The Fairmont is a very old-fashioned hotel - not a bad thing in itself and the lobby in particular is magnificent. The room was not big but was comfortable enough although I was woken a couple of times at 2am by noise in the corridor. The location is very central but walkers be warned it's at the top of a succession of very steep hills.

Other pros: Pleasant staff. Good if overpriced food in the Laurel Court restaurant.
Other cons: Expensive for what you get. Terrible and overpriced food in the amusingly kitschy Tonga bar.

Overall it's a good hotel and I enjoyed my stay but would possibly seek something cheaper if I were to stay in SF again - I think there may be better value for money to be found.

I stayed at the Fairmont for around four days earlier this month. I enjoyed the stay immensely and was able relax and rest despite a busy conference schedule. The room was gorgeous and provided a partial view of the bay. The bed was comfortable and I sleep like a log. The only complaint I have is that it is a very noisy hotel because of the activity level (but this may reflect activities occurring at the time of my stay). The hotel is a visual feast and contains a variety of stores within its walls. The staff were friendly and festive as my stay concluded on Halloween. I'd definitely stay there again.

Arrived and told that we had booked a room without an outside view. After we complained, we were upgraded to a garden/city view (Beware of this when booking special offers!!!). Free gym membership and wifi for loyalty club members. Look out for Amex 3 nights for the price of 2 deals! Very good location, close to China Town, North Beach. Good transport links and very good cleaning staff (paid attention to detail). Staying in such a nice place made our trip even more memorable.

Very classy. We were going to stay here but ended up somewhere else. We did have a couple of drinks at the lobby bar and they were good and reasonably priced. The lobby of this hotel would be hard to beat anywhere in the world.