The Fairmont San Francisco is, without doubt, one of the world's grand hotels. And it deserves this reputation. Some of the facilities (the 1970s Tower extension) are a bit dated, but generally, it is a very good hotel

When we arrived at the hotel very late (around midnight), because our plane was delayed, we were no longer given a room in the historic part (as booked), but the tower. However, they upgraded us to a top floor, corner view deluxe room (we were actually on the same floor as the InterContinental's hotel bar 'Top of the Mark' opposite, which we could easily look into). The room facilities were excellent with grand interior design and a cosy, elegant atmosphere. The bathroom was spacious and clean - providing a separate shower, toilette and bath tub.

The bed was very comfortable, the desk perfect for my business needs and we could generally not fault the hotel or its service with anything.

We arrived back in San Fran so late that all restaurants were shut and we thus decided to use the room service. The drinks and sandwiches arrived on time and were of good quality.

Checkout was very good.


Quick summary:

Location: Very good

Facilities: Good

Rooms: Very good

Special factor: the entrance hall and the bar just look amazing.

Service: Very good

I stayed in the hotel two days in July 2008. Though the hotel rate is expensive, it is worthy. The hotel building itself is an antique. The lobby is classic and beautiful. The room is spacious and equipped with large LCD TV. The bathroom is big and the bed is comfortable. Staff are polite and helpful.

The hotel is located at the juction of the two cable car lines that you can take any cable car easily as many people may change car there. Moreover, it is not far away from China Town.

However, it is a luxory hotel that you need to prepare to pay for broadband access which is usually free at lower class hotel. Also, the hotel has its designated airport shuttle services that is $4/person higher than market. In case you want to save money, you need to call your shuttle yourself.

stayed at the fairmont atop nob hill or as locals call it "snob" hill over the july 4th weekend. it was a great stay. we stayed in one of their original suites in the main building it had a separate living room and a balcony that stretched the entire length of suite. the balcony looked out upon their rooftop garden. very classic room with great character, didnt have the best view of the city though. for better views of the city i would recommend getting a room in the towers and ask to face north. the front dest service was exceptional they were very willing to accomodate to try to get us the best view possible. we decided on the suite for its charm and huge balcony. just poked our head into the tonga room and looks like could be fun, tiki and polynesian feel bar. the workout facilities are pretty good. the hotel has a great central location to all the touristy stuff. walkable to chinatown. we also walked to fishermans wharf but wouldnt reccomend walking back since its all uphill. the cable car lines are very accessible, all the lines have a stop right by the hotel. definitly recommend getting a citypass for however long your staying as the $5 cable car rides add up. i think they're only $18 for 3 days unlimited rides. we didnt get the citypass thinking we werent going to use the cable car lines but were we wrong we used them everyday to get to all the major tourist spots. there's also great bike rentals around the city. didnt try any of the restaurants at the hotel but did get breakfast room service daily and it was very delicious! the maid staff was great cleaned the room twice a day. overall thought this hotel was great with its location and service. do keep in mind that the hotel is very old it has lots of history and is one of the key landmarks in san francisco. so if your looking for all new modern sleek hotel then this probably isnt right for you. now that doesnt mean its shabby by any means. its very grand and old school feeling with great marble columns and the rooms all have flat screen tvs. just remember its got lots of history behind it!

We just got back from San Francisco - got an amazing deal on Hotels.com for the Fairmont, though after calling the website to make sure we had 2 beds (we have 2 small daughters) they still only booked a one-bed room. I found that out when we called on the way up to confirm our reservation. The hotel's answer was "Don't worry, we're the Fairmont, we'll take care of it," and they did, in the middle of tourist season, for all 4 nights, at no extra charge.

The only downside to this hotel is the location - there are no quick & easy restaurants nearby, though there is a little coffee and pastry shop at the base of the hotel by the trolley car stop. Room service is expensive as it is at all high-end hotels, and an easy, affordable bite to eat meant taking public transportation down the hill to either Little Italy or Market Street, which isn't easy with kids.

If you stay here, you will get excellent service in a luxurious hotel featuring an elegant marble-filled lobby and spacious rooms. We were thrilled with our experience.