Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Columnist Muriel Stevens: Some twists and turns in San Fran

Muriel Stevens' shopping columns and travel columns appear Wednesdays. Her dining column appears Fridays. Reach her at 259-4080 or [email protected].

Travel time: For months a friend and I had been making plans to spend the holidays in San Francisco. San Francisco filled the bill for all of my requirements: It's a short plane trip from Las Vegas and offers many fine shopping- and dining-story opportunities. We would go to the theater and the S.F. Museum of Modern Art, where a portion of the remarkable Anderson collection of modern art was on exhibit. My always agreeable traveling pal approved the plan.

The best laid plans go astray: We would stay at one my favorite hotels, the venerable Clift Hotel. More than 8 decades old, the Clift is a San Francisco landmark. The last time I'd stayed there it had been a Four Seasons property. My friend knew nothing about the Clift. I regaled her with stories of its glorious past and the wonderful times I'd enjoyed there. During its short reign as a Four Seasons it retained its glory.

I love Four Seasons hotels. They're small, intimate and noted for their superb service. I looked forward to elegant room service breakfasts, reading the morning papers (delivered each morning, of course) and planning our day's activities.

The Clift has a terrific location on the flats (no climbing up and down hills) and is close to Union Square. Only one problem. Since I'd last stayed at the Clift the property had been sold to New York hotelier Ian Schrager and was undergoing a complete renovation. None of this was known to the public, or even to our expert American Express travel agent, who had made our hotel arrangements.

When we arrived at the Clift our seasoned limo driver couldn't find the hotel entrance. It was the first clue that things were changing at the Clift. Scaffolding surrounded part of the hotel on Geary Street and around the corner on Taylor Street. A temporary wooden ramp and a few steps were the only way we knew that the Clift still existed. The appearance of a bellman/doorman to take our luggage was the only indication we were at the right place.

We entered and found a small makeshift lobby with an abbreviated reception desk reminiscent of a prop used in an off-Broadway production. A few chairs, a sofa and end tables attempted to create a hotel atmosphere, but hardly the one we had expected.

"What's going on?" I asked the reception person. As cheeky as her appearance, she gave us little satisfaction, stopping just short of being totally rude. And when I asked about our accommodations and learned that the confirmation I held in my hand wasn't worth much, I knew the first day of my eagerly awaited visit was going to be spent trying to make some sense out of what had gone awry.

We were still trying when we entered our bedroom. Small, but pleasant enough, it had, instead of the two we had requested, one double bed. Back to the telephone. The response from the desk was that they could put a small bed in the living room. After more phone calls to the person who had sent our confirmation (she was away) and to the manager (not available), we were not happy campers. Enter Geraldine Korss, the Clift Hotel's director of sales and marketing who did call and saved our stay.

Friendly, smooth and efficient, she did the impossible by turning around a disgruntled guest who also happened to be a travel writer. She listened to my complaints and offered to find a solution. She also shared the story of what was happening during construction time at the Clift, but frankly Scarlett ...

There was no reasonable explanation for why guests were not advised before arrival of conditions at the hotel (yes, I know they want to rent rooms) or why its website did not reflect what was happening (it now mentions "refurbishment," but not the lack of services). My biggest disappointment? There was no room service! And there were no restaurants, although arrangements had been made at a nearby cafe for signing privileges. No bed turndown. None of the gracious services normally provided by a fine hotel.

Except for the first night, and in spite of myriad problems encountered along the way, we did enjoy most of our stay at the Clift. The housekeeping staff was super and so was the concierge desk.

Nothing could be done about changing our room the first day -- my friend did spend the night on a bed set up in the living room -- but the next day we were moved to a lovely double-bedded suite with a separate dressing room, large bathroom and a living room/dining room complete with elegant traditional furniture. It took another day before I could unwind enough to enjoy it.

During the renovation period (expected to be completed by summer) a complimentary continental breakfast is provided in the Turkish suite on the 15th floor -- too much activity for me so early in the morning. I would have been content to breakfast on the goodies in the fruit basket that a friend had sent as a birthday gift, with assistance from concierge Jim Mariano, but my energetic companion, who likes more traditional fare in the morning, kindly provided her own version of room service, complete with newspapers, by hiking up to the breakfast room each day and returning with bagels and such.

On the last day of our stay I joined her at the top for breakfast. It was lovely. There was a spacious terrace, glass-enclosed dining room with buffet food stations and a super view -- none of which is, to me, as good as a fine hotel with elegant room service.

Schrager is well-known for taking tired, old hotels and turning them into stylish, well-priced accommodations. In New York City he owns the Paramount, Royalton, Morgans and the just opened Hudson. He also owns the sleek, spare Mondrian hotel in Los Angeles and the Delano in Miami Beach. The Clift is by far his biggest challenge, for he has committed to restoring the memorable Redwood Room restaurant and maintaining the allure of the past while turning it into yet another cool hangout for the bicoastal celebrity flavors of the month. Interesting concept for San Francisco, a city steeped in tradition and history. Can't wait to see how it works.

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