Everyone knows that traveling can be expensive. On tight budgets, oftentimes the first place you cut is your hotel quality because all you really need is a place to lay your head at night. However, this can be one of the most important parts of your trip. Who wants to share their bed with bedbugs or mites after a long day of sightseeing? That can truly ruin a good time, don'tcha think?
My experience at Kensington Park Hotel in San Francisco has been wonderful. It is one of the Personality Hotels in SF and is located at 450 Post Street, right in the heart of Union Square. I stayed there in November 2008 for a couple of nights and again on my recent weeklong adventure.
Why'd I go back? First off, the price was right. Obviously, from looking at its website, Kensington Park can be a bit high for most budgets. However, remember that you're in SF and that everything is pretty expensive. I got a great deal for air and hotel from Honolulu so I booked it right away. There were other air/hotel deals out there (believe me, I combed all the usual sites and then some), but when Kensington popped up within my budget, I jumped at the chance to stay there again.
What I learned last fall is that their beds are truly heavenly, especially after a day of walking up and down hills or in and out of stores. I have never slept on a bed better than this one, and this includes my own bed at home. I don't even know how to describe it to you. It's just the right firmness and softness to ease your aching body to sleep every night. You melt into the comforter and are engulfed by softness.
Another good quality about this hotel is that the staff is very accommodating. My flight arrived at 5:55 a.m. and by the time I got to the city it was around 7:15 a.m. Despite this ungodly hour, the staff allowed me and my BFF to check in way ahead of schedule. (When we called to double check that they had our reservations, we put in a request for early check-in but they said they couldn't guarantee anything.) I can only imagine that either we looked pretty had-it from the red-eye flight out of Honolulu or that the staff was very, very accommodating. I like to believe the latter but cannot be sure.
The room we were given (#4 on the fifth floor) was a bit smaller than the one we received on our last trip. However, this could also be because we were only two people and last fall we had three. Even though the room and bathroom were smaller than before, they were still very satisfactory. Everything was clean, which was a definite plus. There was no mold, mildew or hair in the bathroom. The beds were made and everything seemed to be in order. For a peek at the rooms, check out their website. Yes, those are probably professionally done pictures and no doubt are enhanced with a little help from Photoshop. But, trust me. That's exactly what the rooms look like, if not just a tad less bright and vibrant. Still, the beds and rooms definitely live up to the PR/marketing hype of the website.
Another good thing about the staff is that they're very friendly. I hate to admit it, but for the life of me I cannot remember the name of the guy at the front desk. There were actually three different people at the front desk at different times of the day and night. However, the night shift/early morning guy definitely stood out. He's the guy who checked us in (this time and last time if I remember right). Every time he saw us, he'd greet us with a big smile and address us by our names. Yeah, he actually remembered our names! Amazing when the hotel seemed to be almost fully booked. This kind of customer service is a sign that Kensington Park is really going the extra mile for its guests.
If you're not convinced by now to try this hotel on your next SF visit, let me add that it's only a skip away from all the shops at Union Square, steps away from the Muni (cable car and buses) and just a couple of blocks up from BART. The location is hot, hot, hot. So definitely try Kensington Park Hotel because it's fit for royalty.
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