The Ritz Carlton San Francisco embodies a distinctly American flavor of true class. While a typical European luxury hotel might be built inside a former royal palace, the RCSF's uniquely American brand of luxury springs from the renovation of a 1909 landmark insurance company office building, reflecting not only this country’s relatively brief history but that quintessentially American style of pragmatism and devotion to business.

The towering ionic columns supporting the façade impart an air of authority and power, conjuring the mystique of the Federal Reserve Bank and the austerity of J. Pierpont Morgan. Inside, the décor imbues an ambiance of refined, American elegance with heavy stylistic borrowings from such American designers as Ralph Lauren and Martha Stewart. As an expression of the United States’ origins as an English colony, the style here is strictly federalist and classic, eschewing continental baroque excess in preference for practical luxury. There are few frilly, lacy things and no cherubs peeing in the garden. Ms. Stewart’s mantra applies aptly to this hotel: It is simple; it is elegant; it is beautiful.

Bring Your White Glove

The RCSF staff are friendly and efficient, but above all, professional. Trained to the point that they probably deserve masters’ degrees, the staff, from senior Concierge to assistant housekeeper, stand poised to answer your every question and respond quickly to every reasonable request. The people working at RCSF are not here to be “discovered” or put themselves through school, but are professional hoteliers with obvious pride in their work. The concierge team will assist you with virtually anything you might need from restaurant recommendations and bookings to rental cars to package handling and more.

Housekeeping services at RCSF are impeccable. The common areas, the grounds and the guest rooms are kept in a constant state of fastidious perfection. Evening turndown service is a regular and welcome event. I never knew that I needed to hire someone to pull down the bedsheets and fluff the pillows but the chocolate squares and the plates of fabulous Ritz cookies won me over (more later about these ubiquitous baked marvels that are as much a staple of the Ritz diet as is rice in most Asian cultures).

“We’ve Got a Deal”

RCSF means serious business. The staff have geared services to gratify the demands of the most impetuous Fortune 100 CEO and the haughtiest bulge-bracket investment banker. Echoing the building’s history as a headquarters office, the Business Center hums with activity, providing a full complement of executive services to the hotel’s demanding clientele. Recent upgrades to guest rooms such as multiple phone lines and high-speed internet ports facilitate connecting to the office from your private in-room workspace. Decidedly upscale meeting and conference facilities make this hotel the venue of choice for the City’s elite financial powerhouses.

Home Away from Home

The guest rooms are elegant and luxurious but not over the top. The rooms, furnished in traditional American style by Drexel Heritage, provide peace and comfort both for a good night’s rest and for catching up on some evening homework. Room proportions are typically generous and occasionally overwhelming. On one visit, I was alarmed to discover that my bathroom had no shower or tub. After a bit of searching around, I discovered a large dressing chamber adjacent to the bedroom, beyond which lay a marble bathroom/spa that, by itself, dwarfed my New York apartment. Apparently, the first bathroom I had found was merely a powder room intended for any unexpected bladder emergencies.

The bathrooms are fully stocked with good quality provisions, oversized and thirsty towels as well as plush cotton terry bathrobes. The bedding, all of superb quality, has been thoughtfully designed such that everything in and on the bed is encased in a layer of crisp white cotton linen. There is no snuggling with dirty used blankets at RCSF. Many rooms also accommodate a separate seating area for watching television or entertaining guests and all rooms provide a comfortable work area tailored for workaholic financiers.

A special note on the accommodations is that you should try to drop in around Christmas – a magical time at RCSF. By a stroke of pure serendipity, I secured a room with a window to the giant tree adorning the hotel’s front colonnade. That was one visit when I left the blinds open at night, affording me the luxury of falling asleep under the lights of a Christmas tree and wondering what marvels Santa might bring the next day.

In fact, gifts do abound for returning travelers. Frequent guests to the hotel will often arrive in their room to find a personal note from the hotel’s manager along with a complimentary fruit basket, a fine bottle of California wine or even a crystal gift box, and of course warm, soft, chewy Ritz cookies.

“I’ll Be at My Club”

A complimentary upgrade to the Ritz Carlton Club is a rare and prized treat for even the most frequent guest at the RCSF. Don’t bother trying to talk your way into a free stay at the Club. The reception staff are highly intelligent and no matter how cunning you think your arguments may be, you will most likely end up on the receiving end of a friendly but firm “No.” Club level accommodations are strictly invitation-only; and like most everything in our upwardly mobile capitalist system, such invitations are readily available for a price.

When and if you do receive that coveted free upgrade, first smile – for the boss must like you – and then prepare to raise your expectations. The real treat at the Club is not the more generously sized and appointed rooms nor the private lounge, reception and concierge nor the complimentary breakfast buffet bursting with mountains of delicious fresh pastries and aromatic coffees nor even the feeling of exclusivity that can warm the heart of even the oldest money in town.

The real treat is the evening gathering which features a smorgasbord of such tasty temptations you’ll want to wrap up that afternoon meeting early just to get back to the Club on time. The complimentary evening service goes way beyond the typical cheese cubes and buffalo wings. Center-stage features an array of caviars and crudités carved from fresh local seafood of which San Francisco seems to have a chronic overabundance. A wide selection of fresh, creamy California cheeses provides the perfect counterpoint to the tangy smoked Pacific salmon. In keeping with American style, there is nothing too exotic or experimental here; everything is fresh, simple and pleasing to the American palate. Of course, the entire time that you’re reviewing the selection of fine foods you’ll be unable to resist locking one eye on the mounds of omni-present Ritz cookies crying out your name. Thank God this hotel has a gym.

The Cookie Monster’s Paradise

If this hotel were to adopt a mascot, I wholeheartedly nominate Sesame Street’s Cookie Monster. Not only does this loveable blue furball match perfectly the hotel chain’s corporate color scheme but that little guy would never leave the confines of this building because he would never, ever run out of cookies. Baked in six-inch circles with chewy centers and an al dente crunchy crust, these irresistible treats come in three flavors: dark chocolate chunk, white chocolate macadamia nut and maple cinnamon oatmeal raisin. Obviously designed to put you at ease, Ritz cookies are as addictive as opium and seem to rain down on guests like manna from heaven.

In a city that is brutally competitive for offering up epicurean delights, the RCSF holds its own with dignity. Cuisine at the RCSF succeeds by sticking primarily to classic French and Mediterranean foods and excelling in local and American fare. The most notable exception to this rule of thumb is swimmingly fresh sushi and sashimi carved up each evening in the Lobby Lounge – a fitting tribute to the powerful Asian influence in California and a charming diversion from the Lounge’s more typical anglophile selection. Nevertheless, this is generally not the place for either anorexic California Nouvelle or experimental cross-fusion cuisines.

In-room breakfast is always punctual and made-to-order. The kitchen is well accustomed to handling even the most bizarre dietary restrictions. The main restaurants are superb and are destinations in and of themselves, deserving their own separate reviews, which I leave to others. At the risk of epicurean heresy, I must extol my favorite RCSF dish: the all-American Ritz cheeseburger.

Yes, I know, not exactly haute cuisine but these sandwiches are outrageously good. A plump, juicy angus patty caught within a slightly buttered bun with just enough bronzing to add crispness around the rim. Add full-flavored cheddar cheese, baby lettuce, red tomato and this burger can compete with the best of its siblings at the “21” Club or the Corner Bistro in Manhattan. Ritz burgers are so good that my friends who live in SF actually begged to come hang out in my hotel room and order burgers rather than go out to one of the City’s many celebrated restaurants. When you order room service, remember to ask for Faye, she will take care of you and have you convinced that Mom must be down in the kitchen.

City by the Bay

RCSF sits confidently just below the peak of Nob Hill where the Mark Hopkins, the Fairmont and Grace Cathedral vie greedily for prized real estate. While some travelers may prefer to be right in the thick of it all, those who prefer a little distance from the throbbing masses will find greater privacy and tranquility at the RCSF. Street noise is almost minimal with only an occasional ring of the cable cars, a distant siren or two and the melodious moans of the foghorns from off the bay.

The Financial District, Union Square and Chinatown are all short walks or cab rides from the front door, albeit with some hill involved (though with all those cookies, I considered the hill to be a plus). Fisherman’s Market lies just to the north and, for those visiting friends and relatives, the residential areas of Pacific Heights and the Marina are readily accessible at points west from the hotel.

Do I Have to Leave?

You could easily live at this hotel. I, in fact, did so for about a month while working on a merger transaction. In a fit of insanity, I even ran the numbers in my head to compare the cost of living here versus renting an apartment – to abysmally disappointing results. Ah well, all good things eventually come to an end and New York was calling me home.


Recommended: Yes