The St. Regis San Francisco — Hotel in San Francisco

The latest 3 day 26th anniversary weekend stay for me and my husband at my usual favorite St Regis San Francisco had a very rough start that caused me to consider a move to the Ritz-Carlton — but thankfully did improve. In the end, we had another nice stay — but this one was far from perfect. ||#sanfrancisco #stregis #stregissanfrancisco #suiteupgrades #sna #astorsuite #executivepremier #airconfail #managementfail #servicerecovery #upgradepolicy #earlycheckin #latecheckout ||||I had managed in June a fantastic #BRG approved rate of $312 for an entry level deluxe 2 doubles room. So I do wonder how much that may have played a role in my upgrade issues. ||||Five days before arrival, my 3 SNAs cleared to the Executive Premier King, the highest SNA option available. #SNAsDoWork ||||My personal Ambassador and I both had forwarded my regular #prerrivalchecklist before arrival — even as this hotel should know it well from all my many previous stays. That includes the room being cooled to 65 F and pre-cooled if at all possible.||||The communication we all had pre-arrival from both the front office manager and even the Director of Front Office was that the Executive Premier was the highest upgrade offered by the hotel. That would be a major bellwether change from previous policy at the hotel. So after getting that same message that suites were not part of the upgrade inventory via the Bonvoy app chat function 2 days before arrival, I called to clarify and finally spoke the day before arrival with the Director of Operations about the upgrade policy — and he assured me that was not the policy. I did learn that my regular Metropolitan Suite (that I’d been assigned for every stay for the last 6-7 years) was out of inventory for repairs. He suggested I’d probably have an Astor Suite upgrade if available — while acknowledging that with the lower than average rates and plentiful awards still available for both Astor Suite and Metropolitan Suite, their upgrade inventory looked extremely plentiful. ||||And so we arrived Thursday around 1 pm, were told by the front desk manager that we’d been upgraded not only to a suite but to a (different) Metropolitan Suite, but that it would take a little time to be made ready. As we were early, I was pleasantly surprised and delighted. After a quick lunch in the lobby restaurant, we were given the keys, assured the front desk manager had personally inspected the room, and sent up to our suite…||||…only to discover we’d been assigned not a suite but an Executive Premier King room (room 1602). And it was 75 F in the room, with the thermostat set to 74 F. No fan. No extra water. No amenity. No blackout shades. Nothing at all as per my usual and confirmed air con requirement and other requests from my #prearrivalchecklist. This is the first time in maybe 7 years that I’d such poor attention to details for my room. It was so warm I couldn’t even wait, and so I immediately went back down to the lobby/front desk to address the situation. ||||There we learned that the front desk manager had misspoken/lied/erred in all that he’d told us. He then told us that the Director of Operations had suggested that we should be assigned that room first and only upgraded to an Astor Suite if we were dissatisfied. That’s terrible elite recognition, terrible handling of a repeat and loyal St Regis guest, and just overall terrible customer service with obvious false promises from our phone call. I was appalled.||||The same front desk manager also told us we could speak to the Director of Operations, but that meeting never came even after an hour. After repeated false promises of him showing up, I finally shared that I was getting quite angry. The always reliable head concierge, Daniel, stepped in to assist and eventually had to let us know that the Director of Operations wouldn’t be available as he was in meetings all day. The false promises were pretty glaring and endemic.||||Ultimately, after more than another hour (but still before the official 4 pm check in time, I should add), they moved us to an Astor Suite (room 2011) — but despite assurances, the thermostats again hadn’t been preset to 60. At that point, I called the Ritz-Carlton to see if they could help us by cooling down a room or suite for a possible move that night or the next day. I let the St Regis know that either I’d have to speak with the Director of Operations or the GM or we’d be moving hotels. We both had lost all confidence in the front desk manager and had begun to lose confidence in the hotel team overall.||||Finally, the Director of Operations called to apologize. And to acknowledge that he was as much part of the problem as the rest of his team. At that point, the suite air con finally was starting to cool before we left for dinner at 2* Lazy Bear. He assured me they’d have everything fixed by our return. So we stayed. I asked him to take charge to ensure it went well and also to make sure to keep the bedroom door closed to keep it cooler. ||||On returning to the hotel after dinner, either housekeeping turndown or the engineers had left the door open to the suite bedroom — so the bedroom was 69 F and the living room 70 F. I was apoplectic, but within an hour of the bedroom door being closed it was down to 68 F. Between that and my husband being exhausted and begging me, we stayed. They also had brought a welcome amenity of chocolates, chocolate covered strawberries, and a bottle of Krug Grand Cuvée champagne. That’s quite an impressive bottle of champagne as service recovery, to be honest. #servicerecovery #krugchampagne ||||By the next morning, the bedroom was 67 F even as the living room was 69 F. From that point forward, the air con continued to improve and finally (by the 3rd night) was 65 F in the bedroom and 67 F in the living room. Clearly, it needs to run a while before it can suit me. But the blackout shades already installed and the extra blackout curtains they tried to install to help didn’t quite work to blackout. This was the same issue I had with the Astor Suite many years ago.||||There were other surprising service misses, too. ||||Butler service twice brought us drip coffee even as we asked for French press. Butler service also brought us cold milk rather than hot milk as requested. This was the first stay here in many years where I didn’t tip the butler team. Since I had brought a carry ons, I didn’t ask for butler unpacking or packing service.||||The restaurant breakfast service needs work. The first and last mornings, we had lukewarm food. For the last morning, I actually sent back my lukewarm breakfast sandwich after taking a bite — only to have it returned to me heated up (probably by microwave) instead of re-prepared. I again was appalled. The head server was embarrassed and took care off the bill (even as it’s free already). I ordered an off-menu omelette instead. ||||But there also are the usual highlights that make me still love this hotel. ||||The Astor Suite, while smaller than my regular Metropolitan Suite, is still lovely. The only real complaint I have is that the bathroom is a bit small for two persons — and there really isn’t blackout in the bedroom (surprising after the overhaul and renovation to fix that i had been told). Otherwise, we really enjoyed the suite once the air con got the bedroom cooler. I used an eye mask to avoid the light issues in the morning.||||The bar and lunch/dinner team are wonderful. We had great drinks every night. They know how to make a proper Manhattan, Sazerac, Old Fashioned, Sidecar, etc. The Bloody Mary was also delish. The lunch server did mistakenly bring a salmon vs chicken salad for my husband but was quick to offer to fix (but my husband actually loved the salmon). The team always seemed to remember our names despite so many being newer to the hotel. We really enjoyed getting to know a number of them. ||||Butler coffee, once served correctly, was delicious. ||||Daniel, head concierge, had worked hard to help book us for 2* Lazy Bear — getting us a chance to book before refular reservations were open. He didn’t have the same luck with 3* Benu and Copra, which I booked myself, but I appreciated his tireless efforts. The concierge team also was helpful in making lunch recommendations. Daniel and the concierge team also helped to arrange the car service for us — they actually held the car a bit for us, even as it’s supposed to be first come, first served — for our dinners at Lazy Bear and Copra. (Benu is just a short walk.)||||Everyone, despite the challenges, continued to be as friendly and warm (and apologetic) as always. The front desk manager did try to check in on us whenever we came through the lobby or were finishing in the restaurant. He also introduced us to the new GM (formerly at the W), who also apologized for the many mishaps and asked if he could help any more. (With such a great BRG rate, I declined and just appreciated that the suite air con finally was working out by then.)||||I still am quite unclear on whether the hotel intends to upgrade Ambassadors (let alone Titaniums and Platinums) to suites or not. The management, even the GM, obviously wanted to be clear that it wasn’t policy to not upgrade to suites, but their communications about what happened for our stay were at best confusing and at worst a bit disingenuous IMO. It feels as if the hotel management wants to pretend that SNA upgrades are the same as the hotel offering discretionary complimentary upgrades. They would be the first St Regis in my experience to suggest that nonsense. I tried to disabuse them of that erroneous notion, but I don’t think I was successful. ||||I also had been confirmed before arrival for 4 pm late checkout. ||||That being said, the regular rooms here are beautifully appointed and also very comfortable. If I were alone, all that I’d care about is the air con and blackout shades. If I were with my husband again, I’d care more about a possible suite upgrade. And that’s what I told them. ||||Except for that disastrous start and tough first night, we overall did have a good stay — and at a steal of a $312 BRG rate. But the hotel service and management really missed the mark on many more levels than should be true for such a celebrated luxury hotel and brand. I tipped the engineer, housekeeping, and concierge teams well for their help in making the stay finally come together for us.||||Going forward, I will be booking both the St Regis and Ritz-Carlton to be safe — and staying again at the St Regis only when they can guarantee whatever room I’m assigned has been appropriately pre-cooled well in advance of my arrival as their air con clearly requires. ||||FWIW we also walked over to more fully check out the room and suite options at the new Four Seasons Embarcadero in the downtown area. Suffice to say that while it has incredible views, its appointments are more business centric and not nearly as elegant or refined as at the St Regis (or even as the original Four Seasons in SoMa). So we felt like the St Regis is still tops for us at least in hard product. ||||We also walked all around SoMa, Union Square, the Mission (even at night), downtown, and the Embarcadero areas. We were perfectly safe — and found the city to be as delightful and energetic as ever. Yes, we saw some homeless here and there. No, we weren’t in any way disturbed or bothered. Propaganda is called that for a reason.||||P.S. The St Regis Benedict is no longer isn’t nearly as good as it was in its previous...

In the past three weeks, I've stayed at three St. Regis properties and one Ritz (SR Maldives, Singapore, SF / Ritz Tokyo), and I must say, this was the only one that disappointed me - and in a significant way.

I've written 40+ reviews on Google - all of them have been 5 stars except this one (and still, three stars). Here's my reasoning:

Check-in: The checkin process was smooth and easy, just like alil of the other hotels. As a Marriott Titanium Elite using confirmed Suite Night Awards who checked in on a cash purchase through AMEX FHR, I was disappointed to be upgraded to the one of the lowest-level suite classes when there was plenty of inventory in higher level suites on the website - this comes after being upgraded to a 1,000 sqft suite in Tokyo at the Ritz simply because of my status - on an award redemption with no suite night awards. Disappointing, but not the end of the world.

The room quality: Having stayed in multiple properties over the past three weeks, the rooms clearly were built with a lower level of quality - laminate floors, drawers that close without cushions and make loud "thud" sounds, and more. Even so, I gave the rooms 4 stars, because it's a nice room and a great view.

The service: This has to be the most disappointing. Here are my experiences with the service: Experience#1: Room service ordered for breakfast with a 25-30 minute delivery window (they specifically said 8:55-9:00). I don't remember exactly, but it was at least 40-50 minutes before the food was delivered - which impacted our plans for the rest of the day. The food was lackluster for the price - a $90 breakfast of two mains and no drinks (they were included in the Butler service). The bagel & locks was disappointing - the presentation was beautiful, however.

Experience #2: Room service ordered at 1:20 AM after a late night on the town - Delivery window provided was 30-45 minutes. That's a long delivery window for late-night food (sandwiches). The food arrived no earlier than 2:10-2:15 AM, and half of the order was missing. The staff member went downstairs to get it - 5-10 minutes later, I received a rushed second half of my order (a simple club sandwich) that maybe saw about 8 seconds in the toaster. Disappointing for the price, to say the least. I let the front desk know about this the following morning, and they comped it without any issue - even though I think it would have been appropriate for the server to offer upon failed delivery.

Experience #3: I'm currently waiting on my food after this one: I came down to breakfast at 10:00 AM on a Sunday. I walked up to the bar, and the bartender didn't say anything to me - she just aggressively pointed at the front check-in counter. She seems to be in a poor mood and is letting that through on her customers - something I'd tolerate at a Holiday Inn, maybe, but not at a St. Regis. I walked up, and waited at least 3-4 minutes to talk to the front about what I was looking for (a to-go order). I read the menu, and waited another 3-5 minutes in line to place my order.

They weren't seating people due to an "unexpected big breakfast rush" - needless to say, I see nearly half of the tables in the restaurant empty.

I'm now waiting for my to-go order without any substantial indication of how much longer it's going to be.

Again, I don't typically write negative reviews - but, for the price of the booking, I have expectations from the St. Regis - this hotel failed to meet them.

I will add that Raj at the bar was an excellent, kind bartender. We enjoyed meeting him and appreciated his...

My friend and I booked a one night stay in SF to celebrate our birthdays. Usually, this is something that is acknowledged but not so here. Was able to check in as soon as we arrived, staff very friendly. Upon entering room, I see they set waters out for our stay. I immediately opened one and took a big gulp only to realize it was not water at all. It was some kind of lemonade or gatorade. I then realized that the previous guest must have filled the water bottle with something else and then left it, housekeeping not checking to see if the bottle had been opened or not. The other bottle left was fine/not opened. I reported to staff so they could pass on to housekeeping - to make sure bottles have not been opened. Staff was very concerned and checked up on me during the stay just in case juice had been tampered with. I'm fine. The rooms were a bit tired/in need of updates. Did not seem as big as 450sf description but was a nice room with decent size bathroom, separate shower and toilet room. It's nice also that they still give toiletries in the room. Our stay came with breakfast but when we went down the next morning there was a huge line and long wait and we just barely got seated before they ended breakfast service. It would be nice if they let guests know at check in that the wait for breakfast can be long unless they come down by a certain time. I ordered hot chocolate because I was told it like a European style dark chocolate. The first cup was good and chocolatey but soon found that the cup had a crack in it and it all leaked onto saucer and the table. Server replaced of course but second cup was nothing like the first, not chocolatey at all, very watered down. They ended up comping the chocolate but it would have been nice to have had the second cup same as the first. At checkout, we were told to relax in lobby while our car was being brought around and to leave our bags because they would "make sure the bags are loaded in car". They told us they'd come get us when car was ready but they never did. We sat for about 15 minutes and then I noticed through the window that my car was there, we walked out to valet but one of the guys was pulling away in my car. I told the other valet guys and they said he was parking it on the street because we hadn't been at valet and the car had been there awhile. You would have thought that he'd bring the car back around but he continued to park it on street even though we walked over to it and said it was our car. We then drive home (we live in the bay area) only to find NO LUGGAGE! We called and all was sorted after a few hours but with this caliber of hotel I don't expect these kinds of mistakes. Its just a good thing we live in the Bay Area and were not headed to airport. We would have flown home with no luggage or missed our flight. All in all, it was an average stay. The staff were all friendly and helpful but with all the mishaps during my stay I would have thought they would have comped me a night in the future or given me some points to make up for it...