This was my second stay at the Sir Francis Drake, having stayed here in March 2008. My group was placed at the hotel by the housing bureau of the conference we were attending.
The hotel's location is perfect for those wanting to get the feel of San Francisco. Close to the convention center, right in Union Square, with Chinatown only a few blocks away. For those who love to shop, there are plenty of stores.
The doormen are dressed in costume and are quick to help with luggage and hailing taxis. The bellman are efficient and quick to point out the features of the room as well as where the ice machine and fire exits are.
Check in was smooth and effortless, even when I forgot my Kimpton rewards number. The staff member kindly looked it up and added it to my reservation.
The lobby of the hotel is magnificent, with high ceilings, comfortable sofas and chairs, and a nicely stocked bar. Aaron, one of the bartenders, is delightful and charming as well as creative. He was mixing up new drinks and explaining to the patrons the different tastes he was going for. There were a few of us there on business, so it was nice to have an engaging bartender.
The elevators are small but relatively quick. During my first stay in March, I was on the 10th floor and had a decently sized room. The TV was on the dresser at the foot of the bed, so viewing wasn't an issue. The bathroom, however, was very small with little storage space for my toiletries. For a one-night stay, that's OK, but for the May trip, I was there for 7 days, so the lack of space became tedious.
The bath amenities are Aveda products, which are my personal favorites. The tub is deep and the shower had good water pressure.
For my second stay in May, I was on the 7th floor, close to the elevator. My room was tricky to get to, since it was tucked away in a side hall. The space was considerably smaller -- reminding me of a European hotel room -- and the TV was on the dresser that was parallel to the bed. Yes, viewing was a bit of a pain in the evening but it wasn't too bad.
The real eyesore in the room was the left-over in-window AC/heating unit. The Sir Francis Drake now has central heating/air with individual temperature controls. While I didn't have a problem with mine, several of my colleagues complained that their AC didn't work. It, of course, had to be a freakish heatwave that hit in May, with temperatures well into the high 90's.
Kudos for complimentary wireless internet access, but my telephone didn't work even after maintenance repaired it once. It's hard to order room service when the only phone in the room doesn't work.
The business center is located in the lobby and has two pay-per-use computers. Unfortunately, the first computer I tried to use wouldn't recognize my memory stick and the printer connect to the second one constantly jammed. Of course, I was trying to print out documents for a meeting that was starting in 15 minutes. Three cheers for Elgin at the front desk, who tried to fix the printer and the understanding that I was under the gun, took the memory stick, printed the file and made the number of copies I needed. Because I had so much trouble with the machines, he didn't charge me for the copies.
So... while my coworkers' experiences were particularly good, I didn't have problems with my room (except that the bathroom had no storage). It seems that it all depends on the luck of the draw with rooms. You'll either get one that has a decent amount of space or one that's cramped with things that don't quite work.
Regardless, it is a beautiful hotel and I'm willing to stay here again as long as Aaron's at the bar and Elgin's behind the front desk.
hotel reviews