I wanted to stay in downtown SF and I understood the area to be...colorful. The interior to the hotel is beautiful to behold. The sour scent of ages, however, detracts slightly from the opulence of the decor/architecture. Beyond that, the front desk and managerial staff didn't seem to be on quite the same page and there were some mix-ups as far as parking and room types go. The bellhop on duty, however, was superb, and helped us up to our room. We were dismayed to find that again, the room was gorgeous, but clearly somebody had chain-smoked in there recently. We called the front desk and they agreed to move our room, promising to send up the bellhop to help move our luggage. A half hour later, we called down again, this time straight to the bell desk, which got us the results we were looking for. As we moved rooms, he called downstairs on his radio and asked who had ordered the move (he received no response).
This was to set the tone for the rest of the stay. It seemed to be a case of too many managers, not enough employees. It seems to be family run (although I can't explain why I get this impression). The staff is friendly but extremely overworked. From the restaurant to the front desk to the bellhops, they all look stressed and tired. The only exception would be darling Jan, the concierge, who is so sweet and helpful and knowledgeable about the area, that she seems to give an air of what the hotel had been or indeed what it could be.
A beautiful but somewhat malodorous stay.
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