To paraphrase Will Rogers, I never met a Mandarin I didn’t like. The Mandarin Oriental San Francisco is no exception.

I had the privilege of being invited to participate in a discussion between three of my (esteemed) colleagues and several Mandarin Hotel sales executives and General Managers from around the globe. They wanted to hear from us about the state of the business in general, the industry perception of their brand, and most of all, what they could do better. Just the fact that they asked makes me like them even more.

There are 26 Mandarin Hotels spread across three continents with more on the way. They are all unique in design and style, but they share some commonalities, those being an exceptional level of service, attention to detail, and outstanding cuisine. In addition, and this means a lot to someone in my business of finding the best fit for my meeting planner clientele, their sales teams are top-notch, and some of the most responsive in the industry.

After the meeting, the sales staff was kind enough to offer me an overnight stay and a room service dinner so I could experience the rest of the property first-hand. I live in San Francisco, so it sometimes seems odd to stay in a hotel so close to my flat, but it is part of my job. A really good part, I might add.

The 158-room Mandarin San Francisco is unique in that the lobby, restaurant, meeting space and health club are on the first three floors while the guest rooms are on the top 11 floors of a 48-story office building right in the middle of the city’s Financial District. The result? Some of the most spectacular views anywhere, from every room.

One of my colleagues mentioned that they had stayed the previous night and had one of the best room-service hamburgers they have ever eaten. That is a pretty bold statement, so like any red-blooded American it was impossible for me to pass on the opportunity to taste for myself. Since it is difficult to properly experience a great hamburger while dining alone high over San Francisco with views that span from the Golden Gate to the Bay Bridge as the sun goes down and the lights of the city come on, I invited one of my daughters to share. She was properly wowed.  The bacon cheeseburger, by the way, was fantastic.

As an aside, another sign of a great hotel is that the cheesecake came with the sauce on the side, giving me the option to dip or not to dip. It’s the little things. To some, that may even be a big thing.

This particular hotel is not meeting space heavy, so I would say that with 3500 square feet of meeting space divided into three rooms, the largest being 1400 square feet, I am going to say that a group of up to 40-ish is the most comfortable. Depends of course on seating style, meal and breakout requirements etc., so it never hurts to ask. In fact, it feels good to ask. The style and ambiance of the place lends itself to executive level meetings, all of the meeting rooms have plenty of natural light, and the food is superb. Oh, maybe I already said that.

So once again, I would like to thank my Mandarin Oriental hosts for your attention and your hospitality. Great place. I have seen or stayed in at least seven other Mandarin hotels, all of the highest quality. Can’t wait to see all of the others (hint, hint). 

To see some of my photos from around San Francisco, visit my Facebook page at www.facebook.com/thecramercollection.