This is not a review of the building or property. Let's be clear - this is about a one hundred year old building that has been brought up to modern standards. It can use some work and a bit more TLC, but overall, it is about what you should expect when staying in this part of San Francisco.
Yes, the elevators are creaky (and a bit scary - a group of guests actually got stuck in one of the elevators during our stay), the overall decor is a bit dated and, if you are accustomed to the very clean, polished properties normally associated with the Kimpton name, you may want to consider the Palomar.
But that is not what this review about.
This review is about the disappointment brought on by the poor and somewhat schizophrenic service that is absolutely NOT what any loyal Kimpton guest should expect or receive.
I will also caution you to take this review with a grain of salt as we have become accustomed to the service at the Hotel Palomar in San Francisco and wonderful experiences at the Solamar in San Diego.
I made our reservations for this family trip on the Kimpton website as a Kimpton In-Touch Member. It took me almost 3 hours of researching and comparing all of the Kimpton Hotels in the San Francisco area to find the next best alternative to the Palomar. While we LOVE the Palomar, I felt like we should try someplace "new" on this trip.
A couple of days after booking, I followed up with a phone call to the front desk. The young lady that answered sounded a bit rushed, but I confirmed with her that we needed early check-in, a room with a view and a higher floor.
Upon our arrival around noon on July 4th, things started off well. They had a room ready for us on the 7th floor and had our bags delivered promptly. All was wonderful until we looked out of our window - at a brick wall. While I was inclined to call the front desk and ask for another room, my wife, the voice of reason, reminded me that we hardly ever spend any time in the room anyway and to leave the issue alone. I did.
Our next order of business was to visit the concierge desk to work out some dinner reservations. After all, one of the most important things to do in the city is to EAT! The concierge, Jill, promised my wife she would contact us with some options.
It never happened, but no big deal. We had the first night covered before we traveled.
The next morning, to our pleasant surprise, the concierge on duty was Tim, who we had met at previous stays at the Palomar. Tim is a Rock Star and the reason for the second star on this review. He is engaging, personable and should probably be the Kimpton mascot for service. He ended up making multiple reservations for us for the different evenings of our stay.
And that is when we started to notice the dysfunctional and inconsistent service and attitude of the Prescott staff. There is this really weird kind of Jekyll and Hyde feel to the Prescott - it's hard to explain, but it's very off-putting.
Sometimes when you walk through the small lobby, everyone smiles and greets you. But, equally as many times, you awkwardly walk through the completely empty lobby trying to make eye contact and share a smile only to see everyone staring at their computer monitor or desk with a frown on their face and working studiously at not being bothered.
One morning at the continental breakfast you are greeted by a matronly woman with a smile and asked what kind of beverage you would like and the next you are accosted by a teenaged girl for your room number and given strict instructions that you should consider ordering the "non free" items from the menu.
The doormen are hit and miss. One offers to hail a cab for you and another looks the other way when he pushes the button to open the automatic door for you.
The cleaning staff is on their hands and knees cleaning spots out of the carpet, yet the granite tops in the 4th floor club lounge haven't been dusted in weeks, causing a trip back to the room to change shirts before dinner (after making the mistake of resting my arm on the countertop while having a cocktail with my wife).
And, finally, Postrio - the hotel restaurant. Kimpton and the Prescott should sever all ties with this place - it is maybe the worst eating or drinking establishment we have encountered in San Francisco.
We stopped in one evening after a post dinner walk around Union Square. When we arrived there was a family of four waiting for their dinner, a solo diner finishing up and three ladies sitting at the bar.
There was a waitress sitting and chatting with the lone diner and a bartender leaning in a corner chatting up the three ladies.
After a few minutes, the waitress decided to take our drink order. We then watched as she went to order station and punched the order into the computer. The bartender obviously couldn't see the order because he was leaning against his version of the machine. So, the waitress made our drinks herself. Sorry, but they were horrendous.
Five minutes later when we were able to flag her down (no idea where she disappeared to - it isn't that big a place), she then practically had to beg the bartender, Francis, to abandon his conversation to make our drinks.
A few minutes later, walking through the restaurant to the restroom, I passed by the open "brick oven" kitchen. There I saw two cooks and the waitress peering into a frying pan that looked like it had mashed potatoes in it. I heard the waitress ask, "What's wrong with it?" That alone was bad enough. But when I returned a couple of minutes later, I noticed that the family of four had finally been served their meal... REALLY? Kind of disconcerting considering our kids had elected to stay in the room that evening and order room service.
Ahhh, then adding insult to injury. We received a survey request this morning asking us about our stay. Among the questions they asked about how we enjoyed our complimentary mini bar privileges and other amenities as "In-Touch" members.
Huh? We didn't receive any mini-bar privileges or other amenities. In fact, no one ever acknowledged us as In-Touch members. But we did get a guy pushing into the room one afternoon when we were resting between excursions who wanted to make sure we didn't use anything out of the minibar...
The Prescott Hotel is in an older building that could be called quaint, intimate or even charming on a good day.
It's also part of a hotel chain that has built its reputation on 4 star quality and service and there is no other way to say that the service at the Prescott is an Epic Fail.
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