San Francisco: Kimpton’s Sir Francis Drake Hotel Review

Heading to the city over the weekend is a welcome getaway for our family that we don’t do often enough.  Last weekend we headed to the Union Square area of San Francisco for a weekend of fun, food, and well… more fun!

We pulled up to the Sir Francis Drake Hotel on Powell and were greeted by a doorman dressed as an infamous Beefeater. Originally built in 1928, the hotel showcases a debonair new design that is a contemporary interpretation of the classic attitude and elegance that was typical of the era of Sir Francis Drake.  Recently restored,  you enter the lobby straight out of the Italian Renaissance – with antique crystal chandeliers, gilded ceilings, and a sweeping staircase.As I checked in, the children oohed and ahhed at the amazing designs, fun furniture, and stared wide-eyed at the red statue of the hotel’s namesake above the grand bar.  Don’t be disillusioned, there were plenty of families and children checking in, it’s a very family friendly hotel, plenty of people dressed in city casual, I almost panicked myself.  Check-in was a breeze with Ryan, let me know all the ins and outs of the hotel and invited me to Harry Denton’s Starlight Room which my husband and I will visit on our next kid-free trip.

An 18th floor room was assigned and the first thing I did was head to the windows for the view! Short of the coastal fog, it was gorgeous!The room had two double beds, perfect for the four of us for the weekend.  The kids claimed one bed and jumped atop of it and eagerly AHHHed in unison.  The room’s decor is stylish, sophisticated, smart, and comfortable, everything we look for in a hotel.

My eyes were taking in all the contemporary beauty of the silver and lavender with elaborate detailing.  THEN, the pop of red color was a gorgeous contrast!

My six year old is always the sweetheart, “they EVEN have the Disney Channel on this TV, they knew we were coming!”  The iHome was perfect to charge the electronics (great call Kimpton), the room was immaculate, and though small, the bathroom was efficient, clean, and the soaps and shampoo smell wonderful.The artwork was even unique, something I’ve found in many of San Francisco’s hotels.

The desk is nice for your laptop when work does come into play.  We were happy to know that room service comes from Scala’s Bistro adjacent to the hotel if you don’t want to leave your bed!  Speaking of food, now through September 3, kid’s eat free at Scala’s Bistro with a paying adult. Mention the rate code SUMMR when booking!  During our stay the restaurant was packed and on the morning of checkout we enjoyed our meal with a very short wait.  The kids had more than enough to fill their bellies, and my husband and I satisfied our cravings with eggs, bacon, fried potatoes, and fresh muffins and fruit.

After checking out and heading to our next adventure, we realized my daughter left her stuffed bear in the room.  I jumped on Twitter and tweeted with KimptoninSF about the dilemma.  Shortly after I was tweeted back the following:

Great, we think we’ve found him playing with our Beefeaters. DM us an address and we’ll send him home.

That was it, superior customer service via social media, I love it!  The photograph was priceless and the news made one 6-year old very happy.

Parking is available via valet for $57 with tax.  If there is a recommendation I’d suggest it is for a coffee make in the room, honestly I thought it was pretty standard.  We will go back and stay in the heart of the city.  Walking distance to Market St., cable cars, food, shopping, and much more, the Sir Francis Drake is an amazing hotel to stay in.

Our stay was hosted short of parking and gratuities. Our meals were partially covered with the summer special though all our opinions are 100% our own.