Hotels

On Jan 18, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art celebrates it’s 75th anniversary. To mark the occasion, the St. Regis Francisco has come up with two limited edition SFMOMA Suites and an SFMOMA Anniversary Travel package.

Woman with a Hat (1905), by Henry Matisse

The suites, located on the 5th and 6th floors, were designed in collaboration with the museum and feature art prints from the museum’s 75th anniversary exhibitions.

The ‘Gems of the Museum’ suite features the Femme au chapeau (1905) by Henri Matisse. A large-scale print of one of Jason Pollock’s most famed works, Guardians of the Secret (1943), hangs against a dramatic blue backdrop on the neighboring wall.  

The ‘Art of California’ suite offers abstract paintings from the Golden State. San Francisco native Richard Diebenkorn has two pieces on display in the Art of California Suite. The suite’s bedroom showcases works by Anne Bremer and Wayne Thiebaud.

The SFMOMA Anniversary Travel package includes one night in a Limited Edition SFMOMA Suite, passes for two to SFMOMA, and the museum’s 448-page hardcover anniversary catalogue - 75 Years of Looking Forward.

St. Regis and SFMoma -view from Yerba Buena Gardens

The package starts with a price tag of $1,195, and is valid until Dec 31, 2010. To reserve this offer, contact the St. Regis Aficionado coordinator Nicole Holland directly at 415.284.4070 or Nicole.Holland @ stregis.com.

The hotel is located next to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, with the Yerba Buena Gardens across the street. Facilities at the 260 room St. Regis include the 9000 sq. ft Remède Spa and two restaurants – Ame and Vitrine.

SFMOMA photo by Franco Folini; Matisse painting – public domain (source)

Info: 125 3rd Street San Francisco CA 94103; (415) 284-4000; www.stregissanfrancisco.com

If you happen to be in San Francisco, and see a balloon with a golden key heading your way, then you might want to hold on to the key. The Golden Key will open the doors to a free 3-night stay in the Presidential Suite at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco, along with dinner and breakfast for two.

Palace Hotel, San Francisco

That’s because the Palace, one of the most luxurious and historic hotels in San Francisco, is celebrating it’s centennial anniversary this year, having reopened on Dec 15, 1909 after a massive renovation and patchup in the wake of the great earthquake of 1906.

Exactly 100 years ago today, a golden key was taken to the roof, attached to five colorful gas-filled balloons and sent skyward. The plan was for the key to float out over the Pacific Ocean. But the winds changed and the key headed toward Oakland.

So now they’re recreating history by ‘redoing’ the balloon gig. If you can make it there today, you can gather in front of the Palace Hotel, street level, on New Montgomery and Stevenson to view the launch of the gold key.

There’s also a ‘Gold Key Anniversary’ special in the hotel’s bar from 3:00 PM on December 15, 2009.  Guests can enjoy a Sirloin Burger & a Beer for just $19.09. The Golden Key will be launched between 3-4 pm on Dec 15, 2009.

The Hotel offers 553 guest rooms, including 34 suites – 30 one and two-bedroom suites, the Ambassador Suite, the Chancellor’s Suite, the Governor’s Suite and the Presidential Suite. You also get an indoor heated swimming pool, 3 restaurants and a fitness center.

Photo courtesy Starwood Hotels & Resorts

Info: 2 New Montgomery Street San Francisco, CA 94105;  (415) 512-1111; www.sfpalace.com/

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Ever dreamed the dream of becoming a famous rockstar or singer? If you have, but never got beyond karaoke and the shower, here’s your big chance. The Mosser Hotel is going where no San Francisco hotels have gone before – free recording sessions for guests at the hotel’s own recording studio.

The Mosser Hotel, San Francisco

Book their Holiday Tunes package and you get luxe accommodations, 1 hour of recording time in the state-of-the-art recording studio (with Engineer), a CD of your recordings, and a box of chocolates upon check-in. Rates from $165.

If you like the sound of your own voice, then you can up the ante and book into the Musicians package, which offers a four hour session at the studio, along with the hotel room.

For other guests worried about the racket caused by amateur musicians and wannabe rock bands, not to worry – Mosser’s rooms are secured with double-double pane windows to ensure a quiet nights sleep.

The Mosser Hotel, located just 4 blocks from Union Square, first opened in 1913 as the Keystone Hotel. In 1981, Charles W. Mosser purchased the hotel and it was renamed as The Mosser after a massive renovation in 2003, and the hotel now offers a modern interior and chic rooms with an eye-catching Victorian exterior.

The Mosser studio is called Studio Paradiso, and is located adjacent to the hotel and Annabelle’s Bar and Bistro. The studio normally charges $60/hour. More details here.

Photo courtesy Mosser Co.

Info: 54 Fourth Street, San Francisco, CA 94103; (415) 986-4400; www.themosser.com/

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Hyatt Regency, San Francisco, California

The dramatic architecture of the Hyatt Regency balconies, with the iconic Transamerica Pyramid in the background, makes them a part of the view on a rare fog-free day in San Francisco.

Photo credit: C. Lincoln

The latest twist in a tale of two cities worth retelling – San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom has sent a goodie bag to Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson. This goodie bag includes a free stay at The Fairmont San Francisco, along with a long  list of very attractive freebies.

The Fairmont San Francisco

Here’s what happened – Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, a retired Cal and NBA star, was in San Francisco the last weekend  to attend an arts conference.

He says on his blog that he put his bag down while he was helping an elderly man get into a cab near Powell Street, and when he turned around, somone had made off with his bag.

Apparently the bag contained a suit which had sentimental value for Mayor Johnson. So he twists the knife in, and says “Next time I see San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, I’ll tell him the story and give him my word nothing like that will happen to him in Sacramento.”

San Francisco took this as a personal insult and a slap in the face. Mayor Gavin Newsom and the San Francisco Police Department joined the search for the stolen bag. On Tuesday, a young couple in San Francisco found the bag on the street and it was sent over to Sacramento.

All’s well that ends well, but not so fast. SF Mayor Newson wants to make up for the incident, and has offered Mayor Johnson a goodie bag full of sweet apologies. The list includes – among other things – a free 2-day stay at the Fairmont, Ghirardelli chocolate, dinner at the Balboa Cafe, tickets to the Wax Museum at Fisherman’s Wharf, and dinner cruise aboard the Hornblower Yacht, a baseball signed by Tim Lincecum, and 49ers tickets.

Will San Francisco offer the same apology to all visitors who get robbed? Not going to happen, but just in case, write about it on your blog and let Mayor Newsom know about it. You might end up with a free room at the Fairmont, eating chocolate and enjoying free dinners and cruises.

Photo by luisvilla

Hotel Front Desk

“Hi. We are looking for a brown ladies swimsuit and a pair of blue boxers with orange – uh, roosters on them. Orange roosters.”

I will continue that story later. We’ve all been next to the person at the hotel check-in counter who is asking for something very odd or out of the ordinary. I was staying at a Best Western in San Francisco once and the guy next to me was trying to insist that his room be cleaned again immediately because he “sensed something present in the room that needed to be banished…not evil, just unclean.” No joke.

What strange hotel requests have you made or heard recently? I’ve pulled a couple of good ones off the Internet from a site called HotelClub:

“My car dimensions are 4850mm x 4810mm x 1875mm and I would like to know the dimensions of the hotel’s car parking spaces to ensure that my car will fit and not get damaged.”

“I would like a fish tank in my room that is sized approximately 30cm and fully stocked before confirming this booking. ”

Fish tank in a hotel - Maybe the guest wanted something like this?

And then comes the story from my fiance, who was in another hotel in San Francisco about seven years ago (what is it about that city?). He was only in the city for 2 nights, so he had ONE pair of pants with him. Well, he had a big Friday night, and the cleaning lady decided to clean around him while he slept. When he woke up, his pants were gone. So, he called the front desk and said “Your cleaning lady came in, cleaned the room and took my pants. I’d like to have them back so I can go outside.” Turns out he was at fault, but I’m sure the poor room service people were flustered.

And lastly…during our stay at the Inn at Key West in Key West, Florida in August, my fiance and I went for a swim. He, of course, did not have swim trunks with him, so he put on a CLEAN pair of boxers and jumped in. We got back, showered and left, but we hadn’t realized that we had accidentally wrapped up his boxers and my swimsuit in a wet towel and left it on the floor. Needless to say, they were picked up by room service and laundered. Imagine calling the front desk and saying: “Hi. We are looking for a brown ladies swimsuit and a pair of blue boxers with orange – uh, roosters on them. Orange roosters.”

All items were returned to us safe and sound…with an amused smile.

Photo Credits: Alan Light, kamikarin

The gorgeous Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, CA

Last week Addison Schonland of the IAG travel and aviation consultancy interviewed me for my very first podcast.

If you’re curious to hear my insider recommendations for a fun-filled trip to San Francisco, CA, check out the podcast here.

We cover sights, food, going up to Marin and Healdsburg, driving down Rt. 1 to Monterey, hotels — of course! — and the many places to drink wine.

The stuff about San Francisco’s legendary naked people is near the end. Oh, and we sort of make fun of PETA, just a little at the beginning, in the context of needing a fur coat in when you visit here in June.

All the truth, all the time!

Other awesome podcasts in the series include:

• Whit Honea, UpTake Vacations blog editor, giving advice on traveling with kids
• Jennifer Miner from the UpTake Restaurants blog, and a Traveling Mama, on a budget summer trip to Sedona, AZ

As hotel obsessives (yes, like me) know, the Ritz-Carlton is the gold standard for service. Executives and sales departments from other industries study them to learn how to treat their most valued clients. And guests of the Ritz-Carlton consistently rave about the attention to detail and care they enjoy while staying at the properties.

The Ritz-Carlton San Francisco, CA

Seriously, it’s real. For a former job, we’d put our (ridiculously rich) Board of Directors up in the San Francisco Ritz-Carlton, on Nob Hill — they demanded to stay there. I’d go running up there to do whatever gofer stuff they needed, and even then, when I was a totally junior peon, every single staff person was the picture of friendly solicitousness. They greet you at the door with a smile, everything is ready for you in a nanosecond, and if you have to wait someone brings you chilled water. On a silver tray. It’s delightful.

Yes, special tuxedo chocolate strawberries. Note the silver tray!

Like so many wonderful things in life, you have to experience it to really understand it, and it can be a bit pricey — a luxury in the most traditional sense.

Before you sigh in wishful yearning, and decide you’ll never know, check this out: This summer the Ritz-Carlton is placing that luxury (a little more) within reach with special value packages.

Not a sale, not a discount, an added value package.

A room at the SF Ritz-Carlton. Check out the view!

I’m especially impressed by the “Peace of Mind” package, which is all about relaxing and creating memories, in gorgeous locations like San Francisco (of course!), Maui, Key Biscayne, the Virgin Islands, Europe and the Middle East. The package includes:

• deluxe room accommodations
• full American breakfast for two served in the restaurant (and their restaurants are always fabulous)
• daily internet access and local phone calls
• overnight parking
• Ritz Kids special activities program for two kids
• three nights for the price of two; five nights for the price of three; and a week for the price of only four nights

Did you see that last bullet? The one in bold? A week for the price of four nights? You can do this! Make your reservations now!

This package is only available through September 30, 2009 and the rate will depend on which location. Visit the “One Vacation” page of the Ritz-Carlton site to get all the details and check availability. Then prepare to experience the good life!

The Fairmont Hotel - San Francisco, CA

My folks are in town for a week and they got a great deal on a stay at the historic Fairmont Hotel at the top of Nob Hill in San Francisco. The thing about those deals is that they’re usually for tiny rooms with no view. Lucky thing my awesome cousin Andrea works for the Fairmont in Boston. She helped them get an upgrade to a Tower Room, which can be summed up in four words: Bathroom With a View.

Look at the size of that window!

Seriously, the best thing about a fancy hotel is having a bathroom the size of a condo. The Fairmont does not disappoint, with a big tub, separate shower and capacious “toilet area” — and marble for miles and miles!

And then there is the giant picture window, looking down California Street, down Nob Hill, with the Bay Bridge in the background. Stunning. You just want to stand there, looking out the window.

Eventually you do have to sleep — that is the point of a hotel room. And when my folks crawled into bed, they slept soundly on Frette linen ensembles on the pillow top beds. It’s a luxury hotel, pretty much exactly what you’d expect.

Morning brew and pastry at Caffe Cento

The big surprise hit for them, and for my aunt and uncle who stayed across the street at the Mark Hopkins, was the tiny Caffe Cento, on the ground floor of Powell Street. Coffee, tea, croissants, and perfectly foamed milk. Every morning got off to a great start.

Other things to know about staying at the San Francisco Fairmont:

If you join The President’s club, they waive the gym fee and you don’t have to pay for wifi. Did I mention it’s free to join? No brainer.

You gotta visit The Tonga Room & Hurricane Bar. Booze, music, delicious Pacific Rim island cuisine and a rain storm. Yeah, it rains in the middle of the bar. Also, the happy hour buffet special — all you can eat for $9.50 — on Thursday and Friday nights is off the hook. Just plan on it.

Million dollar views from the penthouse suite - literally!

And sometimes, when I’m dreaming big, I plan to stay in the Penthouse Suite, which has space to entertain 100 people with:

• 4 bathrooms
• fireplace
• library
• dining room
• billiard room
• a to die for balcony

As much as I love to hear about — and stay at — boutique hotels that have robust green programs, real change in the industry is driven by the giants, like Hyatt Hotels. For this reason, it’s thrilling to hear that they’ve made serious corporate-level commitment to green practices, even encouraging their employees to take their eco-learnings home and use them there!

Hyatt Hotels has several goals for their proprietary worldwide training program, starting with helping employees understand and reduce their environmental impact. They’ll be working on four key areas, which match up to the company’s bigger environmental program:

• minimize carbon emissions and other harmful pollutants
• waste
• energy consumption
• water consumption

Hyatt is looking at this program as a shift (an improvement? I sure think so) to their company culture. They started training on Earth Day, which has a nice symbol ring to it, and they’re doing the training at every full-service hotel. It’s pretty impressive that they’re putting that much money into the program!

There are several Hyatts in San Francisco, and I’m a big fan of all of them.

The Hyatt at Fisherman’s Wharf is a great location for folks who love a touristy, vacation feel. There are tons of restaurants around, loud attractions for the kids, and several places to buy a San Francisco “How the heck can it be so cold in July” Memorial Sweatshirt.

You're in the thick of SF Touristville

The rooms at the Fisherman’s Wharf Hyatt are spacious and modern, and I can personally attest to the excellent room service, which on one occasion involved a delightful afternoon of french fries and white wine. Good times!

Modern and pretty rooms!

The Grand Hyatt San Francisco in Union Square has one of my favorite bars in the city. Located on the 20-somethingth floor, guests are treated to views of the city while listening to a live piano performance and nibbling on the yummie bar menu.

The best hotel bar in SF

You get those same amazing views from the rooms, which are relatively luxe — it’s definitely a business class hotel, to be paid for by corporate expense accounts.

The views! The views!

Speaking of views, it’s hard to beat the ones you get from the rooms at the third Hyatt in San Francisco, the Hyatt Regency at the Embarcadero. The Ferry Building, the Bay Bridge, and the city skyline all take your breath away.

Room at the Embarcadero Hyatt

Inside you have the customary classy Hyatt rooms, plus the incredible open atrium lobby. Mel Brooks fans will recognize the elevators from his classic film High Anxiety.

See the signature mosaic-style floor?!

It’s great to hear that the already pretty terrific Hyatt has joined the green revolution. As long as they keep french fries on the room service menu, and sliders at the bar, it sounds like they are better than ever.