u/brook1yn

After seeing all of the inspiration on here and committing to using points more wisely, I booked this using a mix of points and cash w/ points boost at a decent cpp. Palace Hotel is an old gem in the middle of downtown SF and though there's been a lot of change there, its a great neighborhood to stay in.

The good: I had to work so free wifi was dope. The free breakfast was a huge buffet with bagels, dim sum, veggies, eggs, cheeses.. everything. $100 credit was very easy to use in the Pied Piper which had great cocktails and above average food (dinner and drinks for 4 easily hits $300).

The ok: This hotel must have a lot of rewards users because it seemed particularly busy. We booked a base suite just in case an upgrade was possible but they sold out of all their suites. There's 1 co-working table in the atrium if you want to try to get any work done outside of your room. It's not super comfortable and loud classical music at 630 seemed unnecessary. The chair+desk in your room isn't awesome either..

The good to know: Read the fine print about breakfast- be sure to reserve a table on the weekends. Otherwise you're waiting like a shmo for a table. Thankfully they do text to let you know when your table is ready.. which is a fun game to play while you're in the shower!

The not so great: I haven't been to a lot of 5-star hotels but I thought there would be a lot more people manning the doors. Trying to juggle carrying stuff and my kid etc.. I still had to figure out a to open the door while my hands were full. Yes, this is nitpicky. The staff at Pied Piper are very relaxed.. so don't go there in a rush. Also breakfast staff are a bit forgetful.

Personally, I'd stay here again. I'm still full from breakfast a day later. The room was super comfortable and the suite bathroom might be the nicest one I've had. Arranging having family stay in another room across us was huge and it felt like a special occasion which was good vibes all around.

When I started searching for a new car, I didn't anticipate getting this. My curiosity was shot down by youtube reviews etc but then I went and tried one out after all. Coming from a background of mini, gti, q3.. this feels like the best of all them. So far, so fun.

Seems like they're trying really hard to be exclusive even though all these guys are always presenting and talking about their process on the internet.