We stayed in the Hapsburg Suite (sounds grand but basically a bedroom with an extra lounge).
On entering, the building is very impressive, with a marble interior . The lobby cannot be faulted but it is not a place to 'be comfortable' in. The whole atmosphere of the hotel is grand and rather staid.
The room was faultless. Miller Harris toiletries in the bathroom, beautiful decor, very spacious.
And yet, despite is central location on Nob Hill, and at the crossing of two cable lines, I did not feel central. It is a 10 minute cable ride to Fishermans Wharf - but on coming back up again the wait for the cable was half an hour. It is 5-10 minutes walk down a steep hill to Union Square, but a cable car on the way up is recommended.
A beautiful and historical hotel, but maybe not the best for a relaxed family holiday.

Stayed for 4 nights in San Francisco at the beginning of a 2-week west coast trip and thoroughly enjoyed the Fairmont. Having booked through a travel agent, we were anxious after reading other's reviews but thankfully we found these completely unfounded. Infact every local that discovered that we were staying in the Fairmont called it "the top hotel in San Francisco".

Stayed in a great double room, with a view overlooking the bay, including Coit Tower and Alcatraz Island. The room was light and airy, very comfortable and quite luxurious. The hotel is in a great location, just a few blocks from Chinatown and Union Square (the main shopping area) and a 25 minute walk downhill to Pier 39. You also have the option of taking the tram, with two lines (heading to all 4 main destinations) quite literally passing the hotel.

There were a few negatives - obviously its quite pricey in parts, but you should expect this given the initial price, etc. The Tonga-related bar was also a bit bizarre, with no real atmosphere and strange water and light effects every 10 minutes but we missed the live band which apparently makes it all worthwhile.

Very friendly staff and a very nice stay. Would definitely recommend others to stay at the Fairmont!!!!!

Fantastic hotel with that grand and beautiful lobby on entry , very friendly check-in staff who kindly offered us a rollaway bed so the three children didn't have to share two double beds. The concierge were always friendly offering great restaurant advice for dinner. room was fairly large which was very clean and well maintained. The breakfast buffet Laurel Court is terrific!

We stayed at the Fairmont as part of a wedding party otherwise we probably wouldn't have picked it. Try and get a room high up - preferably in a corner - we were in 614 and had three huge windows with the most incredible views south over the city. We didn't draw the curtains at night so we could wake up and see the view.

Everyone else talks about service and the lobby so I'll keep my review to this - don't stay here if you can't manage walking up hills. The Fairmont website claims to be close to the BART station, which isn't exactly a lie, but the map doesn't show hills. The Fairmont is at the top of one. A steep one.

Luckily, we braved the streets and traffic and drove our bags to the hotel before dropping the car off at the airport after having been to Napa. Frankly we wouldn't have made the hills, up or down, with our luggage. Even without heavy bags, the hills do put you off coming and going more than once a day, unless you are either driving or are prepared to pay for taxis everywhere.

If nothing else, to say you stayed at the Fairmont San Francisco is a real buzz so you forgive the hills and the fraying decor (as did John McCain who stayed there 2 days before us), and you're guaranteed to always find you hotel in SF/USA guide books - it's a city landmark.