stayed at the fairmont atop nob hill or as locals call it "snob" hill over the july 4th weekend. it was a great stay. we stayed in one of their original suites in the main building it had a separate living room and a balcony that stretched the entire length of suite. the balcony looked out upon their rooftop garden. very classic room with great character, didnt have the best view of the city though. for better views of the city i would recommend getting a room in the towers and ask to face north. the front dest service was exceptional they were very willing to accomodate to try to get us the best view possible. we decided on the suite for its charm and huge balcony. just poked our head into the tonga room and looks like could be fun, tiki and polynesian feel bar. the workout facilities are pretty good. the hotel has a great central location to all the touristy stuff. walkable to chinatown. we also walked to fishermans wharf but wouldnt reccomend walking back since its all uphill. the cable car lines are very accessible, all the lines have a stop right by the hotel. definitly recommend getting a citypass for however long your staying as the $5 cable car rides add up. i think they're only $18 for 3 days unlimited rides. we didnt get the citypass thinking we werent going to use the cable car lines but were we wrong we used them everyday to get to all the major tourist spots. there's also great bike rentals around the city. didnt try any of the restaurants at the hotel but did get breakfast room service daily and it was very delicious! the maid staff was great cleaned the room twice a day. overall thought this hotel was great with its location and service. do keep in mind that the hotel is very old it has lots of history and is one of the key landmarks in san francisco. so if your looking for all new modern sleek hotel then this probably isnt right for you. now that doesnt mean its shabby by any means. its very grand and old school feeling with great marble columns and the rooms all have flat screen tvs. just remember its got lots of history behind it!

We just got back from San Francisco - got an amazing deal on Hotels.com for the Fairmont, though after calling the website to make sure we had 2 beds (we have 2 small daughters) they still only booked a one-bed room. I found that out when we called on the way up to confirm our reservation. The hotel's answer was "Don't worry, we're the Fairmont, we'll take care of it," and they did, in the middle of tourist season, for all 4 nights, at no extra charge.

The only downside to this hotel is the location - there are no quick & easy restaurants nearby, though there is a little coffee and pastry shop at the base of the hotel by the trolley car stop. Room service is expensive as it is at all high-end hotels, and an easy, affordable bite to eat meant taking public transportation down the hill to either Little Italy or Market Street, which isn't easy with kids.

If you stay here, you will get excellent service in a luxurious hotel featuring an elegant marble-filled lobby and spacious rooms. We were thrilled with our experience.

I really enjoyed this hotel. I travel a great deal. We had to go to a conference in June. My wife got a great deal (rare to get) on the internet. It is a outstanding atmosphere, wonderful breakfast buffett, and top notch service. You really get spoiled. It is a very good location close to China town and a short cab drive to Fishermans Warf. I am a discerning traveler and for me to rate excellent only comes 10% of the time.

Bottom line if your business is paying for it or if you get a great deal on the internet take it. The tonga room is fun also (lower level Bar)

Raj

Stayed at the Fairmont 2 nights. Was upgraded to a Signature room from a Fairmont room because of a slight mixup with the reservations. Because of the mixup, the front desk directed us to the lounge where we received a complimentary drink. That doesn't sound like much but my drink was a good glass of Cabernet at $18.00 a glass and my son had a $6.50 non alchoholic drink. The signature room was on the 12th floor with an incredible view of the city, Alcatraz, and Telegraph hill......spectacular! The service in this hotel is very good and the hotel itself is stunning inside. Only negative is cost of parking which is valet only at $57.00 per day.......ouch! There is no self park at the hotel anymore. That's a bit outrageous.