A few weeks ago, I had the chance to stay at The Prescott Hotel in downtown San Francisco.  The Prescott is a member of Kimpton Hotels, a somewhat lesser-known chain of boutique hotels.  Kimpton has about 30 hotels in about 15 cities across the US, and they focus on adding personal touches to guests’ stays.  Just for being a member of their loyalty program (called Kimpton InTouch, which is completely free to join), you are offered free WiFi at all their hotels as well as a $10 credit towards the in-room minibar or the hotel restaurant/bar.  It’s really a nice touch to offer these benefits to any member, as these types of benefits are typically only offered to elite members.

The stay at the Prescott Hotel would be my first stay at a Kimpton Hotel.  Along with free WiFi and $10 room credit, I had heard great things about Kimpton Hotels.  So, how did my stay shape up to the expectations?  Well, read on…

The Prescott Hotel is well located in the Lower Knob Hill area of San Francisco, with dozens of great restaurants in walking distance.  It’s about a 12 minute walk (0.6 miles) from the Powell St BART station.  From the BART station to the hotel is a little uphill, so it’s a bit faster to walk to the BART than from it….but it’s not a substantial hill by any means.  Just a slight incline.

The lobby is relatively small, and nicely decorated, although not overly modern.  I was checked in quickly by a very friendly agent.  She thanked me for being an InTouch member, and explained the $10 minibar credit and WiFi access.  WiFi is normally $12.99 per day, but even the logon page encourages you to simply join for free access.

Overall, the hotel was certainly a bit dated, but not necessarily in a bad way.  The elevator had carpet material on the walls….it looked and had a hint of a smell like your stereotypical grandmother’s house, but it did give the hotel a feeling of history and character.  In the room, some of the floorboards were a bit uneven and creaky, but everything felt clean.  It didn’t necessarily feel dated and dingy; it was more quaintly dated.

My room was located on the 3rd floor, and was surprisingly good-sized for being downtown San Francisco.  It wasn’t huge by any means, but had plenty of space to move around and work in.

In the room were several of the “small touches” that Kimpton is known for.  In the closet was an umbrella and yoga mat.  Next to the bed was a power unit with 2 outlets and 2 USB ports.  On the corner of the desk was a power strip with 6 power outlets.  Little touches like these really help make the room feel that much more comfortable (and every little bit of extra comfort helps when I’m 2,500 miles away from the Mrs. Guru!)

The bathroom was spacious and clean:

After I settled into the room, I headed back down to the lobby where 2 bicycles were available for guests to use at no charge.  Another Kimpton extra touch.  I simply had to sign a waiver, and I was off on a bike headed down to the Embarcadero.  I just had to agree to bring the bike back before dark.  The weather was beautiful…about 60 degrees and sunny.  The Prescott Hotel is about 2 miles from Fisherman’s Wharf…it would’ve been a bit of a walk, but it was only a 10-15 minute bike ride.

After walking around Fisherman’s Wharf, Pier 39, and Boudin Bakery, the sun was starting to set so I made my way back to the hotel.  Just like getting from the BART station, it was a bit uphill to get from the Embarcadero back to the hotel.  It took a little extra effort to get up the hills of the last few blocks, but I made it before dark when the bike would have turned into a pumpkin.

After I parked the bike back in the lobby, I walked around into the lounge area where the hotel offers a happy hour every evening from 5:00-6:00.  Again, this is complimentary to all guests.  A friendly bartender offered a choice between red and white wine, as well as a selection of soft drinks.  I had a glass of the Cabernet, and was cheerily offered a second glass as well.

The hotel does have a fitness center on the 4th floor with a variety of modern equipment.  I unfortunately didn’t have a chance to get any pictures of it myself, but this picture is from the hotel’s website:

Also on the 4th floor is another lounge, offered to InTouch Inner Circle (elite) members as well as those who were staying in upgraded rooms in the Club Wing.  As part of our company’s contracted rate, we had access to the 4th floor lounge for breakfast, which included juice, coffee, a variety of fresh fruits, pastries and other breads.

The hotel did have a restaurant attached to it called Postrio, offering a full menu for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  The food was decent (I ate breakfast there a few times and dinner once), although a bit expensive and not overly special for the price.

There were lots of other restaurants within 2 blocks that offered better food at better prices (like Sakana Japanese Restaurant, Thai Stick – which had great food but only mediocre service, and Honey Honey Cafe – a very tasty, no-frills cafe with a huge menu).

Although I appreciated all the little touches at the Prescott Hotel, some of the age of the hotel started to wear on me after a while.  The walls weren’t very well insulated, so I could hear noise coming from the hallway relatively easily, and there was some loud BANG that occurred every 10-15 minutes, coming somewhere from the wall behind the closet.  It sounded like someone was swinging a bat against a metal pole, but I couldn’t tell what it really was.  Since I had unpacked and it didn’t keep me up at night, I didn’t feel like bothering with the hassle of moving rooms, but it grew on my nerves.  I’m guessing it was something to do with an old heating/cooling system in the walls.

As a whole, I was pleased with my stay at the Prescott, but would likely look to stay elsewhere.  If you can catch this hotel on sale, its location is very good and there are lots of great little touches that give it the signature Kimpton brand.  I wouldn’t actively avoid it, but there were enough aspects – like the creaky floors, banging noises, and less than stellar insulation in the walls – that kept me from really loving the hotel and making it a must-return.

Have you ever stayed at the Prescott Hotel?  What did you think?