum.

Rate: Current promotion.

Transportation: We do not bring our cars into the city. Parked at SFO Intl. parking structure. Then took BART into the city. Should be $5.70 per recent post. Get off at Market/New Montgomery and take the escalator to left after exiting wicket. Walk on Market south towards third. Turn left. The Hotel is on your left.

Parking: Not used but $49 per night.

Check-in: Upgraded to Metropolitan Suite on higher floor.

Perks: As noted above. We did receive something special in our suite when we returned this evening.

Lounge: Not here.

Room: You enter onto stone. A hallway takes you to your large corner living room. You have a dining table for four which would seat six. Large picture windows are along all walls. We have a nice large desk and huge sofa set with side chair. Flat panel lcd tv with dvd player. Frig which you can put items in. Very very nice. Door to bedroom which has carpet with king bed. Again very nice. Like a lux home.

Bathroom: Enter onto stone with double basin sinks. Tub with sep. shower and toilet room. Again nice. Remede amenities which are restocked at turndown.

Internet: Wired. $14.95 for 24 hours.

Gym: not been

Spa: not been

Eating venues: not been

Local markets and area: Lots of places around to get things. Also in a decent location with things fairly close. Without doubt this is not like being on Union Square. But more than works for us.

Negatives: None.

Closing: This is one of the nicest Hotels ever. Comfortable. The staff is friendly but do not feel pushed upon. My wife loves it and we intend to return.

We went to bushi-tei bistro in Japantown for lunch. Everyone enjoyed. About $90 all in for four people.

Had dinner at Houston's which is always reliable. Today will have dim sim with friends before heading out. Will advise if good. Yesterday our friend who is also a Platinum did a check-in at the Le Meridien. Good value and we were surprised at the upgrade and layout. In a good way that is. A little more central.

Why so secretive? Care to share what something special means? A plate of chocolates? A duffel bag full of starpoints? A coupon good for dinner with William?;)

Sorry nothing so interesting or lucrative (aka points). It was our 10th wedding anniversary and the hotel made us a mini wedding cake. It along with a bottle of champagne was in the suite when we returned. Nice touches.

Dim sim was not bad. A place on Commercial Street I believe down from Chinatown. Maybe someone knows the name. Good variety and reasonable price. Not the cheapest but the place was supper clean.

City View Restaurant?

Hey all -

Thanks for the informative and detailed reviews. I especially liked seeing some of the great pics that were taken.

I'm looking at using 2 free weekend nights from the current promotion at this property for a Friday and Saturday night stay in August. I have one simple question (and I think I already know the answer):

Is there any reason why I would choose any other downtown SF hotel besides the St. Regis for my trip? I generally try to maximize my points and freebies and it seems like taking the CAT 6 St. Regis is a no-brainer, but I thought it was worth asking just in case.

My girlfriend and I will be in Napa for the week and then we're heading down to SF for the weekend before we fly home to enjoy the city a bit and take in a Giants game. We're young professional types looking for good location to dining and nightlife (and the subway - which I believe was already mentioned as right by the hotel).

Thanks in advance!
Josh

Well the St Regis is understated elegant.

Since you both are young professional types - not sure if you're into the hip / trendy bar scene - but that would be more at the W - but that is only about a 1/2 block away from St Regis so not really a good reason to use your nights there instead.

While I wouldn't say that the St Regis is an especially good location for dining & nightlife, its really not that far to the the Union Square area (maybe 4-5 blocks - very walkable) - San Francisco City proper is pretty compact anyways - so excluding the airport properties & the Sheraton Fisherman's Wharf - all "downtown" properties are really within 7 blocks or so of each other (that's going from Westin St Francis to Le Meridien - most of the other ones are actually within 3 blocks of each other).

If you're talking about SF Starwood properties, then the St. Regis is definitely a no-brainer... you're not going to find any Starwood remotely close to it's luxury or service anywhere else in the Bay Area. If you're looking outside Starwood, the Four Seasons is great, though in a slightly worse location, and a lot less trendy IMO. Go Phils!

Underwhelmed to say the least
 

I did a two night stay June 8-9 for my birthday. I was really looking forward to this after a memorable experience at the ST. Regis NYC for my birthday last year.

I arrived at the St. Regis SF after spending time at the St. Regis in Singapore the week before so my expectations were high. I had informed the hotel and my Starwood Ambassador that it was my birthday during my stay and I received zero recognition.

At check-in there was no recognition of my platinum status outside of the key holder and no upgrade was offered.

The hotel itself is nothing special and the service was lacking. Room service was very slow and the breakfast was inconsistent from one day to the next.

I will not be rushing back.

What kind of room did you book/get? I was there from June 5-7 and received a corner room on the 12th floor overlooking Yerba Buena gardens. I had booked just the day before with free night certs. I didn't get any recognition of plat status either, but it's my understanding that this hotel doesn't particiapte fully in that (no amenity for example). Not sure if that's true. I had a great time there, but I didn't eat anything at the hotel so can't comment - nor was it my birthday.

Terrific Stay
 

Just spent one night at the hotel finishing off a weekend in wine country with my wife, using the free night promo.

We were told at the desk that we had been upgraded to an Executive King, which was a very nice room that seemed nicer and larger than what an average room would be.

I especially enjoyed the smart room control device on the bedside that controlled the lights, drapes and temperature as well as serving as the clock and phone.

Disappointed that the flat screen TV didn't have any actual HD channels and that the VOD movies were not HD either.

Ordered room service dinner, very good burger, very not-so-good chicken soup. Though it was interesting that they told me as they repeated my order that "It is currently 7:25, you WILL have your food by 7:55" - and sure enough we did. Also found room service breakfast to be quick and tasty.

One interesting note: I needed a rental car for a day and called the concierge to see what the closest Hertz location was. She offered to book and have the car delivered, and even counting the $10 delivery fee the rate was $50 less than what Hertz was showing me on their website at the same time, and obviously more convenient. At that rate, it's almost cheaper to rent a different car every day than to pay the $50+14% overnight valet rate!

Looking forward to a longer stay, maybe even before then end of the free weekends promo.

It's not true. They are required to give you a welcome amenity. At this property, it usually includes a tray of food with water at turn down.