Nice little Boutique Hotel in San Francisco's financial district
Written: Jan 26 '01 (Updated Jan 26 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Nice little business hotel near Embarcadero
Cons: Thin walls/doors make for a noisy night's stay
The Bottom Line: Great hotel for business travelers, not as good for tourists--be sure to get one of the larger rooms either way.
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| JediKermit's Full Review: Hotel Griffon |
We were in San Francisco for about a week last September, and after getting the old screwgie from Expedia.com (read my other reviews for THAT whole thing...) we had to find hotels on our own about a week before arriving in SF. As it turned out, we couldn't find a single hotel that could accommodate our entire stay, so we ended up staying one night in the Griffon, and several nights in another hotel.
The Griffon is near Embarcadero in the financial district, and is a smaller hotel, with maybe 8 floors. It's in a very nice neighborhood, with mostly bankers by day and a few bars at night that seemed pretty fun. It's just 5 minutes by foot from BART, and is close to the Bay Bridge and seemed to be easy to find.
The service was outstanding from check-in to check-out, and although we didn't have any special needs, I got the impression the staff there would bend over backwards to help you out.
The hotel appears to have been recently remodeled, and every thing is very clean and very new, which made for an enjoyable stay; we didn't wonder how recently the bedding had been changed, or what that stain was on the floor, or anything weird like that.
There are also several restaurants in the immediate vicinity, including a seafood grill on the first floor of the hotel and several smaller restaurants within a block of the Griffon. We ate at an oriental place just a few doors down, and it was good and filling. Because we only stayed one night at the Griffon, it's difficult to say what else is right there in the area, but this is definitely a business travelers hotel.
The one negative thing we could think of about our stay was that the bed and room were both EXTREMELY SMALL. The bed was a queen or smaller (perhaps a double), and the walls of the room weren't more than three feet away from the bed. It was like sleeping in a utility closet. Since we were beggars, we couldn't really be choosers, but it made for an awkward night and an awkward getting-ready-to-leave in the morning. The bathroom was also small, but was blindingly brilliantly clean and white, so it was fine.
The door and walls also seemed to be very thin--a few times during the night we woke up thinking someone else was in our room, but it was just someone in the hall. They weren't being loud, just speaking in regular human voices; the walls and door were so thin that it was like they were there in bed with us. (I won't comment further on THAT)
The next day we were looking at the floor plan of the hotel on the fire escape, and it turns out we WERE in the smallest room on that floor; if you're staying there for more than a night, I'd recommend one of the larger rooms.
The continental breakfast the next morning was better than average, and everything was very fresh, and it was more than enough to fill us up. They have a lounge as part of the restaurant on the first floor to eat in, so you don't have to take food back to your room and try to balance it on the bed.
On the whole, it was a very pleasant stay, and we enjoyed the hotel very much. If I were going back to SF anytime soon, I'd probably try to stay there, just get a larger room next time.
Recommended:
Yes
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JediKermit
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Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
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Books, Movies, and Toys. Is there more to life?
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