Renaissance Parc 55 or a Marriott
 

I am traveling on business and have the choice of these hotels.
I will be taking my wife and 18-year-old daughter.
Size of room is important. I am platinum and was wondering if they upgrade to suites.
Also a good concierge lounge.
Which Marriott is better the Fisherman's Wharf or the San Francisco Marriott?
I would like recent stay comments if possible.
Thanks

I stay at various Marriott-related properties in San Francisco about twice a month. I have the best luck with room size, treatment, and upgrades at the San Francisco Marriott. The Renaissance properties don't like to give upgrades very often.

The problem I have found with the SF Marriott, though, is that they've shut off some of their floors due to low occupancy, so from time to time they've not been able to give me the type of room I've been booked in. The good news is that all but one of those times they've found a full suite for me.

The SF Marriott is a MUCH nicer property than the Fisherman's Wharf marriott. I recommend that you go with this property.

My wife and I stayed at the SF Marriott during Presidents Day weekend, and, as a Gold, I was U/G'ed automatically to their huge Junior Suite, with separate living, sleeping and dining areas, and bay windows facing the Bay Bridge and East Bay Area. The concierge lounge was pretty good too.

Parking is ~$18, but you are within walking distance to Market Street (cable car access), SF MOMA, Moscone Convention Center, and Sony Metreon, among other attractions. Definitely recommended if you're an elite.

I like the downtown Marriott--They have always put me on the c-floor or upgraded to a suite. Very nice concierge lounge with excellent desserts. There is also a top floor cocktail lounge with huge windows and a great view of the city. IMHO, the parc 55 seems to be dropping their standards recently.

I did a thread back in May detailing how disappointed we were in the Parc 55... and from the responses to my post, there were many others who thought the Parc 55 was a very ordinary property. The rooms were OK, but the restaurant, lobby and concierge services were inferior to the SF Marriott by far!

If anyone wonders why FT is so great this is right at the top of the list. I was set to book at the Parc 55 (my wife and another couple are joining me in mid-Jan). Based on this tread - SF Marriott here we come! Thanks to all!!

Well the SF Marriott is a great property but I have stayed at the Parc 55 and it is not bad, either.

The location is slightly better for tourist activites - right on Union Square and nearer a cable car line. I felt that the condition of the property was a notch below the SF Marriott but the prices are usually lower both for points redemption as well as paid rooms.

No one seems to like the Fisherman's Wharf Marriott. I do not like the Renaissance Stanford Court - too "European" (meaning: tired, cramped and pompous) for my tastes and no concierge lounge, either.

Actually I have stayed at FW Marriott and found it OK. SInce I was on business and left the property before 6:00 a.m. each day I never got to use the facilities.

Having lived in SF from 1974-1986 I know the city fairly well, but don't know anything about either the SF Marriott or 55 Parc so am attempting to book the BEST facility. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif

Without question the SF Marriott. Much better than the Parc 55. Got upgraded there to a nice jr. suite.

and you can get Krispy Kreme in the lobby.

Not up to a trip report, so just thought I'd bump this. We just got back from the week-end at the Marriott. Everyone was great. Since we were traveling with our closest friends we wanted connecting rooms - easier to get to each others wines. They didn't have any on the C- floors, nor a suite, but they took great care of us. The lounge is great - wonderful (and helpful) staff - and yes, great desserts. For the week-end (when the C-lounge is closed) they give you breakfast coupons - free buffet (w/o eggs/meat) or $2.00 per person extra for full buffet (to bad they don't make that offer every day). The buffet was excellent and for the price http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif Parking is a bit high - even for SF - at $38 per night (in and out - all valet) http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif Overall a very nice experience and super location for walking taking MUNI.

Wow, $38? As I mentioned earlier in the thread, the parking during my stay last Feb was $18/night for valet parking, and I believe that's in/out privileges.

matamayo -- Can't believe the parking went up over 100% in so short a time, but trust me the $38 was what the going rate was on this visit. The parking attendents were excellent, but even so - the hotel is making a fortune, unless SF has raised the taxes on parkingin the city - not seen since I lived there (and that was in the 70s and 80s).

I stayed at the SF Marriott a year ago, and was disappointed. Although the building is gorgeous, the actual accomodations in my room were distinctly less than stellar. I was there for a high-occupancy conference (MacWorld), and they only had smoking rooms left, despite the non-smoking setting in my Silver profile.

This year I was at the new Courtyard a couple blocks over, and it was dandy. We moved to the Parc 55 for the weekend, and while the bed and linens were much nicer, it's an older building and we could hear a good deal more noise from the street. (Even from the 20th floor.)

I'm beginning to book hotels based on time since last remodel, Marriott brand be ****ed. Since I stay with the government rate, they price out the same anyway.

[This message has been edited by atlauren (edited 01-20-2003).]

How about the Stanford Court (Renaissance)?

I've stayed at all three San Francisco hotels and without a doubt I would choose to stay at the Stanford Court. The rooms in the hotel are a lot nicer than either the Parc 55 or the Downtown Marriott. The tooms at the Stanford Court have a European feel with beasutiful white comforters on the beds and the bathrooms are a nice size. At teh Downtown Marriott I had a decent size room but it had the standard decor of a hotel room (huge flower print linens on the bed) and the rooms at the Parc 55 were a bit shabby and I was Platinum when I stayed at both hotels. But given a preference without a doubt go with the Stanford Court. The only drawback is the location (it's located at the top of nob hill so its a hilly way to get there if the cable cars are full)