Best for: Couples, friends’ weekends, solo travelers, familiesLocation: San Francisco’s Nob Hill neighborhoodCan’t-miss feature: The beautiful bijou lobby bar Arabella’s is really special. It’s named after Gilded Age heiress Arabella Duval Huntington; her very captivating (and at times spicy) life is playfully chronicled in murals on the bar walls. It’s moody, buzzy and exactly where you want to be in San Francisco come six o’clock.In a nutshell: The Huntington has the elegance and impeccable service of a big international luxury hotel with the soul of an intimately-run boutique property. But, moreover, it’s fun–there’s a chicness and an energy to this hotel that, until now, has been missing from the hotel scene in San Francisco. It’s the perfect property to usher in a new, optimistic era for the City by the Bay.
Rebecca Misner
Rooms
Before getting into the private guest spaces, it’s important to set the larger scene. The hotel’s public spaces–the lobby, Arabella’s cocktail bar, as well as the ground floor restaurant The Big Four–are transportive. There’s a marvelous theatricality, courtesy of beloved designer and San Francisco local Ken Fulk, that invites guests to play a role (and isn’t this the most delicious part of travel–to lose yourself and escape from day-to-day life?). Think low-lighting, sumptuous textures, deep greens and dark wood, oil paintings in gilded frames, and bold floral arrangements. There’s definitely a sense of drama in these spaces, in the best way. In contrast, the 143 guest spaces (71 rooms and 72 suites, including a sprawling 1,500 square-foot penthouse) are a study in serenity and residential-like comfort with tons of natural light (every room has views of the city thanks to the hotel’s location on Nob Hill), crisp white walls and bedding, and taupes and muted terracotta accents. The design through-lines are sophistication and elegance, but if the public spaces telegraph a bit of moody mystery the private ones are refreshingly straightforward; the kind of rooms that bring a sense of ease and feel wonderful to come back to after a day on the town.
Food and drink
A visit to Arabella’s at some point during your stay is mandatory. It’s such a lovely space with a sweet bar that seems to glow and the kind of warm lighting that makes everyone look amazing. It’s dubbed a “cocktail salon” and it does indeed have the intimate, opulent feel of a Gilded Age salon. The mural that wraps around the room depicts the colorful life of the bar’s namesake, Arabella Huntington, the second wife of railroad magnate Collis Potter Huntington, and the cocktails in the drinks menu are playfully written as fictional entries in Arabella’s diary. My favorite drink was the Rumor Has It, a cheeky play on a classic Negroni with strawberry-rhubarb Isolation Proof gin.
For 50 years the The Big Four (named after the four 19th century San Francisco railroad tycoons who built the western portion of the First Transcontinental Railroad) has been a Bay Area institution; the place for a bone-cold martini, oysters Rockefeller, and an unapologetically decadent wedge salad. After a six-year closure (alongside the larger hotel closure), locals are thrilled to see that their beloved spot is back and better than ever (Fulk wisely left all that was magic alone and gave the space a light glow-up). The decor is smart and clubby–polished parquet floors, green leather banquets and chairs–and the vibe is wonderfully convivial with live piano music and a busy bar. When I was there on a Thursday evening, the place was hopping with Nob Hill locals dressed to the nines and groups of friends meeting up for drinks and dinner. Everything I tried was great, but must-tries were the elevated chicken pot pie and the spice-poached shrimp cocktail with a gin-horseradish cocktail sauce. The restaurant is also open daily for breakfast (the avo toast I ordered was excellent) and lunch.
Rebecca Misner
Amenities
Spanning three levels and at nearly 9,000 square feet, the hotel’s Nob Hill Spa–like The Big Four and Arabella’s–is a destination in its own right. So many hotel spas, especially urban ones, are dark, warren-like affairs. Not this. The centerpiece is an exquisite indoor pool in a light filled atrium (it feels a bit like a 19th century French solarium or orangerie) that leads to an outdoor terrace with views out over the city. The pool area, again unlike many spa pools, is meant to be relaxing, but also social: loungers, tables with multiple chairs, and a double-height fireplace flank the pool while the menu offers teas and tonics and select lunch items from The Big Four. You’re meant to linger and there’s no side-eye if you talk above a stage whisper. When I was there, there was a mother and daughter sipping champagne in their swimsuits on the terrace and another group of friends making a day of it by the pool. The spa has 12 treatment rooms and a robust menu of offerings including longevity-targeted facials and lymphatic drainage massage. Bonus: the spa has partnered with exceptional NorCal brands, including Monastery and Vintner’s Daughter.
What to do nearby
San Francisco is a city of hills and vistas and The Huntington’s location near the top of Nob Hill is prime. Directly across from the hotel is the sweet Huntington Park (Collis and Arabella Huntington’s former mansion was located there) and the grand, nearly-century-old Grace Cathedral sits kitty corner. The hotel is within easy walking distance (a mile-ish at most, but there will be hills) to so many sights: the Embarcadero and the Ferry Building–with its epic farmers market and food vendors; the historically Italian North Beach neighborhood (and City Lights Bookstore); Union Square and its big name shops; Fisherman’s Wharf; Coit Tower; Chinatown; the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Everything else a visitor might want to see (including Golden Gate Park, the Presidio, Japantown, the Legion of Honor) is a short drive–or Waymo, this is the tech capital of America afterall–away.
The backstory
In 1922, The Huntington was conceived as an apartment building; two years later it opened as a hotel. Between 1924 and now, the red brick, 12-story Georgian building has lived several lives. In 2020, the once grand building shuttered. Now, six years later, after an ownership change and a multiyear renovation (courtesy of a partnership between the San Francisco-based Flynn Properties–whose high end hospitality investments also include Carneros Resort and Solage in Napa, and Esperanza and Chileno Bay in Los Cabos–and Highgate, a leading hospitality investment and management company, and under the design aegis of Ken Fulk) The Huntington is back and truly better than ever with plenty of the early-day residential touches intact, including the lovely wrought iron railings on the staircases and mail slots in the hallways.
Insider tip
In keeping with The Huntington’s intimate residential feel and high-touch service, the hotel has a majordomo, which is traditionally a position found in grand estates and is a sort of chief steward who oversees the running of the household, coordinates operations, and makes arrangements on behalf of the family. The Huntington’s majordomo does this with an eye toward guests–making sure they’re greeted warmly and that any preferences are known and reflected throughout their stay. It’s a small detail, but it does make you feel incredibly seen and taken care of at a time when hospitality can feel so very rote.
Final considerations:
Family friendly: Yes (rooms are spacious and the vibe isn’t at all stuffy or precious) but it’s such a chic, social hotel that maybe you’d have more fun sans kiddos, just saying. The Big Four is open to all ages; Arabella’s is 21 and over; and the spa is 16 and up.Accessibility: The hotel is fully ADA-accessible.