I'll start off by saying that while I normally hand pick our hotels based on experience and Tripadvisor reviews I did not have much choice over our stay at the Sheraton Fisherman's Wharf. My first choice for San Fran is the Argonaut which I would recommend to anyone and which we were looking forward to staying in again. However, thanks to a very large VMWare conference taking place in the area, the Argonaut was sold out as were several other hotels around the Wharf . So, clearly annoyed already we then had to pay over the odds for a room here or stay outside of the area we would be visiting.
I still can't believe I had to pay as much as I did but then market forces dictate I guess and with rooms few and far between, we had no choice.
Onto the review itself....
I'm a Starwood points member and normally quite enjoy the brands hotels. We arrived by cab early evening (around 8:30) and had to make our own way in with our luggage. The desk only had one person on and there was a small queue. She was very helpful and when double checking saw that my account had not been added to my booking so spent time to adjust and also moved our room which was kind.
The hotel itself is a bit of a mix....its clearly old and while attempts have been made in some areas (i.e. the lobby), its really showing its age in others. The lift doors are death-traps....they open for about 1 seconds before slamming shut...on you! I saw people separated from their party on more than one occasion or trapped in the door. The lights on the call buttons and the floor randomly light up. Those on floor 3 didn't work at all. Our room was fairly new in its decoration but was clearly in need of modernisation. The aircon floor unit was huge and took up vital room space and the windows were falling apart and is real need of repair and a clean/paint.
On the first evening we couldn't find a hair dryer in the room...we searched everywhere and there was none to be seen. I was popping to the lobby so asked if they could send one up...the receptionist told me I would find it on the top shelf of the closet. I explained that I'd checked there and she asked me to check it again and dial 0 if it "still" wasn't there. So I double checked and sure enough it hadn't just popped back to the room after a night our with its hair dryer buddies. So I dial 0 and explain the situation....its on the shelf I'm told. Its not I say, we checked there....please check again and I'll hold she says. So just to humour her I pop round to the closet and unfortunately our hair-dryer must have been halfway through a pool game with its mates as it still wasn't back. Ok...so they'll have housekeeping send one up. great. 30 seconds later the phone rings...its house keeping letting me know that the hairdryer is in the top of the closet and they want me to check again before the bring one up?!?! Arrrgggghhhhhh :-)
It also has to be said that the block that the hotel is on does have an above average number of homeless hang around outside. Its clearly an issue as its mentioned a lot by other on their reviews and while we had no trouble at all, it brings down the overall quality and feel level of the hotel. Also, the fire pits outside which look good in photos are hogged by the smokers so unless you are willing to breath in with them you are better off inside.
One real bonus for us though which was a nice surprise was that our car booked with Dollar was actually in this very hotel with the Dollar desk next to reception. This made our check out much easier and is a real plus if you happen to be hiring on your visit. Oh and the beds in the room are nice and comfy.
All in all, we paid way to much for what the Sheraton provided and while it was least favourite of all the accommodations on our long travels, it was the most expensive. That in itself should say enough?
Oh and I almost forgot...how come the Sheraton was the only hotel on our travels to charge for wifi?!? I've forgotten just how much but it was some silly price per 30mins and something like $69 if you wanted it for a few days?!? That's just obscene.
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