Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco at Embarcadero

I really debated whether to give the hotel 3 stars or 4 stars. It is a nice property, but I will explain why I went with 3 stars below. I used Amex's Fine Hotels and Resorts program to book my stay, which includes several benefits ($100 food and beverage credit, $60 for breakfast, early check-in when available, guaranteed late 4pm checkout, and a room upgrade when available). I booked a Deluxe Room and I assumed the room upgrade would be to the next level up, meaning a bigger room. By the terms of the program, participating hotels are only asked to upgrade to the next category up. I learned this property, however, has MANY categories of rooms -- the vast majority of which are really the same room just with slightly different views. That is a weird way to think of what constitutes an upgrade -- it assumes the view makes a huge difference to you. Moreover, many hotels I've stayed with will often make the experience special for you, if they have the inventory to do so. When I checked in, I learned I had been "upgraded" -- from a Deluxe Room with a "City View" to a Deluxe Room with a "Bay View." So I had the same room with a slightly different view. I had checked the inventory of the hotel for the time of my stay and they had at least half a dozen suites available. I told the receptionist I was disappointed at what they considered to be an upgrade, so she changed my room to a "Premier Room," which is basically the same size but on the top floor. Since I had already complained, I wasn't going to argue with them -- technically they upgraded me "several levels" at that point. So I go up to my room, and I never once was asked whether I was happy with it -- standard practice in these situations at nice hotels. The view from the room was nice, but it was just a regular room. It would have been one thing if the hotel was fully booked, but it wasn't. I think this was a huge missed opportunity to make my stay special. They lost a star for that, and I have no plans to stay here in the future. They lost the other star because the gym is just standard in terms of equipment. Pretty much every basic hotel has a gym like this. This one is just more nicely maintained. The $60 credit is also not enough for two people to eat breakfast (a promise of the Fine Hotels and Resorts program); I spent around $80 just for myself. And finally, there are only two elevators, so going up and down can be slow.

This was without a doubt, one of my most memorable Hotel stays in 2024. From the moment of check in by agent - Sequoia to meeting the bar tender Anton with his delicious one of the kind secret cocktails to the special anniversary set up done by the Sales and the GM. We were truly touched and not to mention the stunning breath taking view from our room. The location and the intimate size of the hotel, make it so unique in SF. Definitely coming back to stay in the future.

Lovely stay at Four Seasons. We only had one night on a stop over - checkin was seamless, Concierge willing and helpful, and the Doormen were lovely. We had a gorgeous meal in Orafo restaurant - the pasta is handmade and delicious. We ordered the Rigatoni Pomodoro again the next day, it was that good. One staff member really stood out, thank you Rami Hammadi - we enjoyed chatting with you and you made sure our last hour in the hotel was really enjoyable! Hopefully see you again when we return for 1 night at the end of our trip back home again.

Such a beautiful 5 star hotel in the heart of San Francisco🌟 Everything is clean and the hotel is well thought out. Great gym with lots of high quality equipment. But the absolute highlight for me was Rosemary at Concierge - I would give her 6 stars if I could ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Her warm friendly manner, incredible restaurant knowledge, her ability to get anything and everything done, and to top it all off she brings such warmth to reception making you feel like you have arrived home😊 So, it’s 5 stars for the hotel and 6 stars for Rosemary😃

Excellent stay with an amazing view from the 38th floor. The Four Seasons never fails to impress with its Euro style bathroom setup, comfortable beds and stylish rooms. The overhead heaters outside the front doors are an excellent touch on a chilly night and the area is busy but safe.