21 best hotels in San Francisco
San Francisco's hotel scene has come a long way in just a few years. Gone are the days of a few dominant players – now the city boasts a diverse range of options catering to every taste and budget. Whether you're after historical charm and daily wine tastings, eco-friendly modernity with private terraces, or even a hotel with its own house robot (because, hello, Silicon Valley), we've searched high and low to bring you our list of the best hotels in San Francisco. Just don't make the faux pas of referring to it as "San Fran" while you're there.
Every hotel on this list has been selected independently by our editors and written by a Condé Nast Traveller journalist who knows the destination and has visited that property. When choosing hotels, our editors consider properties across price points that offer an authentic and insider experience of a destination, keeping design, location, service, and sustainability credentials top of mind.
Kip DawkinshotelHotel Kabuki, a JdV by Hyatt Hotel
$$A cosy but decidedly cool hotel right in Japantown. In the lobby, potted plants and succulents mingle with geometric cane-back chairs and brightly patterned throw pillows. Rooms have traditional and contemporary Japanese art and the hotel's 4,000-square-foot gym includes a yoga studio and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the hotel's tea garden. The restaurant, Nari, from Pim Techamuanvivit (of Kin Khao) serves upscale and spicy Thai dishes. If you're a Japanophile, the location can't be beat, next to the Japan Center Malls, a great place to stop for ramen or explore boutiques.
Paul DyerhotelHotel Drisco
Charming, with the feel of a country getaway – even though it's in Pacific Heights. Request turn-down service, and you’ll return to find a white-noise machine and a chocolate shortbread cookie stamped with the hotel logo. Don't miss the complimentary breakfast buffet – it's a beautiful spread. This is more for those looking for an intimate experience in a beautiful, quiet neighbourhood. It would be great for special occasions and staycations.
Don Riddle/Courtesy of Four SeasonshotelFour Seasons Hotel San Francisco at Embarcadero
One skyscraper amidst a sea of them, the Four Seasons San Francisco at Embarcadero blends in with its surrounds. But step inside – into a spherical space that seems to be radiating light – and it’s clear you’ve entered an entirely different realm. With a rhythmic, polished Guy Dill sculpture anchoring the lobby and a bright-white Guggenheim-esque staircase just beyond, the entryway is an aesthete’s fever dream: It’s like a modern art museum you can check into.
hotelThe St. Regis San Francisco
$$$High-rolling business travellers and NBA players make the St. Regis their go-to hotel when in San Francisco, and it's easy to see why. It’s a proper luxury hotel, with OTT amenities like cashmere quilts, limousine service, and beds with rich leather headboards designed to evoke a sports car interior. The guest rooms are fresh off a redesign, with brand-new art and customised furniture, exclusive to the hotel. Plus, in the heart of SoMA, it's close to cultural attractions like the SFMOMA and Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. At 5,700 square feet, the the hotel gym is enormous, and has spectacular city views – and you can request your own personal trainer.
Douglas Friedman/Courtesy of The BatteryhotelThe Battery
A blond-brick building tucked behind a row of shade trees, The Battery could easily be mistaken for a neighbouring office building, if not for the discreet metal nameplate beside the front door. This hidden-in-plain-sight quality is by design: The Battery is a private club, which happens to house 14 high-end hotel rooms. The entryway, a long hall with a herringbone floor, preserves that aura of mystery, with peekaboo views into spaces that you can’t quite see into. The space, like the club, unfolds itself slowly. If you’ve always dreamed of becoming a member of an exclusive private club, this is your chance to become one for a night.
Courtesy Four SeasonshotelFour Seasons Hotel San Francisco
$$$The Four Seasons feels luxurious, but it's a contemporary contrast to other marble-columned, traditional hotels in San Francisco. Rooms are outfitted with Nespresso machines, Bose sound systems, and TVs that allow you to stream content; products are by L'Occitane. The location on Market Street is right on the BART line, near Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, SFMOMA, and the Contemporary Jewish Museum. Modern luxury travellers can't beat the location, or the amenities, like free access to the swanky Equinox Sports club.
Courtesy Taj Campton PlacehotelTaj Campton Place
$$$With a peacock-blue awning and well-coiffed potted plants flanking the front door, the Taj Campton Place calls to mind a luxury apartment building on New York’s Upper East Side. At 17 floors, the Taj keeps a lower profile than its neighbours – notably the 35-floor Grand Hyatt San Francisco across the street – and the lobby feels intimate. Yes, there’s marble flooring and a crystal chandelier, but orchids, tabletop topiaries, and couches soften the space. It’s glamorous without being grandiose.
Gentl and HyershotelSan Francisco Proper
$$One of the hippest hotels in San Francisco, the Proper is also one of its newest – and it's making a mark quickly. With vibrant designs by Kelly Wearstler, a crazy-popular rooftop bar, and OTT amenities like in-room vitamin boost shots "administered by local VIP doctors" (seriously), this is a trend-setting traveller's idea of what a hotel should be. The location, on the edge of the Tenderloin, is going to be a turn-off for a lot of travellers, but the hotel itself is very swanky; it's also convenient for business travellers who need to run off to meetings in the Mid-Market neighbourhood.
Michael Weber/Courtesy of Westin St. FrancishotelWestin St. Francis San Francisco on Union Square
If you’re looking for a stunning property with a fascinating history, the St. Francis is a good bet. In the early 1900s, the family of railroad magnate Charles Crocker dreamed of transforming San Francisco into “the Paris of the West,” constructing the St. Francis as a sort of centrepiece. The hotel, remarkably, survived the 1906 earthquake, and quickly became a magnet for the glitterati. The parade of people who have passed through the hotel reads like a who’s who of… everyone. Louis Armstrong played here, Shirley Temple posed here, Ernest Hemingway drank here, Emperor Hirohito slept here. Perhaps no hotel is more intricately interwoven into Bay Area life than the St. Francis. Locals know the St. Francis for its opulent holiday display in the lobby, centred on a massive, intricate sugar castle.
Courtesy the FairmonthotelFairmont San Francisco
$$$A San Francisco institution atop Nob Hill, the Fairmont is stately enough to be mistaken for an embassy or palace. It's certainly one of the most luxurious hotels in the city. It aims to please with elegant (not flashy) rooms and public spaces. You'll find high-end amenities like exclusive Le Labo products and Frette bed linens in the guest rooms, and, at the restaurant, you can nibble honey madeleines featuring honey produced by the Fairmont’s very own rooftop bees. The Fairmont's concierge makes great recommendations, particularly if you request dining options that locals frequent.
.jpg-hi-res.jpg)
Courtesy Hotel Zetta San FranciscohotelHotel Zetta San Francisco
$$The cheeky Hotel Zetta knows its audience: Set right in the middle SoMa’s tech landscape, it draws travellers in town for business – but those who want to have fun while they're here. Post-pandemic, of course, there's a much higher contingent of leisure travellers. The lobby could almost be mistaken for one of the neighbouring glossy workspaces, stocked as it is with Warhol-esque art and enough games to fill an arcade. Different room amenities cater to different traveller demographics. Book a Well + Away room if you want meditative and eco-conscious amenities, like a Peloton exercise bike, meditation cushion, and hypoallergenic and locally made linens.
Paul DyerhotelInn at the Presidio
$$You feel just far enough from Fisherman's Wharf and its tourists at this proper B&B in the Presidio national park. A historic Georgian revival building, the Inn has been fully restored, and caters to guests with a full breakfast in the morning, complimentary wine and cheese in the evening, and comfortable beds with a cult-like following. The three-storey brick building is lined with long porches dotted with rocking chairs, and it's easy to imagine enjoying an afternoon with a good book, looking over the Presidio, with a view of the very top of the Golden Gate Bridge. The Presidio is a different kind of San Francisco experience, with so much to do, from hiking and running, to the Walt Disney Family Museum, and the Presidio Golf Course, an 18-hole course that winds among the hills of the park. It's an amazing getaway right in the city; locals even stay here.
.jpg-hi-res.jpg)
Courtesy The Axiom Hotel San FranciscohotelAxiom Hotel San Francisco
In the city centre at the nexus of Union Square and SoMa, the sleek, contemporary Axiom Hotel, opened in 2016, is a relative newcomer to San Francisco’s lodging scene. The century-old building though, preserves its historic character through charming mouldings and an intricate facade, while the sleek design and thoughtful amenities inside cater to modern travellers. A soothing eggshell-and–powder blue palette and minimalist design makes each guest room feel like a refuge from the city. That theme carries throughout, from the soft mood lighting and the homey bedding to the marble bathrooms. This spot gets high marks for its convenient location, laid back vibe, and Astro the delivery robot, who assists the staff by making contact-free deliveries to guests.
Courtesy Nikko Hotels International/Photo by Matthew MillmanhotelHotel Nikko San Francisco
$$The Nikko is a Japanese hotel and the influence shows in its design. A refresh in 2017 gave an update to the rooms and public spaces, calming and comfortable with a blue and white palette and pillow-top mattresses. The 10,000 square-foot gym has dry saunas and a steam room and the glass enclosed pool lets sunlight stream in during the day. Right near Union Square, the location is a winner as well.
Nick SimonitehotelThe Phoenix Hotel
This 1950s motor lodge has been a magnet for the cool crowd ever since it served as a hangout for classic rock bands playing at The Fillmore. Now Phoenix Hotel has been reincarnated as an uber-hip mid-century lodge in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighbourhood. Rooms are small and simple, but what they lack in space, they make up for in style, with textured pillows, live-edge coffee tables, and dramatic pops of colour. Some suites have private balconies and separate living rooms.
Jason Dewey/Courtesy W San FranciscohotelW San Francisco
$$The W refers to itself as an electric hotel in the heart of San Francisco – and it's not kidding on either front. The location on Third Street in SoMa is great for big cultural destinations like the SFMOMA and the ultra-modern decor lights up, from the black check-in desk that glows pink and purple to the light-up map of San Francisco above it, as well as the LED lights embedded in the bar. Younger guests who like a funky vibe and a great location will be right at home (as they usually do at Ws).
Dylan PatrickhotelLUMA Hotel San Francisco
There is nothing small about this hotel. Set in Mission Bay, one of the safest neighbourhoods in San Francisco, the whole city is on the doorstep of the 299-room LUMA. With the brand new Central Subway, you’re connected to the Convention Center, Union Square, and Chinatown on a quick metro ride. Attracting a variety of visitors to the Bay Area, from sports fans who can rest their head comfortably after a visit to the nearby Oracle Park or Chase Center to the modern traveler looking for innovative design that feels curated to art and culture lovers. It's no surprise that it’s been voted one of the best new hotels in San Francisco.
Courtesy Jose Manuel Alorda/Castro HotelhotelThe Hotel Castro
Bringing San Francisco’s iconic Castro neighbourhood to life, Hotel Castro is an intimate boutique filled with fun vibes and loud interiors. With just 12 rooms, each inspired by an LGBTQ+ hero, past and present, the minimalist furniture is contrasted with the bespoke artwork and colourful feature walls displaying portraits of local heroes. Centrally located within walking distance to the best bars, restaurants and events in the area, it’s the perfect place to rest your head after a night out on the town. But you don’t have to go anywhere to be transported to a world of fun. Every room is fitted with a private terrace so you can admire the vibrant street energy from afar.
Courtesy Jean Bai/THE LINEhotelThe LINE SF
Embodying San Francisco’s modern arts scene, The Line is for those who want to explore the city in style. The flatiron building stands at the corner of Turk and Market, with cultural hotspots like SFMOMA and Union Square all within a short walk away. Decorated with local art and serving some world class multicultural cuisine, it captures everything there is to love about a stay in the Bay Area. From the rooftop bar to the weekend pilates classes, this is typical San Francisco at its best. Merging the subdued yet bold Victorian-inspired colour palette of San Francisco's architecture with modern comforts, each room features views of the downtown skyline from large square windows. Of the 236 guest rooms, take the Corner Studio Room, with a king bed, wraparound windows, deep soaking tubs.
Courtesy Beacon GrandhotelBeacon Grand
Enter Beacon Grand, the rejuvenated embodiment of the landmark Sir Francis Drake Hotel. Elevating one of San Francisco’s most famous historic hotels into a modern destination for the 21st-century traveller, the hotel has been updated and rebranded. Combining legacy with ambition, it’s still the social focal point of Union Square. Inside, the hotel's grand ceilings, oak floors, and breathtaking chandeliers set the tone for a splendid stay. Sit back with the legendary crowd at the elegant Beacon Lounge serving creative cuisine and curated cocktails.
1 Hotel San Franciscohotel1 Hotel San Francisco
The unicorn this city has been waiting for, 1 Hotel San Francisco has an excellent location overlooking the Bay, an eco ethos at the core of its brand, on-point design, and a bar/restaurant that takes advantage of the fact that it’s mere feet from one of the country’s best farmers markets. While the lobby and the hallways are on the moody side of lighting, the 186 rooms and 14 suites are bright and sunny. My king room looked out toward the Ferry Building and over the Bay, with the Bay Bridge off in the distance. (For even more insane waterfront views, the panoramic suite – 630 square feet with sweeping Bay vistas – is the room to book). Rooms from £284. Rebecca Misner
