washington dc museum The M ark H opkins, named after the founder of the Central Pacific Railroad, opened in 1926 and r em

The M ark H opkins, named after the founder washington dc museum of the Central Pacific Railroad, opened in 1926 and r emains a San Francisco landmark. The hotel is v ery family-friendly, providing a teddy bear and a backpack of kids amenities for 2- to 11-y ear-olds, as well as kids menus in all the r estaurants. (Ask about the Kids in Tow program when you make a reservation.) With advance notice, the hotel will rent strollers or other baby paraphernalia for you. Guest rooms are classy and plush, with fine fabrics and maple furnishings. Views from the upper floors are unsurpassed. The big news for families is the recent opening of the hotel s Club I nterContinental, located on the lobb y floor. An additional $60 a day per two adults and $15 per child (for young kids they may waive the additional $15 charge) grants you access to an enter tainment and food lounge. B ig kids will lo ve the lounge, where they can choose from more than 50 DVDs at TV Central, peruse a collection of teen magazines, listen to XM satellite radio on wir eless headsets, or play boar d games. The plethora of food including baked goods and fr uits for br eakfast, lunch snacks at noon, high tea with mini sandwiches washington dc museum in the afternoon, and a sweet dreams offering of milk and cookies in the evening means you ll take care of at least one daily meal for the family, making the club s daily access charge well worth considering. You get access to the club at no additional washington dc museum charge if y ou stay in a suite at the standar d rate.

Nearly all upscale hot els ha ve c oncierges, and man y smaller inns off er c oncierge services from the front desk. Too often, these people go underutiliz ed by guests who don t know the full range of ser vices concierges can provide. Beyond mer ely g iving dir ections t o F isherman s Wharf, c oncierges ar e ther e to act as guests problem solvers. The best ones take r eal pleasure in helping, and the mor e challeng ing the r equest, the bett er. When y ou re on vacation, why not truly r elax, and let the c oncierge be y our personal assistant during your stay?