Let's get the positives in first - this hotel is in a great location, close to attractions and is easy to find. Taxi drivers know it which is always a bonus. The nearest cable car stop isn't too far away and the city sightseeing hop on / hop off buses stop right outside.
There are plenty of decent shops and bars close by and there's a Starbucks opposite if that's what you need to start your day. There's also a bistro on the side of the building which served decent food and drinks.
The lobby is great - it's well designed and has a warm, friendly and welcoming feel when you first arrive. It was bustling and there was always plenty going on.
I'm afraid that's pretty much where the positives end.
The staff were friendly but not overly helpful, we had an issue with our booking that wasn't handled well by the hotel team - our booking via Expedia didn't correspond with the booking they had received and as the hotel was full we were stuck with a small twin room on the third floor, rather than a king suite. Not the end of the world but it wasn't our fault and after a long drawn out conversation, we turned down the offer a bottle of wine in the cramped bedroom and accepted their offer of a complimentary breakfast next morning. Not what we had booked, or paid for or expected. Maybe not the hotel staff's fault but certainly not mine either and I expected better handling of the situation by the staff, especially based on Kimptons reputation.
I'm not one for complaining - anything for an easy life in fact - but this wasn't on. It wouldn't have been so bad if the third floor we were stuck with didn't smell so bad - kinda like how your grandmothers house might smell, y'know stale overcooked cabbage. We couldn't wait to leave if I'm honest.
There were venetian blinds on the window that didn't keep the light out, the air conditioning unit was incredibly noisy and the sink wasn't in the bathroom it was in the bedroom which was both very odd and became an irritant.
The beds were uncomfortable and needed changing and I'd have been more comfortable sleeping on a sack of potatoes than using the pillows. Maybe we were spoiled having just stayed at the brand new Aria Hotel in Las Vegas but this room was $60 more per night than we'd paid there and to be totally honest, if we'd only paid $60 p/night at Triton, we'd have felt that too expensive.
The free internet access wasn't strictly accurate, you had to register in order to get it. Not the free high speed service we had experienced at other SF hotels. Who wants to register? Just let me get online.
So, all in all if your choice of hotel is more about comfy beds than artwork on the walls of the lobby, prefer a pet-free hotel and staff that put the needs of guests first, you might wish to stay elsewhere, but to be balanced, if you want a hotel in a decent location, a nice lobby with a dog to greet you and guest house style rooms with lumpy pillows, book away, i doubt you'll be disappointed.
Either way, we certainly won't return as we now know there are many other, better hotels in this great city.
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