Wife and I will be heading to San Francisco for a meeting in Sept. We love small luxury hotels,,, We are 30's no kids, we like modern, and not into B&B scene. Need nice rooms, and a great view would be a plus. Price not a big concern.

Sounds to me like the Ian Schrager redo of the Clift Hotel, but I guess it isn't all that small.

Not small, by any means, but IMO the best luxury hotel in town is the Four Seasons. Great location, modern design, very nice and up to date rooms since it's only ~ 1.5 years old now.

For smaller, more intimate feel, look into Campton Place, only a short distance from the FS, next to Union Square.

Thanks for the info. was considering the Four Seasons, but would really like a boutique type hotel,,, like hotel parisi in San Diego Hotel Burham in Chicago if that helps.

The Mandarin Oriental is relatively small, fantastic views, certainly luxurious - would be classed as boutique in some parts of the world.

I must disagree with the above comment about the Mandarin. It's 160 rooms and atop a 50 story mirror glass-faced office high rise. About as un-boutiquey as you'll find in SF.

Hotel Burnam is Kimpton Group I believe--there are a number of Kimpton hotels in SF, such as the Palomar, Argonaut, you might want to check the Kimpton Group website to see if any appeal to you. I personally think the Ritz Carlton is pretty luxurious but its not small.

The Clift is a really fun hotel. Definitely modern. Minimilist rooms but in a good way. The basic rooms are very small so if price is not a big concern, make sure you go bigger. I don't remember the views being anything special, though.

The new Omni San Francisco is wonderful! Check it out at www.omnihotels.com.

I wonder if the people who'd replied to this thread live in SF at all. There are:

Hotel Triton
Hotel Monaco
Hotel Bijou
Phoenix hotel
Commodore hotel
Hotel Rex
etc...


check out this website and choose from any of these finest hotels. Mind you, i've only stayed at 2 of them, but have had drinks at most of them and they are hip.

http://www.jdvhospitality.com/index.php

I'd second the recommendation for the Campton Place, which has a very good restaurant to add to its other charms.

What about the Huntington on Nob Hill? Great location.

I live here so I haven't stayed at many hotels but the Monaco is FANTASTIC. It is a Kimpton hotel (right across from the Hyatt). We put my mother there for her birthday a few years ago in a junior suite and it was fantastic!! We were doing this complex surprise scavenger hunt for her the next day and the staff was sooo helpful with all of our bizarre requests.

Sorry--I said Hyatt, I meant Hilton.

FYI-I stayed at (and loved) the Clift before it was Schragerized & had an awesome view from a high floor.

My friend likes the W in SF.

I prefer the Kimpton properties myself. The Monaco is great as is the Palomar for sophistication. If you want to stay near Fisherman's Wharf you have to try the new Argonaut! It's fantastic...the bay views are unreal and the suite I upgraded to last time had a two person jacuzzi tub with a window that looked out onto Alcatraz....can't get any better.

I stayed at the Palomar last year. I do not consider it a luxury hotel. My room overlooked the Old Navy. I could watch people going on the escalator if I wanted to. Service was slow and surly. The room was very nicely appointed but small. There is almost no lobby. If you are looking for attitude you will find it there. I prefer luxury and service.

Hotel Serrano would probably be your best bet if you're using Hotel Burnham as a standard. I'm personally not crazy about the locale. The restaurant downstairs, it's name escapes me at the moment, has a fabulous "martini" made with yuzu juice. Serrano and Burnham are both Kimpton properties.

If you're looking for something like the Parisi (which is in La Jolla, not San Diego; not to be a pill but it's an important distinction) you're not going to find it in SF. Unless you decide to stay at the Four Seasons. SF is great if you like Chippendale furniture and rooms named after dead Admirals. Not so great if you prefer luxurious minimalist spaces inspired by the designs of Orlando Diaz-Azcuy.

cher_cher: A nitpicky correction: The Hotel La Parisi is indeed in San Diego. La Jolla isn't technically a separate city-- it's a super-ritzy community within the City of San Diego, but not incorporated as a city itself. Its ZIP code is separate, but most of its services are San Diego services. But you're right: La Jolla has a certain extra cachet compared to San Diego....

Don't tell that to anybody from La Jolla. They are working very hard to secede from San Diego and have never felt ties to it.