I've stayed at the Stanford Court 3 times in the past 10 years, most recently in February 2008. The hotel perches atop Nob Hill, next door to the famed Fairmont. Rooms are comfortable and the staff is tremendously accommodating. The location is midway between Union Square, the San Francisco financial district and the waterfront area. Chinatown is a few blocks away and the Powell Street cable car line is steps from the front door.

At the time of my February 2008 visit, the Stanford Court was undergoing renovation, scheduled for completion in Summer 2008. The renovation will be welcome, because furnishings have grown a bit dated and changes are needed to return the property to peak condition. As a result, my usual 5 star review has been downgraded to 4 stars, with the expectation that the renovation will give the hotel its usual 5 when complete.

The Stanford Court is quiet and dignified-- great for business and leisure travelers who want a classic property that offers a comfotable stay with understated elegance and hospitality. Here is hoping that the 2008 renovation will add to the luster of the Stanford Court-- from the plans posted for guests, this seems likely to be the case.

Requested a good view and received a room on the top floor looking over the bay. Wonderful view. Everything was great! Location was perfect alongside hotels that cost much more for about the same thing. Staff was great too. My last two times in San Francisco, I stayed at the Ritz. They are out of my price range now, but I was very happy here.

Booked via Marriott.com and got a price quite a bit lower than the super-luxe hotels in the Financial District and/or the high-end tourist hotels on Russian Hill or Union Square. Interestingly, the location of the Stanford Court is just as good, as it is essentially within a 5~10 minute walk of all of these points!.

This is an older building, built around a courtyard, without the 40 stories that offer spectacular views of the Bay or Telegraph Hill, but it is 2nd to none regarding location, appointments, convenience and service. Biggest test in these older buildings are the bathrooms and the "corner" areas -- bottom line, they passed. The property has been nicely updated and all the modern amenities are in place.
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In very few cases, I say this, but I would DEFINITELY seek and attempt to stay in the Stanford Court on my next trip to San Francisco.
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Granted, the property is still a bit challenged by the history (this can be a plus, if one likes that sort of thing) so there isn't a super-sleek multi-story lobby, or a chi-chi destination restaurant or bar. (they happen to be just outside less than 2 blocks away!).

In my too-brief 14 hour stay, I also experienced EXCELLENT service by a staff that obviously gives a hoot about the comfort of its guests. Several above & beyonds that made my too-brief 14 hour stay quite comfortable and leaves me wanting more. Great value for a perfectly located hotel that does not disappoint.

We stayed here for 4 nights as part of our trip away to get married. So you can imagine, I wanted everything to be just right for our special trip! I spent ages researching on Trip Advisor, to decide which hotel to stay in for our special time away.

The hotel didn't dissapoint at all........

Public areas: Clean, tidy & spacious.
Room: Clean, comfy bed, nice bathroom, big wardrobe & never heard any noise from other guests. View was OK, nothing special but we never asked for any particular view.
Location: I don't think it could have been better, excellent for the Cable Cars - (Powell/Mason, Powell/Hyde Cable cars stop right outside the hotel). You could walk down to the Pier 39/Fishermans Wharf area in 10 minutes - then get the Cable car back up. A good restaurant in that area for a lovely breakfast /lunch is the Eagle Cafe. We did try to get into Mamas on Washington Square twice, but the queue was too long and we were too hungry - we went twice to the Eagle Cafe as it was so nice, with little waiting time. Also, you can walk to Union Square too, again roughly 10 minutes. However, if you do want to be in the bustle of it all, it is located that bit further out of the tourist areas. We wanted to be a little bit away from the tourist areas, so we were very happy with its location.
Staff: Friendly at all times, concierge very helpful with restaurant bookings and directions. Alfreds Steakhouse was very nice for our last night - what a steak!

Overall, a well kept hotel, with good staff in a great location.

If I was returning to San Francisco, I would stay in this hotel again without any hesitation.

One thing I would recommend for you to do, and this isn't hotel related - if your heart is set on visiting Alcatraz, book it before you leave. We were lucky that we were there for 4 nights, we went down to the Alcatraz tour area on our first day, and it was booked up for two days, luckily we managed to go on our last day on the day tour. I couldn't believe how booked up it was when we got there, even the next available Night Tour was a week away! Also, allow enough time for the Alcatraz visit we were there for hours, and thought we would be in and out within the hour.