This is the third year we have stayed at the Four Points by Sheraton San Rafael; annually we have been making a trip to San Rafael to spend winter vacation with our family. We chose the Four Points because of our Preferred Guest membership and the central location of the hotel.
Every year we have been pleasantly surprised by the professionalism and kindness of the staff. Check in is always pleasant and we have consistently received well appointed, comfortable rooms. I understand where some of the reviewers have said that they have stayed in rooms which were loud or situated in parts of the building which were not as nice. That hasn't been our experience since, staying over the winter holiday, most of the hotel is vacant and they have the freedom to place us in their better rooms. Perhaps the lesson to learn from this is to be the early bird to check in or avoid peak seasons for this location. Our own experiences have been very good so far.
We enjoyed the breakfast consistently. Make sure that you book a package that includes it because it is worth at least $10 a person: hot foods (eggs, sausage, bacon), fresh fruit (seasonal, but ours included pineapple, strawberries, cantaloupe), pastries (muffins, fruit danishes), yogurt, freshly squeezed orange juice, cereal, and smoked salmon with bagels and cream cheese on the weekend mornings. If you build the breakfast into your hotel price this property becomes more attractive from the standpoint of value.
Other great features that we enjoy about this property included fantastic water pressure, great water temperature, very comfortable beds, wonderfully appointed lobby and lounge areas, quick elevators.
What we love about the Four Points brand? We love the fact that the lower tier Sheraton properties really try harder by supplying fast, free internet, free water bottles and free parking. All of these would be ways the higher end properties would nickle and dime you to death.
There are a few things that this property can improve from our perspective: the heaters are rather loud, the TV channels are very limited (no Food Network?), and the cable reception could be better. Certain rooms can be rather cramped, but short of a total overhaul, hotels are stuck with the room configurations they've been dealt, so I don't count that against them.
We plan on returning to the Four Points by Sheraton San Rafael because during our winter trip; they have consistently good rates, wonderful service, clean rooms and a breakfast to brag about to all of our relatives. Check in early, go off season, ask for a room that doesn't face the freeway or bring earplugs and perhaps you can have as consistently a good experience as we have!