Review: Hotal Monaco (San Francisco)

Note: I'm writing this three months after my stay. My posting activities fell off drastically in November and December. So, take this more as directional recollections than a highly focused critique.



The Monaco was a solid option. Maybe a little pricey @ around $400/night (including taxes and such). But it provided decent space and amenities along with a helpful staff.



Room 714 was comfortable. Neither huge nor necessarily luxurious, it got the job done. Nice bed, reliable internet connection, good bathroom.



One nice touch that I was glad to see and have wondered why I don't see it more often was a recycling bin. Wish every hotel would provide these.



And while I didn't take advantage of them on this trip, perhaps on another occasion (or, more likely, in another lifetime), I'll hit the mini bar for everything it's got and bust out the zebra robe, head down into the lobby for some of their complimentary drinks around happy hour time and see where things lead.



Last but not least, they do have a gym. Not the best or most modern gym around, but it's better than nothing. I was in there maybe around 8 or 9pm and there was no one on duty, which was only a bother because I couldn't figure out how to change the channels or get any volume going on the TVs. Small nuisance, really, but it would have been nice to get them onto some news rather than the Rock of Love-esque crap that was being featured.

Review: Clift Hotel, San Francisco, CA

Note: This is also posted with my reviews over on Yelp.

Overall impression:
I found The Clift Hotel to be a solid, friendly boutique hotel without the cliche boutique hotel 'hipper than thou' attitude. Front desk folks seemed as if they genuinely cared and the concierge was helpful. The room delivered what I needed, but it didn't overwhelm me with the quality of its amenities.

I was here for just one night on a business trip and the folks at the desk clearly wanted to make a good impression for our company. I was 'upgraded' into a room which, while spacious, wasn't a suite or anything so I'm not entirely sure what the upgrade was. They also welcomed me with a little note from the manager on duty and included some drink vouchers for the bar downstairs [which seems to be kind of scenester-ish] but I wasn't able to use them.



The general vibe struck me as a little schizophrenic, though. The best way I can think to describe it is if Martha Stewart was stylizing a W room around Easter time, but had to play by 'Design on a Dime' rules or something [i.e., you've got $500 and can use whatever is in the garage]. For example, the lavender and cream color scheme included a wheelbarrow-like chair with a lil' throw blanket [in case I caught a chill I suppose]. Charming, really - good times. But the heavy-duty grey carpet was the type that is omnipresent in entry level studio apartments you'll find in the mid-rise buildings that litter Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood. And the kewl plastic orange nightstands gave me bad flashbacks to my time at The Standard in Hollywood.



Highlights / Lowlights:

What was great
- Front desk welcoming attitude and general helpfulness;
- Concierge was very helpful when I was stuck at The Presidio and about to lose my mind because I couldn't get a taxi to save my life
- Value - Probably a corporate rate, but I think I paid in the $230 range +/-

What wasn't all that great
- The TV / Entertainment center is straight out of Ikea's 'my first dorm room' catalog circa 1995
- Desk / work area could be more spacious



Scorecard:

Would I stay here again? Yes
Did it seem a good value? Yes

Essentials
Service - very good
Bed - very good
Bathroom - good; nice, but small
Work space / internet service - okay
Storage - more closet space in room 808 than I had in my first apartment

Amenities
Room Service - n/a, didn't try it
Concierge - very helpful
TV / Entertainment - mediocre / poor"