Clift - San Francisco, USA 

I really like this hotel. Stayed for 4 nights in late June, booked a deluxe room and was upgraded to a very nice and spacious studio king. Yes, the bathrooms badly let the rooms down, but overall I think this is a very good choice for a central, mid-priced, stylish hotel which has a clubby vibe. Staff were all exeptionally friendly. On a previous stay there were problems with sound-proofing, but none this time. I'd recommend you ask for a quiet room, either at the end of a corridor, or on a corner. I'd definitely stay here again.

Upon checking in, our room (610) smelled so strongly of cigarette smoke my fiancee had an allergic reaction and did not sleep all night. We spoke with John, the manager on duty, and he could not fix the problem - according to him, the hotel was completely sold out, and we might be able to be moved to another room the next day. The bathroom was tiny, as was the room - far below our expectations for a hotel at this price point. Also, the bathroom was poorly maintained - the caulking around the tile was loose and moldy, the shower head was so intense we could not take a shower without extreme discomfort from the pressure of the water. Furthermore, the iPod dock was not functioning. The following morning, we requested and received a larger room (1225). This room was larger, and more up to our standards. It smelled of stale cigarette smoke, but not as horribly as our previous room. There were cigarette burns in the carpet, even though this room was non smoking. We felt as is there were no rooms that did not smell like smoke, and so we settled on that room. After being in 1225 one night, we received notice that we were checking out that day under our door, even though we were due to check out the next day. I had to return to the front desk and resolve that problem. During our stay, the wait staff in the restaurant was extremely inattentive and aloof. The service we received there was the worst restaurant service we have ever received. Overall, the staff was pleasant, though not very friendly, did not remember us, and was not very welcoming. My fiancee and I will not stay ever again at the Clift, and we would advise you to do the same.