Hotel Monaco — Hotel Review Rating: 4.0 Pearls

Oyster Review Summary

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Oyster Hotel Review

Reviewer: Briana R.
Updated: May 22, 2010

 Scene

Originally built in 1910, the building was taken over by Kimpton in 1995 and transformed from Hotel Bellevue to Hotel Monaco. The lobby and Grand Café restaurant, two of the most beautiful aspects of the hotel, have Art Nouveau and Art Deco touches like opulent wall murals and paintings, high ceilings, and grand ornate staircases. The lobby's lavish furnishings and cozy fireplaces -- not to mention complimentary coffee and tea in the morning, and wine reception in the evening -- give it a great ambience and make it a popular place for guests to lounge.

If you don't mind a little eccentricity -- the wallpaper in my room, for example, had thick, vibrantly green stripes -- the 201 rooms come off as nearly flawless, with luxurious beds and good gadgetry. The service isn't quite of the over-the-top ultraluxury sort, but everything the hotel attempts to do it does extremely well. And the hotel features a solid lineup of amenities.

Though you can usually find a room of the same size for less in the Union Square area, you get what you pay for in reliable service, rooms that rank among the area's best, and amenities and services that go beyond the expected for a San Francisco hotel.

 Service

Service here is rock solid: Friendly, knowledgeable staff, doormen, and 24-hour room service are all what you'd expect for a mid- to upper-range urban hotel. The large staff does a good job keeping guests from feeling anonymous: The concierge asked how my dinner went after he'd provided directions for me hours earlier, and front desk attendants make conversation with guests throughout their stay, rather than just checking them in and out. You couldn't get much better without paying up for an ultraluxury hotel.

• Uniformed doormen dressed like "1920s world travelers" (or at least the hotel's logo: purple suits and bowler hats are the brand interpretation)
• 24-hour room service
• No dedicated concierge desk, but the front desk and bell staffs are all able to answer questions and assist with special requests
• Turndown service available on request

 Location

Hotel Monaco sits two blocks west of Union Square, which is famous for its high-end retail shops and not much else. Home to enormous outposts of Niketown, Saks, Tiffany, Macy's, Louis Vuitton, and Neiman Marcus, among others, Union Square is to San Francisco what 5th Avenue is to New York and Rodeo Drive is to L.A. Locals don't hang out here, but the square is great for people-watching nonetheless, and it occasionally plays host to small festivals and demonstrations. Still, if conspicuous consumption isn't a priority, you might prefer a neighborhood closer to the city's biggest attractions, like Nob Hill or Fisherman's Wharf.

• Four blocks from the two Powell cable-car lines, which can take you to Lombard Street and Ghirardelli Square or to Fisherman's Wharf near Pier 39
• Far from the Presidio, the Golden Gate Bridge, Golden Gate Park, and Haight-Ashbury -- $10 to $20 by cab -- but then, so are the other neighborhoods with major hotels
• Discount day-of theater seats available at the Union Square ticket kiosk
• Plenty of dining nearby, though the area isn't really known for its epicurean flare (Cheesecake Factory is the most visible restaurant around)
• Il Caffe at Union Square charges exorbitant rates for coffee and snacks, but you can't beat the setting on a sunny day.
• $40, 30-minute taxi from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) airport

 Rooms

Overall, rooms are arranged in a simple, classic style, and in great condition. Eclectic décor aside, rooms are on par to those in its class and neighborhood. As in many of Union Square's historical buildings, rooms are a bit small, but bathrooms are reasonably big and rooms are well furnished. Luxurious beds are the highlight, but flat-screen TVs, DVD players, and iPod docks all pass muster for some of the best rooms in Union Square.

• Somewhat small rooms range from 200 to 250 square feet (that's on the small side for rooms in Union Square, but not by much), with suites maxing out at 625 square feet.
• Excellent canopied beds have pillow-top mattresses, Frette linens, and down comforters.
• 27-inch Sony flat-screen TVs and DVD players, along with a CD player and Kimpton's own mixed CD: Suite Life, Volume One available for purchase
• iPod dock alarm/radios and CD players and Kimpton's Suite Life, Volume One
• Bathrooms are a reasonable size and have bathtub/shower units, with Aveda toiletries.
• Windows aren't soundproof, so rooms can get noisy.
• Minibars include snacks, beverages, and a collection of fun additions like San Francisco guide cards and games.
• Coffeemakers in all rooms with individual Starbucks packets of coffee
• Animal-print robes, camisoles, boxers, and fuzzy socks available for purchase
• Wi-Fi and high speed Internet are free if you sign up for Kimpton InTouch Rewards (a free rewards program you can sign up for from your computer at the hotel; you can opt out of their mailing list so there are no strings attached), otherwise it's $10 a day.

 Features

In Union Square, it's standard to give guests a small fitness center and business center and call it a day. Hotel Monaco ponies up to give guests a better package and one of Union Square's most pleasant hotel lobbies for lounging. The grand lobby, with comfortable furniture, cozy fireplaces, and great artwork, is a pleasant place to hang out, especially when the hotel is serving free wine in the evening or coffee and tea in the morning. Spa Equilibrium, though it only has a couple of treatment rooms and it's not regularly staffed, does offer guests use of its coed facilities, which include a whirlpool, sauna, and eucalyptus steam room. Other Kimpton perks include pet-friendly policies and kid-friendly perks, making this a much better bet than the many of Union Square's typically bare-bones hotels (even its trendy neighbor, the Clift, offers fewer features beyond its cool atmosphere).

• Business center has two Mac computers, a printer, copy and fax machine (guests pay for use by time and copies printed).
• Basement-level fitness center open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.; small with only seven cardio machines and some free weights, but in good condition
• Small, coed Spa Equilibrium located off the fitness center has a whirlpool, sauna, and eucalyptus steam room; access by request from the front desk; massage, facial, or body treatments are available but must be booked in advance (most 50 minute treatments are about $135; $200-plus for 80 or 90 minute treatments).
• Free wine reception from 5 to 6 p.m.
• Free coffee and tea served in the lobby lounge area from 7 to 10 a.m.
• Goldfish can be requested to keep in rooms during stay.
• Wi-Fi and high speed Internet is free if you sign up for Kimpton InTouch Rewards, otherwise it's $10 a day.

 Pet Friendly

• Any pet under 200 pounds welcome at no extra charge
• Free perks like pet beds (available in various sizes), food and water bowls, and even free cat toys given on arrival
• Copies of The Dog Walker's Guide to the Bay Area provided in rooms
• Goldfish can be requested to keep in rooms during guest stay

 Family

Rooms are somewhat small and can be noisy, but this is fairly common among midrange, Union Square hotels (the Argonaut Hotel, in Fisherman's Wharf, avoids these downtown pitfalls). That said, the hotel offer some nice extras for kids, including free Kimpton backpacks and small toys on arrival, loaner goldfish for the guest rooms, and board games and kids' books in the lobby. Another good family option is the Handlery (thanks to its pool).

• Goldfish are available to keep in rooms during stay.
• Rooms have both DVD players and pay-per-view movies, but no DVD libraries.
• Free cribs and rollaways based on availability; rollaways are only available in suites
• No kids' menu at restaurant or room service, but options like pizza and mac and cheese are kid-friendly

 Cleanliness

Though the hotel has postponed renovations until 2010, the hotel is in shipshape condition, with thoroughly cleaned rooms and furniture in great condition.

 Food

The hotel restaurant, Grand Café Brasserie and Bar, is a pleasant surprise in Union Square, where many restaurants serve mediocre, overpriced food. French and Californian menu options mingle, and the dining room is one of the hotel's most beautiful features: Part of the building's original structure, its tall ceilings, sparkling tile mosaic pillars and huge, hanging light fixtures give it a vintage San Francisco appeal, and the service and food make this one of the better dining options in the area.

• Grand Café serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner (entrees range from about $15 to $30).
• 24-hour room service from Grand Café

 Bottom Line

Not as conventionally luxurious as some Union-Square-area competitors, but so filled with interesting touches and thoughtful extras that you won't notice. The rooms are smallish but have wonderful beds, quirky-yet-elegant style, and state-of-the-art technology. The service is rock solid. And the lobby's a great place to hang out, especially for the free wine receptions and morning coffee.