Celebrated an anniversary and birthday at the Fairmont in a balcony suite, the Singapore suite, on the sixth floor.
We first checked into a balcony suite on the 2nd floor, which was a little dark, and the balcony view less than what we expected, so we opted for a change. We called the front desk and were immediately accommodated and moved into the Singapore suite, four stories above.
Upon entrance we were wowed to say the least. The suite's balcony was breathtaking with a panoramic view of all of San Francisco's financial district, the TransAmerican pyramid at its center. We hosted a get together to celebrate the following night and every guest, be it local or tourist, was floored by the magnificent, opulent and expansive view the balcony suite offered.
The bathroom was small but luxurious and cozy, the bath tub oversized and comfortable.
The bedroom was truly the superior part of the suite, with classic old world accents, including a canopy bed and armchair reading area, highlighted by iron and glass french doors that lead to that unforgettable view.
The hotel itself is truly remarkable, at the very least for the incredible part it's played in both American and world history. And the lobby, still retaining its 1907 allure, is as beautiful and well maintained as ever.
We were informed Vice President Biden had stayed in a suite on the 7th floor just a month or so before.
The first UN charter was signed in the Presidential suite library.
Hosts of presidents, dignitaries, royalty and celebrities have stayed within the many rooms. And let's not forget the devastation the property experienced after the great 1906 earthquake. Definitely check out the varied halls of historic photography throughout the property to learn more of its storied past.
Service at the front desk was satisfactory, but uneven. Some attendants were outstanding, others more apathetic. The bell staff was great, as was the majority of the housekeeping staff, minus one gruff turn down attendant who tried to force us to do turn down at 5:30 p.m.
The restaurant was delicious, though quite pricey.
The ground floor coffee shop and its locally made honey and organic treats was terrific.
And being a former San Franciscan and not needing to be in the hub of tourist San Francisco, I very much love the Nob Hill location. Yes there are some major hills to hike by foot, but that's part of the San Francisco experience. And there are cabs everywhere (and the cable car) so if by foot is too bothersome, a $10 cab ride can get you wherever you need to be. And Nob Hill with it's breadth of history, the still standing Flood Mansion, Grace Cathedral, the Mark Hopkins and Huntington Hotels, and Huntington Park, you can't get more of an authentic and historic San Francisco experience than at the Fairmont SF.
I couldn't have been happier visiting my old city anywhere else.
One suggestion. Parking at the Fairmont is beyond ridiculous at $56 dollars a day, just $10 less than a parking ticket. Other parking lots on Nob Hill are cheaper and cost anywhere between $10-25 less. Drop your bags at the Fairmont and park somewhere else.

Went to the Fairmont for a nice peaceful dinner on Nob Hill. The restaurant was filled with people in jeans and sneakers. it looked like the clientele were tractor salesmen from the country.

In fact, the clientele was the most refined and gracious surprise at The Fairmont. The service was poor and the service was worse. In addition to requiring more than 30 minutes' time for a hamburger and a salad, the hamburger, which was ordered to be well cooked, was served with a cold and red center. After being sent back to the kitchen, it was re-served still rare. Even the server was disappointed.

Go somewhere else if you hope for a gracious experience in San Francisco. The Fairmont is a great destination for tractor salesmen for whom this is on par from the Best Western

This is one beautiful property - both inside and out. The rooms have recently been redone. Our room in the Tower had a grand view of The Bay from the Golden Gate Bridge to Coit Tower. Good beds with nice linens. Bath had both tub and separate shower. The public areas are just a wonderful sight to see. This hotel opened in 1907! The property has been so well maintained that one can imagine the grandure when it first opened. The lobby bar and restaurant are beautifully designed and our breakfast was wonderful. Expensive, yes but we could have split our Eggs Benedict. There is a Hertz location in the lobby and we were delighted to pick up our rent car there, made it so easy. Cable cars stop right in front of hotel which was great news to us after a day of walking the hills.

We stayed here on the final leg of our honeymoon. The hotel is very well maintained and looks stunning from the outside with its almost colonial type style.
Our room was good. Very large with a huge bathroom and separate WC which didn't have a separate door which would have made it slightly more private.
We had a great view out over the city towards union square and the room was kept very clean and tidy.
We received a bottle of champagne and some chocolate covered strawberries from the hotel which was a really nice touch.
We did notice quite a lot of nous from the trams running up and down the street. They seem to cross I've just outside the hotel and for some reason this cross over causes a lot of loud noise from each passing tram. The windows were poor quality (or just old) and this didn't help.
The hotel reception area and bar/restaurant are very nice and we had a couple of drinks in the bar which had a nice atmosphere and my wife enjoyed on of the nicest cocktails she had asked for throughout our entire honeymoon here!
The bar prices were hefty though and I paid $8 for 2 diet cokes.
A lot of business people seem to stay here and I think some kind of conference event was being held when we stayed so the hotel was busy and we did at times have to fight out way through crowds of rowdy business people along the corridors.
The concierge service was very very good and they arranged a booking for us at a great steak restaurant called 'Harris', very very good!
All in all though it was a very enjoyable stay and the little coffee shop towards the back end of the hotel is very good for a coffee and quick snack!