MKT Restaurant & Bar and its 180-degree views of the city .
There is less crime and greater presence of police and city ambassadors .”
It hasn ’ t been all gravy . Hotels likes the Four Seasons have not been immune to the strains of the city that began with COVID and spread from there . In fact , Four Seasons ’ other hotel in the city , Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco at Embarcadero , is going through a rough patch of its own . In March , it was reported that the hotel ’ s owner , Westbrook Partners , was delinquent on its debt service and had been served a notice of default . Bad timing and a worsening economic climate just two of the culprits . Westbrook bought the property in May 2019 , just months before the COVID-19 outbreak . However , it closed the hotel down for a renovation toward the end of 2019 , with the idea of reopening on May 1 , 2020 , but the pandemic squashed that . The hotel did reopen on October 1 , 2020 , only to close again as the pandemic raged on . It finally reopened for good on June 16 , 2021 .
RARE AIR The Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco has
so far sidestepped any financial distress . Maybe it ’ s the rarified air it consumes , elevated from the city , comprising floors five to 17 of what is a 42-story building , with Four Seasons residences at the top . “ We have the advantage of literally being up in the air , with the hotel well above the bustle of ground level ,” Gras said .
Its vertiginous heights are only surpassed by the hotel ’ s attention to detail — meticulous , unblemished . It ’ s a level of upkeep and attention to detail that is rare , even in the ultra-luxury category ; not a paint nick or scratch to be found . ( The level of obsession about the physical plant at Four Seasons is such that they even have a standard for how solid the click should sound when a guestroom door closes on the way out ; it should be a reassuringly solid sound without being overly intrusive .)
For Four Seasons , incomparable hard goods are table stakes . It ’ s the soft touches that keep guests coming back . “ We have an obsession of providing each guest with recognition ,” said Gras . “ Truly individualized recognition , beyond
’ How was your travel in today , Mr . fill in the blank ?’ We put a lot of emphasis on preparing for each guest ’ s stay , gathering information from them for the reason of enhancing their stay — their personal preferences , even their personal style .”
This recognition and personal engagement come from a single source : Four Seasons founder and now chairman Isadore Sharp , a hospitality industry icon . Gras said one of Sharp ’ s directives was for Four Seasons properties to not be behemoths , “ for the express reason that it is a size that affords us the opportunity to engage with every guest .”
On the flip side , not all guests want or crave solicitousness , as Gras pointed out . “ We have celebrities , CEOs and other VIPs who visit us who want privacy and security above all else . We don ’ t want anyone , whether celebrity or entourage member , to feel impinged on in the ways that , unfortunately , they tell us they ’ ve experienced elsewhere . We know how to respect their wishes and keep the lower profile with them that they typically prefer .”
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