94109 Travel Guide
Tags: Hotel Packages / Fairmont Hotels / San Francisco Hotels / Sonoma Hotels / Wine-Tasting Hotels / → All Tags
Fairmont Lures Us In With Chocolate and Pinot Noir
Fairmont Hotels may have opened up three new hotels along the ancient silk road yesterday (Cairo, China, Abu Dhabi) but they still have a special place in their hearts for California with their new “Chocolate at Pinot” Package available at their San Francisco and Sonoma hotels.
Some people get their antioxidants from green tea, and others get them from blueberries. Us? We prefer fight free radicals with red wine and dark chocolate. Hey, it still counts, so don’t judge us. Now thanks to Fairmont, we can indulge our (healthy, we swear!) cravings with this new four-day package.
With it, you can spend the first two days, Willy Wonka-ing it up at the Fairmont Heritage Place, Ghirardelli Square, which is actually in the former world-famous Ghirardelli Chocolate factory facility in the heart of San Francisco. Then take the second two days to relax from the bustle of the big city out at the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn and Spa, a grandiose pink resort with a nearly century-long history of gentrified rustication near many of Sonoma’s most famous wineries, and just a couple miles from the town of Sonoma itself.
Tags: HotelChatter Reader Deals / Hotel Deals / San Francisco Hotels / JDV Hotels / → All Tags
HotelChatter Reader Deals :: $69 at Cathedral Hill Hotel in San Fran, If You Dare
A steal in San Fran. But is it worth it?
$69 a night
This deal comes straight from the Hotwire Travel Ticker. It's $69 a night at the Cathedral Hill Hotel in San Francisco.
The deal is good any night of the week through February 28th. We put in dates for the weekend before Thanksgiving and sure enough, the $69 room rates prevailed. That was for a superior queen room, which is the smallest category at the hotel. Still, bumping up to a superior double room was only $99.
The hotel used to be part of the JDV Hospitality chain but is no longer. According to reviews on TripAdvisor, the rooms could use a refurbishment and the scene is a little sketchy which is what we would expect from a $69 room rate.
Subscribe to HotelChatter Reader Deals
Have a hotel deal you think we should consider? Or have a destination and date where you want us to check for hotel rooms and rates for you? No guarantees on either, but you can try your luck by hitting us here: tips@hotelchatter.com. Please include "For Reader Deals" in the subject heading.
Tags: Hotel Openings / San Francisco Hotels / Personality Hotels / → All Tags
Hotel Vertigo Makes Us Dizzy With Excitement
We love us some shtick--like when that mental-hospital hotel opens, we're so there--which is why we're really excited for Hotel Vertigo (formerly Personality Hotel's York Hotel), officially opening in San Francisco in December.
For starters, the 97-room hotel has myriad references to its namesake Alfred Hitchcock movie starring James Stewart and Kim Novak: the movie will play on the white Carerra marble floors, guests will be offered "Madeline" cookies at check in (the name of Novak's character) and in 2009, Hotel Vertigo will host readings and movie showings of Hitchcock's films.
Tags: Personality Hotels / San Francisco Hotels / Hotels Under $100 / Budget Hotels / Hotel Renovations / Hotel Booking Tips / → All Tags
$89 for a Remodeled Room at the York Hotel Soon-to-Be Hotel Vertigo
The other day we gave you an update on what was next for Personality Hotels including the renovations of two hotels--the York and the Maxwell.
We mentioned that rooms at the York (which will be called the Hotel Vertigo by August) were as low as $89 a night but that you could be in the middle of a construction zone. However, Hotel Maven Brandon sent us this extremely helpful hotel tip:
Saw the piece of posted yesterday about the York Hotel transformation into Hotel Vertigo, and wanted to chime in.
I'm at the York Hotel at the moment, booked a room via Expedia for $89/night, and was given the "model" room, which is a sample room of what the rooms will look like post-renovation. I have to say, it's really beautiful.
There's more from Brandon after the jump.
Tags: Bed Bugs / Hotel Hell / → All Tags
Bed Bugs Still Alive and Biting
[Ed. Note: We thought bed bugs were sooo last month. But much to our dismay, they are still around. An intrepid Bed Bug ninja managed to capture the bugs at a San Francisco hotel but got no reaction whatsoever from the front desk.]
On April 26 and 27 of this year, I was a guest at the Heritage Marina Hotel,room 456. I was with a tour group from San Diego and this was our last stop. When we checked in on Saturday the 26th and went up to our room, the toilet had been used and still soiled and we had to call the front desk to send someone to clean it.
That first night I felt something crawling on my arm as we slept and I thought it was a mosquito. I was so tired and totally unaware of any bedbug problems that I fell asleep right away. In the morning I noticed some bites on my legs and didn't pay much attention thinking it had been a mosquito.
But by the morning of the 27th, my arms, legs and other parts of my body were full of bug bites (I took some pictures of the bites). As I was sitting on the edge of the bed putting my shoes on, I saw something crawling on the pillowcase. I carefully took a zip-lock type plastic bag and caught the little bug. I knew right away what I was dealing with.
I removed the sheets off the bed and found more bugs. I went to the front desk to report my find, and to my indignation, the person that was in charge didn't seem to care much. He absently told me he was going to report the incident to the manager. Even after I showed him the bites and the bugs in the bag I did not get a "We're terribly sorry" or "Is there something we can do for you", at the very least offer me some lotion for the itching and inconvenience.
It makes me think they are in the habit of dealing with bedbugs.
Related Stories:
· Heritage Marina Hotel [TripAdvisor]
· Bed Bug Coverage [HotelChatter]
Tags: Hotels / → All Tags
Coping with our Wandering Hotel Eye
You know the drill, a shiny new hotel walks into your life and you fall in love. Despite the fact that she lives right next to Fisherman's Wharf, and that she is always talking to lost-looking tourists, you love her.
She has free WiFi, exposed brick, comfortable beds, and a view of the Bay. Her quirky nautical theme is cute, not annoying, at least at first.
Then, after a couple years, you realize, she is still hot, but the things that you use to love about her now annoy the hell out of you. Her maritime obsession drives you nuts, and every time you are there she is always putting you in rooms with bad views without exposed brick.
She's still fun and you would rather hang out with her than her sometimes-snotty downtown friends, who will no doubt abuse your credit card if you spend enough time with them, but alas, you have a wandering eye.
We still love the Argonaut because the service is top-notch, and the rate is usually very good, but next time we are ready to try a new SF hotel. For those of you who still want to give the Argonaut a try, request a room with a bay view. And if you can put up with the nautical kitsch and the touristy location, you will not be left unsatisfied.
As a matter of fact, we are willing to bet that once we go astray we'll long for our days at the Argonaut and run back to her with our tail between our legs--isn't that always the way?
Related Stories:
· Argonaut Hotel Coverage [HotelChatter]
· Argonaut reviews [TripAdvisor]
Tags: Hotels / Bad Rate / Good Rate / → All Tags
Good Rate: Argonaut Hotel
[Welcome to our weekly Good Rate/Bad Rate feature. This screenshot was taken April 11, 2006 and is subject to change. Enjoy.]
It is no secret. Our love for the Argonaut Hotel is deep.
While we once snagged a room for $109 on Hotwire.com back in the day, we aren't complaining about the special "Hot Dates, Hot Rates" which has a room for $129 on certain days each month.
The rooms must be booked 14 days in advance and cannot be cancelled so make sure you are coming to San Francisco.
Located near Fisherman's Wharf the kitschy nautical themed hotel is more family-oriented than most so beware of children. But there's free wireless access and really that can't be beat.
Related Stories:
· Argonaut Hotel: From Inside the Nautical Walls [HotelChatter]
· Argonaut reviews [TripAdvisor]
· SF Argonaut snagged for $109 a night on Hotwire [HotelChatter]
Tags: Hotels / Anti-View / → All Tags
Room with an Anti-View
You know the scene. You open the door to your brand new hotel room, run over to the window, open the blinds and bam, you are hit with the anti-view. Maybe you are looking down a dirty alley, witnessing a drug deal, staring at an air shaft in the face, or seeing a brick wall. Whatever you are viewing it is not extremely pleasurable. Help out your fellow hotel mavens by uploading your anti-views to the HotelChatter/Flickr photo pool, or by sending the photo along to us. Remember to tell us the name of the hotel and the room number with the not-so-easy-on-the-eyes view.
Argonaut Hotel :: Room 310
When you check in to the Argonaut you might be expecting views of the Golden Gate Bridge, or Alcatraz, and we have no doubt some rooms at this hotel provide just that. However, some rooms provide you with a view of...other rooms, safe to say room #310 is one such room.
Related Stories:
· Argonaut Hotel Coverage [HotelChatter]
· Argonaut Hotel Reviews [TripAdvisor]
Tags: Hotel Deals / → All Tags
Making Whoopie at the Commodore
This deal requires no commentary from us.
Anything you say about the "Makin' Whoopi" package at the Commodore Hotel in San Francisco is probably funny.
For $129 a night, the hotel favored by Men at Work band members is offering a deluxe king guestroom, champagne upon arrival, complimentary self-parking, a 2pm late check-in, a surprise "Love Game", and (ewwww) "Slip Inside, Luxurious Cream."
Since there are just too many directions to go with this one, we will only say shouldn't "whoopi" be spelled "whoopie" with an "e"? We love Whoopi Goldberg and all, but not when we are spending a romantic night in a hotel with our lover.
Related Stories:
· Commodore Reviews [TripAdvisor]
· Who Can it be at the Commodore [HotelChatter]
Tags: Hotel Deals / → All Tags
Hotel Carlton's Cultural Deal
Budget Travel has written up a San Francisco hotel deal that lets you not only stay on the cheap but explore the city as well.
Available through Mar. 31, the Hotel Carlton (a Joie de Vivre property) is offering rooms from $109 nightly, along with access to culturally themed events, and a 15% discount at the hotel restaurant, Saha, a Yemenese Arabic-influenced eatery.
For each night's stay, guests can choose one culturally themed event that takes place in the diverse neighborhoods of San Francisco.
Some options are communal baths at Kabuki Springs & Spa in Japantown, Peruvian and Latino Nuevo Fusion Cuisine at Limon in the Mission, Traditional tea service at Chinatown's Imperial Tea Court and espresso and treats at Steps of Rome in North Beach's Little Italy.
One recent guest enjoyed the hotel so much she didn't mind that it still smelled like fresh paint, or that she had to sleep with the windows open, that the beds seem to be a weird-size or that it's adjacent to a Fire Station.
It was really noisy and I had trouble sleeping because of all the sirens. But that wouldn't prevent me from going back! I would recommend it to anyone, it's really adorable and captures the essence of San Francisco!
Related Stories:
·Around the World in San Francisco [Budget Travel Online]
·Hotel Carlton: Inspired by Lonely Planet [HotelChatter]
·Hotel Carlton reviews [TripAdvisor]
Tags: Hotels / → All Tags
Who Can It Be at the Commodore?
Deidre, of Luxist.com fame, was up in San Francisco for the weekend and shares her thoughts on her Union Square hotel stay with us:
I was in San Francisco this weekend for a reading and stayed at the Commodore Hotel.
It's every bit as colorful as it looks on the website, but a bit more worn in person.
Our room was New York tiny (although with a huge walk-in closet) and the bathroom had a louvered window that vented into some sort of crawlspace full of pipes.
What was remarkable was that at this hotel we actually did some minor celeb spotting. We came up the stairs one afternoon to find Brian Posehn checking his email at a public computer and later my boyfriend swears he saw Colin Hay from Men at Work and a bunch of musicians struggling to get their gear into the Commodore's minuscule elevator.
--Men at Work, once on top of the world, now just another mid-level band struggling with the limitations of the Commodore elevators.
Related Stories:
· Commodore Hotel Reviews [TripAdvisor]
Tags: Hotel Deals / → All Tags
Sweetheart Deals: California Girl
Want to impress your significant other without breaking the bank? Don't we all, right? Well if you think EssEff is a romantic city, why not whisk away your partner for a Cali weekender. Too expensive, too far, too difficult you say? Bah, you can do it all for less than $750... if you try.
Here is what we suggest. Look into the Carlton Hotel Valentine's Getaway package. For $199 a night you get:
- A newly renovated boutique hotel, including a superior guest-room for two with rose petals spread throughout the room
- Romantic candlelight dinner for two at Saha Restaurant, includes choice of an entrée with two items, soup, salad or an appetizer
- Choice of Sparkling Cider or Champagne
- Bubble bath
- Complimentary wine reception
- American Breakfast for two
- Late check out time of 2:00 pm
You will be in the midst of the theatre district, a couple blocks from Union Square and the Asian American Art Museum.
Then you can use that late check out to lounge around your room while you wait to hop on your JetBlue flight out of Oakland.
Jeez...we do all the work for you here at HotelChatter...don't we?
Hotels In: Africa | Asia | Australia | Caribbean | Europe | North America | South America
Our Publications:
Jaunted | HotelChatter | VegasChatter
