{"id":357773,"date":"2026-06-12T12:19:32","date_gmt":"2026-06-12T12:19:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/357773\/"},"modified":"2026-06-12T12:19:32","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T12:19:32","slug":"the-details-behind-san-franciscos-huntington-hotel-reopening-according-to-its-designer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/357773\/","title":{"rendered":"The Details Behind San Francisco’s Huntington Hotel Reopening, According to its Designer"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Estimated4 min read<\/p>\n

While filming Kiss Them for Me with Jayne Mansfield<\/a> in San Francisco in 1957, Cary Grant<\/a> stayed there. On at least one occasion, when he wasn\u2019t hosted by socialite Whiteny Warren, Truman Capote<\/a> booked a room. During their whirlwind visit in November 1965, Princess Margaret<\/a> and Lord Snowdon<\/a>\u2014with 75 pieces of luggage in tow\u2014occupied several of its upper floors. The Rolling Stones<\/a> took refuge there briefly in the aftermath of the 1969 Altamont Free Concert. And, since the 1950s, other names in its guestbook have included Claudette Colbert, Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart, Marlene Dietrich, Lee Radziwill<\/a>, and Luciano Pavarotti.<\/p>\n

Now, following a six-year closure, the Huntington Hotel<\/a> has reemerged with as much, or more, Golden Age glamour that made it one of San Francisco\u2019s crown jewels<\/a> for almost 95 years.<\/p>\n

\"HuntingtonDouglas Friedman<\/p>\n

Ken Fulk, who designed the interiors for the newly reopened Huntington Hotel, is a longtime fan of the property. \u201cIt\u2019s always been a place that\u2019s comforting and tasteful,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Named for the railroad tycoon Collis P. Huntington, the 12-story Georgian-style building was, for two short years, known as the Huntington Apartments before being transformed into a luxury hotel by Eugene Fritz in 1924. Subsequently owned and operated by Fritz\u2019s daughter Dorothy\u2014and then his grandchildren until the hotel\u2019s sale in 2011\u2014the historically significant property has seen its fair share of changes over the last century, including several owners and a brief name change. Now, thanks to San Francisco-based Flynn Properties, hospitality management leader Highgate, and local design impresario Ken Fulk<\/a>, old-world character and style have returned to the tony Nob Hill perch.<\/p>\n

But, despite its reputation as a hideaway for the rich and famous, Fulk points out, \u201cSan Francisco has never really chased celebrity, and we value things over just typical star power.\u201d The property\u2019s unveiling this spring\u2014with its 143 resplendent guest rooms and spacious suites\u2014is part of a renaissance that eschews larger, sleeker, and more modernist alternatives in a city renowned for its hospitality. \u201cWe do have these other sorts of grande dame properties, but I think the promise of the Huntington, apart from being a storied place, is that you almost live like a local,\u201d Fulk says. \u201cOn arrival, it feels more like your grand residence\u2019s doorman is greeting you and less like having to make your way through an expansive lobby to a concierge desk. There\u2019s an intimacy about it and I think that\u2019s the reason people have been so excited to see it reopen.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Huntington<\/p>\n

The living room of the Penthouse at the Huntington Hotel.<\/p>\n

Douglas Friedman\"huntington<\/p>\n

A one-bedroom suite at the Huntington, which recently reopened.<\/p>\n

Douglas Friedman<\/p>\n

The hotel\u2019s debut also meant the return of the Big Four, one of the city\u2019s most beloved dining destinations. Known for its classic dishes (everybody loves the chicken pot pie), the restaurant marks its 50th year with a light refresh from Fulk, and an updated menu from executive chef David Intonato that reflects a modern take on old-school favorites (try the Louis Wedge topped with royal red shrimp). \u201cIt\u2019s the clubhouse of the city in many ways; it\u2019s quietly cosmopolitan,\u201d explains Fulk who\u2019s already dined several times there with the city\u2019s reigning grande dame, Denise Hale. \u201cQuaint isn\u2019t the right word, but it\u2019s a spot that feels like you\u2019ll walk into the room and know half the people there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Puff<\/p>\n

The chicken pot pie at the Big Four, the hotel\u2019s restaurant.<\/p>\n

Douglas Friedman\"Luxurious<\/p>\n

A view of the swimming pool at the Huntington\u2019s Nob Hill Spa.<\/p>\n

Douglas Friedman<\/p>\n

Over the decades I\u2019ve spied local luminaries like Nancy and Paul Pelosi, former mayor Willie Brown, the late art collectors Norah and Norman Stone, Danielle Steele, Alexis and Trevor Traina, Vanessa Getty, and John Waters cozied up for lunches or dinners. I\u2019m also happy to report seasoned patrons and newcomers alike will thoroughly enjoy the Big Four\u2019s top-notch cocktail menu and wine list. My most recent drink there was a welcome shot of nostalgia: In April 2006, during the filming of CBS\u2019s Dynasty Reunion: Catfights & Caviar, the show\u2019s original costumer, Nolan Miller, and I stopped in for our requisite Grey Goose martinis, and he regaled me with stories of cast and crew closing the place down in the 1980s when they\u2019d occasionally film on location at Filoli, the estate in Woodside, California, used as the exterior of the Carrington Mansion.<\/p>\n

\"HuntingtonDouglas Friedman<\/p>\n

San Francisco\u2019s Huntington Hotel, in the smart Nob Hill neighborhood, has been a favorite of locals and visitors (including Princess Margaret, Cary Grand, Truman Capote, and the Rolling Stones, among others) for nearly 95 years.<\/p>\n

Just above the lobby, to the left up a few steps, Fulk has also conceived Arabella\u2019s, an intimate, 25-seat, reservation-required cocktail salon that extends the boutique hotel\u2019s 100-year-old story. Named for Collis\u2019s second wife, Arabella Duval Huntington\u2014at one time the wealthiest woman in America\u2014the space was designed as an inviting, exclusive spot to experience imaginative craft cocktails, and as a dramatic juxtaposition to the Big Four\u2019s \u201cbrass and plaid\u201d feel. \u201cIt\u2019s almost like a private train car and, until the doors open, you don\u2019t quite know who\u2019s inside,\u201d says Fulk. \u201cBut once you\u2019re in, it\u2019s the perfect spot to canoodle or gossip with a friend over the perfect cocktail.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then there\u2019s the reopening of the property\u2019s 9,000-square-foot, three-level Nob Hill Spa, a thoroughly modern luxury operation complete with 12 treatment rooms, sauna and steam rooms, an indoor swimming pool, and an outdoor terrace with gorgeous city views where, Fulk adds, \u201cYou can spontaneously show up and see friends who\u2019ve had the same idea to play hooky in middle of the day. I think that\u2019s the beauty of that address, and it\u2019s always been a place that\u2019s comforting and tasteful. In a world that sometimes feel abrasive or caustic, The Huntington is an anecdote.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"4 min read While filming Kiss Them for Me with Jayne Mansfield in San Francisco in 1957, Cary…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":357774,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[9567,145682,9569,124165,9568,98390,101,103,102,104,106,105,145681,79768],"class_list":["post-357773","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-francisco","tag-content-type-feature","tag-contentid-e561cae2-104f-413c-9cfd-1fd0639493b2","tag-displaytype-standard-article","tag-issyndicated-false","tag-locale-us","tag-read_time-5","tag-san-francisco","tag-san-francisco-headlines","tag-san-francisco-news","tag-sf","tag-sf-headlines","tag-sf-news","tag-shorttitle-this-san-francisco-is-ready-for-its-second-act","tag-subsection-travel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/357773","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=357773"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/357773\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/357774"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=357773"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=357773"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=357773"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}