Fairmont San Francisco

Rooms and decor

Picture a massive white Beaux-Arts stone building that has stood on the crown of Nob Hill since 1907 — that is the Fairmont San Francisco, a landmark that was the very first hotel in the entire Fairmont chain and one of the city's original Big Four luxury hotels. The striking part: the building was finished right as the great 1906 earthquake struck, so the interior had to be rebuilt before it opened a year later. Rooms come in two flavors. One set sits in the original historic building, with a classic old-world feel, high ceilings and warm tones. The other sits in the 1961 Tower, where many high floors open their windows onto full views of San Francisco Bay, Alcatraz and the tip of Coit Tower. Reviews agree that pulling back the curtain to a bay view from a high Tower floor is the highlight worth the stay. Beds are soft, rooms are genuinely roomy, and anyone who loves a grand old hotel with a story will likely fall for it from the first step.

Food and amenities

If one thing comes up whenever people mention this hotel, it is the famous lobby — soaring ceilings, gold-clad marble columns, big crystal chandeliers and a sweeping staircase that feel like walking into a palace or a classic film set. Many say just sipping a drink in this lobby is worth it. The truly legendary highlight is the Tonga Room & Hurricane Bar, a long-running Polynesian-themed tiki bar whose biggest surprise is a large pool in the middle of the room, with fake rain falling at intervals over simulated thunder and a live band playing on a raft floating in the pool — a strange, fun atmosphere you cannot find elsewhere, serving tiki cocktails and shared plates. For main meals there is Laurel Court Restaurant & Bar in the lobby, serving California food and breakfast in an airy, grand setting that is easy to linger in. There is also a fitness center, a concierge who can plan city trips, and large event space that has made this hotel a key city gathering point for decades.

Location and getting there

The location is another undeniable trump card. The hotel sits at the very top of Nob Hill, one of San Francisco's most refined and classic neighborhoods, right where 3 cable car lines converge — California Street, Powell-Mason and Powell-Hyde — so you can hop a classic streetcar in almost any direction without trudging up and down the steep slope. It is about 3 to 4 blocks downhill to Union Square, the city's central shopping and theater district, and a little farther to Chinatown, the largest and oldest in North America. Across from the hotel stands Grace Cathedral, a grand cathedral worth a look. From this summit you can ride a cable car down to Fisherman's Wharf on the bay or connect onward to other neighborhoods with ease. For anyone who wants a refined location with both history and a fine city view, yet steps from the central sights, this location scores a perfect ten.

Things to know before booking

Straight talk to help you decide. The thing reviews flag most often is the rooms in the original historic building: charming and classic, but some feel older than modern, and the decor and room size may not look as fully upscale as some expect at this price. If you want a more modern room with a bay view, request a high-floor Tower room when you book, because many older-building rooms look out over the city or an inner courtyard rather than the bay. Second, this is a large hotel of around 600 rooms and a popular venue for conferences and weddings, so during events or busy seasons the lobby and lifts can feel crowded and service is at times less personal than a small boutique hotel. Third, check the add-on costs clearly before booking — both the destination or amenity fee and the fairly high valet parking that comes with a central luxury hotel. There is also no outdoor pool, and the hotel sits on Nob Hill's steep slope, which is a tiring walk up for anyone who dislikes long climbs; lean on the cable cars out front to get up and down.

Our take

After reading through hundreds of real reviews, the Fairmont San Francisco sells the charm of a historic landmark plus a legendary grand lobby plus a Nob Hill location with bay views so distinctively that it is hard to compare. If your trip in your head is staying in a grand building more than a hundred years old, waking to a bay-and-Alcatraz view from a high Tower floor, taking photos in a lobby as lovely as a palace, then heading down for a cocktail to the sound of fake rain at the Tonga Room in the evening, this is a choice that will stay with you. But if you expect bold modern room design, the personal service of a boutique, or a pool to soak in, you may feel it falls a little short for the price — and you should make peace with the older-building rooms and the add-on fees. Overall we give it 8.9/10, best for couples and luxury lovers drawn to historic hotels, a central location and bay views more than to modern style and amenities like a pool.