Disappointment-service not on par with price
Like many travelers, we chose this hotel because of it's location, across from the ferry building with its amazing array of food and other treats. The hotel is pricey -- on par with the Four Seasons and other top hotels. We reserved a room with a water view, and were looking forward to a lovely weekend stay. When we arrived, the bellman showed us our room, which looked out on an industrial rooftop. The "water view" was visible when standing inches from the window, and peering west. We politely told the bellman that we were interested in exploring other room options, and we called the front desk. We were put on hold, and theyoung bellman stood in obvious irritation. The wait continued for several minutes (this turned out to be a persistent problem during our stay -- nearly impossible to reach the front desk). Finally the bellman said, "I have to go," and left us. At no point did he offer to assist. We felt foolish and abandoned -- not the way one wants to feel at the start of a stay at a luxury hotel. My husband went down to the front desk, and was able to secure a room with a real water view, at a higher price. The view was extraordinary, and the room was sweet, though one windowed wall looked out on a public terrace, meaning that we had to keep the blinds closed. The rest of our stay was uneventful. Staff was nice enough, but the overall feeling was not "great to have you here," but rather, "you are lucky to be here." The room service was excellent, and the valet went to great lengths to ensure that we made it to a dinner during a high-traffic time of day. But our short stay was marred by the unfortunate "first contact," and I'm not sure that I would return. Though the memory of the extraordinary view of San Francisco Bay and the Bay Bridge will long be in my memories.