Need SF Hotel Recommendation

I need a hotel recommendation for San Francisco. My wife is flyng from Tokyo in Mid March and meeting my daughter who will be on a spring break. Neither one has been to SF before. I used to go there alot about 10 years ago and stayed usually stayed in the Mandarin Oriental with those nice views of the bridge? What is that like now? I also stayed at an older place on top of the hill - the Fairmont maybe?

They probably do not need ultra premium (4 Seasons, Ritz etc) but I would like something pretty nice - is there a Grand Hyatt or Marriott? Factors to consider included location, views and the gym (they both are workout manniacs - even on vacation). Cost is of some consideration but not critical - and if there is a "must do" ultra premium I would be open to that.

Thanks in advance for your help

[Jenise]

SF has everything, so there are probably five or six Marriotts just as there are Hyatts. I believe there's a Grand Hyatt in the Market district not far from the Hyatt Regency Embarcadero. I've stayed at the latter. Never stayed at the Mandarin, but I've heard it's as superb as the Hong Kong and Bangkok properties I've stayed at. You're probably thinking of either the Fairmont or the Mark Hopkins on Nob Hill. Both are among the grand old ladies of that town, hotel-wise, but my favorite for old world glamour and renaissance charm in that group would be The Clift. That said, the best views not-on-Nob-Hill are probably from the new modern high rise hotels. Which tend to be the businessman hotels--my girlish preferences run to smaller, boutique hotels--I love the Prescott and the Campton (Lane? Place? Something like that). The Campton is a five star property and particularly posh--it has a fitness center and rates are quite reasonable this time of year for a big world-class city. The Prescott has a prime Union Square location, an area of town I particularly like. It may not be the heart of that town, but it's always felt like it to me.

I live in Martinez which is about 20 miles east of San Francisco. Every so often my better two-thirds and I will spend a night in the city just to get away from the cats. We kind of like the Seal Rock Inn (http://www.sealrockinn.com/) way out at the end of Geary. It's near nothing except the Cliff House, but you're near Ocean Beach and you can run along the coast with great views of the Golden Gate, both bridge and waterway. They make a decent breakfast and have free parking. My gal works for the Marriott so we do stay in those every now and then. There are six in the city per se. The two down by Fisherman's Wharf are touristically well located, but pricey for what you get. If I had to pick one, I'd say go to the Stanford Court (https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/sfosc), a bit cramped but classy. It's an easy walk to North Beach, Chinatown, Union Square and Pier 39 (if you like walking on hills). It, too, is pricey, but it's a better value than the ones near the wharf.

my thought would be that as long as you are on a cable car line or near, it really doesn't matter much. AND i'd be surprised if walking around those hills didn't constitute plenty of work out for anyone.

I need a hotel recommendation for San Francisco. My wife is flyng from Tokyo in Mid March and meeting my daughter who will be on a spring break. Neither one has been to SF before. I used to go there alot about 10 years ago and stayed usually stayed in the Mandarin Oriental with those nice views of the bridge? What is that like now? I also stayed at an older place on top of the hill - the Fairmont maybe?

They probably do not need ultra premium (4 Seasons, Ritz etc) but I would like something pretty nice - is there a Grand Hyatt or Marriott? Factors to consider included location, views and the gym (they both are workout manniacs - even on vacation). Cost is of some consideration but not critical - and if there is a "must do" ultra premium I would be open to that.

Thanks in advance for your help

Oh! The Clift! It is astonishing! Don't know what the rates are today, but location, location, location, and you will LOVE their bar! Old world, dark, polished wood, Sir John Geilgud service. And they are almost subsurvient in the way they treat their clientele. If you can afford it, by all means book here! It's old but grand. And it has a gym!
http://www.clifthotel.com/