A re-branded San Francisco luxury hotel

The gal arrived at TripAdvisor’s top luxury hotel in San Francisco – and second in its all-level ratings – Loews Regency. It flew another flag until a year ago, but now there are prominent Loews signs outside, and within. It happened to be a Friday night, when there is a complimentary wine tasting, five to six precisely, on the Sky Deck, but tonight that was booked for a proposal, so the event was moved to 3808, the 2,000 sq ft Presidential Suite. What a lovely opportunity, to go out on its terrace to admire the view (above) and to check out its bathroom (left).

The view from 4404 was pretty spectacular too. At dusk the mist rolled in and before it was dark I felt as if in an all-white cocoon, the same kind of enclosed feeling that you get sometimes at Park Hyatt Shanghai. Here, it cleared soon after daybreak, and actually I was having such a good time enjoying my room, looking out at the city and doing some creative writing that I completely forgot about the weekly Sky Deck yoga, 75 minutes from nine each Saturday morning, with a green health smoothie thrown in for good luck. You can always tell if there is a fit GM when you see offerings like that. Sure enough Loris Menfi IS a fit GM.

Despite having two children under six, and a train commute from and back to her home, she starts every day with a workout in her private gym. Good for you, Loris, I thought as I did my own work-out, in the hotel’s 24/7 Technogym (any hotel that has a good gym, with great equipment in full working order, and new disposable headsets, and fresh fruit, fully deserves to go up the TripAdvisor ladder). Loris Menfi spent years with Ritz-Carlton and she credits the legendary Ed Staros, at Ritz-Carlton Naples FL, as one of her mentors. She understands little touches. Toiletries are Julien Farel, and clearly marked as anti-ageing. If you plan a return visit, they will store your clothes. If you are a cocktail fan, mixologist David Rowe suggests such unique concepts as Bourbon in a bottle, namely a small, re-usable bottle holding his-make Manhattan, Bulleit Rye with apricot and ginger, which he pours, in front of you, into a tumbler containing a single outsize ice cube.

Stay at this luxury hotel if you like stunning views and thoughtful service, (they offered me all three decent newspapers, namely the Financial Times, New York Times AND Wall Street Journal, without my asking). Breakfast coffee was divine (Peet’s, of course) and there were paper cups to take some away. Stay here if you have four legs, as the room service menu includes chicken and peas for Barker and fresh fish for Miaow. Stay here if you are fit and healthy, for all the above reasons, plus such great smoothies, any time, as a green mixology, with apple, celery, cucumber, ginger, kale and lemon.   And, I thought, stay here too for a great location, for financial business and retail. I want to come back. NOW SEE THE VIDEO BELOW