San Francisco // Kensington Park Hotel
You know those people who don't care about the hotel when traveling since they say you're only in the room to sleep? I'm not one of those people. I care about the quality of my sleep too much.
Aside from comfort, when looking for a hotel, it's all about location, location, location. Throw in complimentary Wi-Fi, and a tea (and sherry) hour, a plush bed, and great service, you've got me sold.
While in San Francisco, I stayed at the Kensington Park Hotel which delivered on all counts.
I loved the location of the hotel at Union Square, which was super close to everything including cable car stops.
My friend Michele and I were pretty tired from our delayed flight so we were happy to check in to the hotel right away to settle in a bit then go out to explore before our early dinner. My travel style? Like the elderly. That's how I roll.
At the front desk, we were given key cards to our room with a corner view (two windows) and two double beds. When asked if we wanted suggestions on things to do in the city, a map magically appeared and markings were made to indicate where the hotel was and what area to avoid. The map was super handy in figuring out public transportation, especially the bus routes. (I love taking buses -- elderly travel style all the way.)
I'm not a fan of patterned comforters that YOU JUST KNOW hotels never wash, so I was delighted to see the beds looking so inviting with super crisp, white sheets and comforter covers.
Bathrobes were hanging in the closet, but no slippers. I called the front desk and inquired about slippers, and a couple of calls later, found out they no longer provide them -- bummer.
There isn't air conditioning in the room, but we went when the weather was in the 60's so we didn't need it anyway. There is a giant fan hanging in the room though.
A peek into the bathroom. We did have a problem with the plumbing and someone came up to our room to fix it, although it seemed like it was an ongoing minor issue. Not sure if it's a hotel-wide thing or our room thing.
Plenty of towels, which I like.
Bathroom amenities: Shampoo, conditioner, body wash, soap, shower cap, shoe mitt, and makeup remover wipes. Super nice touch with the makeup remover wipes.
The "Ph" stands for Personality Hotels. The Kensington Park Hotel is a part of their collection of hotels in San Francisco.
After settling in, we headed back downstairs to the lobby for tea and sherry hour.
One thing to note is that they had a bottle of wine with two glasses on the desk in our room which we didn't touch. I'm always a little wary of things left in the room without any notes to let you know if it's complimentary or not. The bottled waters were clearly labeled as an extra charge though so I'm assuming the wine was complimentary, but it's always nice not to have to guess.
Cold and hot tea for me, sherry for Michele, although after a sip, she opted instead for tea. This is one of those things where you think "why doesn't every hotel do this?" since it was such a nice gesture for hotel guests.
Overall, a lovely stay at the hotel. I slept soooo well on that bed. We spent three nights at the hotel and when checking out, it took 2 minutes.
INFO: Kensington Park Hotel | 450 Post Street | San Francisco, CA 94102| 415.788.6400
//I received a media rate for my stay at the Kensington Park Hotel. All content and opinions expressed here are my own.//
