We have stayed at the Huntington several times and each time we have noticed a decline in the quality of the room and service. I first attempted to book a two bedroom suite for our party of five (three older children) and was told they did not offer them. I was told I "would be better off" getting two adjoining rooms and they would be of equal quality. After several days I called back to confirm that the two rooms had park views and were the highest level of room available; ie, no two bedroom suite. After a rather exhaustive conversation with the reservation assistant ,I was told there was a two bedroom suite but that it was not really worth the money. I assured him I needed the space and it was up to me to decide if it was worth it. Upon check-in I waited 5 minutes while the front desk person assured a guest on the phone that the room he/she was staying in was renovated and there were no other rooms available. Red flag number one. Our one bedroom suite, room 804 was nicely renovated and faced the park. The adjoining room was "renovated" sometime in the 70s and lacked any ounce of charm. I can't imagine renting that room-- room 803. But overall, the size of our rooms were nice and they faced the park. The noise level is high and we were woken by someone showering overhead at 4 am. There is no sound barrier between floors or between rooms so if you are not a heavy sleeper, beware!
My second complaint is with the concierge desk. Before arriving, I emailed my dinner requests to the concierge noting the restaurants and preferred times. They did not call back and I had to call them to confirm they had even received my email; and yes, they had booked one of them for a wrong night. Once in San Francisco I arrive at Kokarri for my first dinner (with my handwritten note from the concierge listing the date and time) and was told they had no reservation. After attempting to call the concierge and receiving a voice mail three times, the restaurant graciously seated us during a very busy night. The next day we asked for breakfast suggestions within walking distance of the Alcatraz pier. The concierge directed us to place that was at the wrong pier and not within walking distance; her response later was oops, wrong pier!
My final complaint is with the shipping/receiving deparment. I had a package sent and paid overnight charges to have it arrive during our 4 night stay. The front desk repeatedly told me there was no package. Once I returned home I found that it had been delivered- on the first hight of our stay-- but he could not find me in the system. While on the phone with him, he miracously "found" me in the system and asked what I wanted to do with the package that had been sitting there for 4 days.
The bright note to our stay was James, the bellman at the front. His kind smile and attentive service were the highlights of our stay.
We chose the hotel for its nice location and were willing to give up some amenities and nicer rooms for the level of service we had received in the past. Unfortunately the level of service now matches the decor of Room 803!
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