We were in San Francisco for a conference, and stayed on for several days. The conference was at the Fairmont, but it was oversold for the last night of our stay, so we booked the last night at the Mark Hopkins across the street. I was excited to stay in this hotel, as it also is one of the grand hotels on Nob Hill. The location is wonderful, but after 4 nights at the Fairmont, the Mark Hopkins was a disappointment.
When we checked in, our room was not ready which was not a surprise as it was noon, so we checked our luggage and went out for lunch/sightseeing. When we returned, we were shown to an upgraded luxury terrace suite on the 15th floor. It had a sitting room, bedroom, lovely bath and glassed in terrace with fantastic views. But upon further inspection, the rooms were poorly laid out. The bedroom bureau was small and narrow and had a TV on top, so there was no surface to put anything on. There was no desk, only cocktail tables and lamp tables. Both TVs were old style, not even flat screen, let alone HD like the Fairmont. When I had booked the room, I specified extra feather pillows, and when we checked in, I requested them again. I finally had to call again at 1:30 am, because they were weren't there, and because the bed was so hard and uncomfortable, I could not sleep without the extra pillows. The marble and granite bath was lovely with a separate shower and whirlpool tub which we did both use. However, the bath was equipped with water savers on the shower and sink, which caused lack of water pressure and volume and made showering unpleasant.
The hotel seems somewhat understaffed, and although the prices were identical with the Fairmont, (room price, breakfast buffet, drink prices) there was a huge difference between the two, and the Mark Hopkins paled in comparison.
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