Blah.
We stayed at the Clift a few years ago and really liked it, overlooking some problems (terrible bathrooms). But this time around -- boy oh boy, do things look dated.
We were in town for a big conference and were staying four nights. Our first room was a bust. You could smell cigarette smoke in the lobby (on the ninth floor). Our room was tiny. The bathroom was TERRIBLE. You could barely turn around in it. The worst thing? You could hear the person flossing her teeth in the next room. While that is a slight exaggeration, the walls were paper thin and we could hear her phone conversations, her TV, her sighs. Not good and not great for four nights when we needed to be bright and chipper in the morning. Rating so far? One star.
We politely complained and the assistant front desk manager was great. He promptly said we could change rooms and generously gave us a suite. Rating for service? Five stars.
Good stuff: The king bed was very comfortable; good linens; great pillows; very quiet. YAY!
The concierge staff was very helpful and kind. Oscar and Erica (?) were lovely and helped us find some nice restaurants.
Front desk staff and door staff were pleasant but distant. They warmed up once you engaged them though.
Bad stuff: The bathrooms are terrible. Tiny, depressing, this side of dirty (despite being cleaned -- they just look grungy). Liked the toiletries a lot and the shower pressure was great. Lovely thick towels. Only one robe. Grrrr. No fan so it got pretty foggy in there. The decor is starting to look dated as well -- lilac walls, Ikea-like desk, orange plastic cubes for tables. That's the problem with trendy hotels -- after awhile, their cutting edge decor looks very dull indeed.
Other issues: I HATE paying for Wi-Fi, especially in tech cities like SF.
Want some ice? Perhaps some wine glasses? Not provided. You have to call room service. Be prepared to wait. And they hover at the door for a tip for something that should've been provided either nearby or in the room in the first place.
The bar is nice. But it's expensive and boy, are there a lot of hookers hanging around. Makes for some very interesting people-watching. Liked the security that made sure you were a guest if you wanted to access the hotel rooms.
On our last night there was a fire alarm at 2 a.m. Not fun when you have a 4 a.m. wake-up call to catch a plane. Some drunken bozo (not a guest of the hotel) threw his jacket on the gas fire. The alarm went off and at first they told us to stay in our rooms. We opened the door and smelled smoke -- very acrid and strong up on the 10th floor. We evacuated. Can't say the staff was very helpful. Nobody to guide us out and there was confusion near the second floor (which was the right door). Nobody really gave us an all-clear when it was safe to return either. Not very impressive. I think this hotel should really conduct a thorough review of emergency procedures.
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