SF Hotel Stories

In my upcoming book, Service IS The Business (working title) I share a behind-the-desk perspective of what it is like to work at a real San Francisco hotel concierge desk. Enjoy this brief segment from the third chapter. A guest sat down at the concierge desk and requested my assistance in helping him obtain a statue of an eagle. He didn’t want a stuffed eagle, a toy eagle, or an eagle made by a taxidermist. He needed a life-sized statue of an eagle. I went through a variet

This is my birthday month, and I will be traveling. Please enjoy some of my favorite articles while I am on the road. San Francisco On Zero Dollars A Day Jun 27, 2023 San Francisco is one of the more expensive cities to visit in the United States, excluding the hyper-gouging along the Las Vegas Strip. As a hotel concierge in a pricey tourist destination, I have routinely fielded questions from budget travelers and families about how to experience the city without having to d

The city's libraries are not only a source of information, but a great place to see FREE events and exhibits. If you like this article, please hit like and follow us. You can also follow us at www.sfhotelstories.com SFHotelStories.com is looking for contributors: writers, videographers, and photographers. Contact us at SFHotelStories@gmail.com, Subject: Contributors.

In my upcoming book, Service IS The Business (working title) I share a behind-the-desk perspective of what it is like to work at a real San Francisco hotel concierge desk. Enjoy this brief segment from the fourth chapter. I called some assistant managers and bell captains I knew from hotels where I had done on-call work in between film jobs. One day I got a call from Vinny, my old bell captain from the Franklyn. He was now a bellman at the Hudson Hotel, one of Union Square’

This is my birthday month, and I will be traveling. Please enjoy some of my favorite articles while I am on the road. A Shout-Out To The Hotel Concierge Mar 22, 2024 Before there was the internet, there was the hotel concierge. He (or she) was the one you saw to make that hard-to-get dinner reservation, or tickets to that sold-out show. It was the concierge who knew what plays and events were in town, what the most popular restaurants are, and ready to respond to a thousan

The city's libraries are not only a source of information, but a great place to see FREE events and exhibits. Tuesday, 7/14/2026, 10:00 - 12:00 Workshop: Plan. Launch. Grow. Business Advising with Gwendolyn Wright Main Branch Wednesday, 7/15/2026, 4:30 - 5:30 Workshop: Recording Studio Orientation Main Branch Thursday, 7/16/2026, 2:00 - 2:45 Performance: Magic with Perry Yan Western Addition Branch Friday, 7/17/2026, 3:00 - 5:00 Activity: Knitting Circle Anza Branch Saturday,

In my upcoming book, Service IS The Business (working title) I share a behind-the-desk perspective of what it is like to work at a real San Francisco hotel concierge desk. Enjoy this brief segment from the third chapter. Slowly, I was learning the ins-and-outs, the Escher-like passageways, of the hotel business. I began to discern who was committed to this job, and who needed it as a step leading to the next job or as a resume-builder. Take the new assistant manager, Joe Pa

This is my birthday month, and I will be traveling. Please enjoy some of my favorite posts while I am on the road. Frozen Music - San Francisco Architecture Jul 25, 2024 Everyone knows famous architects like Mike Brady and Howard Roark designed many buildings in San Francisco. Stop anyone on the street in this city, and just about every citizen will sing their praises as local civic heroes. Of course, none of this is true as these are fictional characters. But most peop

The city's libraries are not only a source of information, but a great place to see FREE events and exhibits. Tuesday, 7/7/2026, 1:00 - 2:30 Activity: Lego Free Play Richmond Branch Wednesday, 7/8/2026, 1:30 - 3:00 Activity: Tai-Chi Anza Branch Thursday, 7/9/2026, 11:00 - 12:00 Workshop: Breath Meditation with Don Narin Richmond Branch Friday, 7/10/2026, 1:00 - 5:00 Activity: Watercolor Community of San Francisco Bernal Heights Branch Saturday, 7/11/2026, 11:00 - 12:00 Activi

In my upcoming book, Service IS The Business (working title) I share a behind-the-desk perspective of what it is like to work at a real San Francisco hotel concierge desk. Enjoy this brief segment from the third chapter. Slowly, I was learning the ins-and-outs, the Escher-like passageways, of the hotel business. I began to discern who was committed to this job, and who needed it as a step leading to the next job or as a resume-builder. Take the new assistant manager, Joe Pa

In the old days, hotel restaurants were where the management wanted you to eat. Before the days when kitchenettes, and even before refrigerators were standard, the hotel guest had to take his meals from the restaurant. If you were lucky, the staff had a break room fridge to where you could keep your leftovers. Hotel restaurants were not places you went to, but rather places you ended up at. These days hotel restaurants offer every kind of cuisine, and some of those are

The city's libraries are not only a source of information, but a great place to see FREE events and exhibits. Tuesday, 6/30/2026, 9:30 - 2:00 Panel: Small Business Capital Access Forum Main Branch Wednesday, 7/1/2026, 2:30 - 4:30 Workshop: Mandarin for Beginners Glen Park Branch Thursday, 7/2/2026, 2:30 - 4:00 Activity: LEGO Free Play Sunset Branch Friday, 7/3/2026, 2:00 - 4:00 FULL Workshop: Mandarin for Beginners Ingleside Branch Sunday, 7/5/2026, 3:00 - 4:00 Social: Board

Slowly, I was learning the ins-and-outs, the Escher-like passageways, of the hotel business. I began to discern who was committed to this job, and who needed it as a step leading to the next job or as a resume-builder. Take the new assistant manager, Joe Park. He was pursuing a degree in Government from the University of San Francisco (not to be confused with my alma mater, SFSU, or UCSF). For the record, many well-known politicos were graduates of USF, so Joe was in good

If you have ever gone on a road trip around the United States of America, and enter a town's city limits, you most likely will see a sign with the name of the city, and maybe its population or elevation. However, underneath that is the ubiquitous posting with the logos of local branches of national civic organizations. Names such as the Lions Club, Kiwanis Club, and sometimes the Elks Club. Why would a website dedicated to the Venn Diagram overlap of San Francisco and hotel

The city's libraries are not only a source of information, but a great place to see FREE events and exhibits. Tuesday, 6/23/2026, 2:00 - 2:45 Performance: Stories, Music, and Songs with Kirk Waller Bayview Branch Wednesday, 6/24/2026, 1:00 - 1:45 Presentation: Fur, Scales and Tails Animal Show with Tracy Hill Presidio Branch Thursday, 6/25/2026, 2:00 - 4:00 Workshop: Basic Watercolor Painting for Adults Golden Gate Valley Branch Friday, 6/26/2026, 2:00 - 3:00 Performance: Tom

In my upcoming book, Service IS The Business (working title) I share a behind-the-desk perspective of what it is like to work at a real San Francisco hotel concierge desk. Enjoy this brief segment from the third chapter. The hotel was in an area between old-money Nob Hill, the fashionable Union Square shopping district, and the less desirable neighborhood called the Tenderloin. The latter was San Francisco’s version of Skid Row, but in pre-pandemic times it was a popular des

SFHotelStories endeavors to persevere the Venn Diagram overlap of hospitality and San Francisco. This is a quirky city with unique hotels, including art-themed hotels, tech-themed hotels, and even an Alfred Hitchcock-themed hotel. It stands to reason that some offer unique amenities not found elsewhere. It's common to find a pillow mint for the turndown service, but what about a hotel that will lend you a bicycle? Many of the city’s hotels offer unusual amenities not fou

The city's libraries are not only a source of information, but a great place to see FREE events and exhibits. Tuesday, 6/16/2026, 12:00 - 1:00 Workshop: Excelsior Livestreams Identity Theft Solutions Excelsior Branch Wednesday, 6/17/2026, 3:00 - 5:00 Workshop: Healthier Living Chronic Disease Self-Management Glen Park Branch Thursday, 6/18/2026, 11:00 - 3:00 Services: Portola Library Community Blood Drive Portola Branch Saturday, 6/20/2026, 10:00 - 1:00 Workshop: Street Photo

In my upcoming book, Service IS The Business (working title) I share a behind-the-desk perspective of what it is like to work at a real San Francisco hotel concierge desk. Enjoy this brief segment from the third chapter. The Franklyn was built in 1927 and carried with it remnants of its flapper past. The moldings had a somewhat worn Art Deco charm, but the décor was not grandiose like traditional hotel designs of that era. There was a circular iron plug in the floor in the

SFHotelStories is committed to exploring what I like to call the Venn Diagram overlap San Francisco and hotels. But hotel is in the name so I could not neglect some intriguing hotel experiences which I have come across over the years. Mainly it's anecdotal from friends and family, but since I am what some of my friends call, "Concierge to the world, " I feel compelled to share some true, and even scary stories, that people I know (including myself) experienced in their res