In early 2017, just before the last wave of applications for the Chase Fairmont Visa ended, LD and I each applied for one. We used the two free nights from the card’s sign-up bonus at the Fairmont in Banff, which was truly impressive and a great experience as well (I’ll write a review later). In August, the Chase Fairmont Visa was forcibly converted to the Chase Sappier Preferred. To compensate cardholders, after spending $6,000 in a year, they gave out another Fairmont free night (for details, please see: here). Since the free night from each card would expire on February 28, when we received the free night certificate in mid-October, we immediately booked the San Francisco Fairmont and prepared to give it a proper try.
The hotel is very grand and has a long history. It offers free hotel tours several times a week, and we happily joined one, learning in considerable detail about the hotel’s past and present. From a wealthy family that claimed it would build the world’s best hotel, to the San Francisco earthquake and fire, then becoming a “relief station,” and later returning to being a hotel while becoming the world’s first Fairmont hotel and hosting the first UN delegates’ meeting, all of that reflects Fairmont’s history and adds plenty of color to this hotel.
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Booking
After receiving the free night certificate, I immediately called Fairmont’s customer service line, booked the first night, and used an upgrade certificate to upgrade to a suite in the main building. When LD then called Fairmont’s customer service, we were told that there were no base rooms available to book yet (because of the holiday), and to wait a few days to see whether a base room would open up. This was similar to how we booked the Fairmont in Banff last time, and since that booking eventually succeeded, we decided to call again three days later. Before calling, we checked the website and there was still no base room available, which the agent confirmed to us right away. LD then told the agent that I had already successfully booked the previous night and hoped the free night certificate could be used for the next night as well, while also asking whether we could be transferred to a manager. After the transfer, the manager was very happy to secure a room above the base category, but said they could not guarantee it would be the same room as the night before. We were already very satisfied with simply getting a booking at all, and quickly thanked them. (We had the same situation at Banff, and this time we simply repeated the same approach.) Fairmont’s customer service is really very nice and willing to help solve problems.
Once we arrived at the hotel, the front desk very easily arranged both nights in the same Suite in the main building, which was very thoughtful~~~.
Tip: When using a free night certificate at Fairmont, even if there is no availability, it can still be requested, as long as the night before or after is already booked; that makes it easier to have a reason and a way to explain the request.
Hotel Review
Lobby and Hallways
The hotel lobby is quite magnificent and has the feel of a five-star hotel.
The hallway is fairly standard, with a bit of a historical feel, or perhaps a touch of age.
Guest Room: Montmartre Suite
This time we stayed in the Montmartre Suite
The living room was fairly spacious and comfortable, and the view outside was of the wealthy private club across the street (the red four-story building opposite).
The bedroom was also comfortable enough, with the typical look of a basic suite bedroom.
Ballrooms
The hotel has many interesting ballrooms and event spaces, each with its own story. After all, this is one of San Francisco’s most historically significant hotels. The most interesting of them all is the Tonga Room. It was originally an indoor hotel pool, but the very “scheming” owner transformed it into a tropical rainforest-style restaurant and bar. On both of the two nights we were there, we saw long lines. Because we joined the hotel tour, we were lucky enough to visit the Tonga Room while it was closed during the day.
Inside, it really has a lot of atmosphere and feels very tropical-rainforest-like.
We happened to still have a $50 drinks credit unused, so we reserved a Saturday-night table with the front desk in advance. We were seated a little after 8 p.m., and by a little after 9 p.m. the place was packed.
We ordered a few of the popular dishes, but in the end we felt that the fried rice shown in the photo was the best-tasting and also the best value....
Summary
Overall, the Fairmont in San Francisco is very good and is also very close to Chinatown, but it sits on one of the highest hills in the city... Going up and down is quite difficult for anyone with less-than-stellar mobility. The hotel service was attentive, and we also had a long chat with Tom, the world’s first hotel concierge, who was already in his 70s and still working at this hotel. As the first generation of hotel concierge, he trained many “apprentices” around the world, speaks four languages, and even went to China to train the hotel concierges at Shangri-La Hotels.
Nowadays, free nights at Fairmont are gradually disappearing from the card-churning crowd’s radar, but if you have the budget, I still recommend trying this Fairmont. If you don’t want to spend big, I also recommend the IHG InterContinental right across from Fairmont, which also looks very grand from the outside.