7 Best Hotels in San Francisco, California

Occupying 12 floors of a skyscraper, the Four Seasons delivers subdued elegance in rooms with contemporary artwork, fine linens, floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook Yerba Buena Gardens or downtown, and lovely marble bathrooms with soaking tubs. Highlights include the city's plushest robes and slippers, thoughtful touches like a jogging route guide, housekeeping twice a day, and 24/7 gourmet room service. The main amenity perk for most guests is access to the adjacent Equinox Sports Club, where you have free access to the junior Olympic pool, full-size indoor basketball court, and the rest of the magnificent facilities, classes, and spa services. For an extra special dinner during a stay, make sure to reserve the Chef's Table experience at the hotel's MKT restaurant where the elaborate multicourse menu is specifically unique to your party.

A tribute to beauty and attentive, professional service, the Ritz-Carlton emphasizes luxury and elegance, which are evident in the Ionic columns that grace the neoclassical facade and the crystal chandeliers that illuminate marble floors and walls in the lobby. This luxe feeling continues in the fog-and-blue-hued guest rooms with modern furniture, marble bathrooms stocked with Asprey London amenities, and plush beds with 400-thread-count sheets and dreamy combed cotton linens. Club Level rooms include use of a lounge with a dedicated concierge and complimentary food throughout the day. Traditional afternoon tea and excellent cocktails are served in the Lobby Lounge, overlooking the beautifully landscaped Terrace Courtyard, and guests enjoy breakfast at the sophisticated Parallel 37 restaurant.

The sustainability and green-everything boutique hotel concept planted its flag in San Francisco in 2022 and quickly emerged as one of the city's most in-demand places to spend the night for both leisure travelers and the well-heeled business set. From the actual moss that resides in a frame by every guest room, to the reclaimed wood design elements and leather headboards in each room, nature—hip, somewhat posh nature—is the clear theme. It curiously feels like a Tulum jungle yoga getaway meets upscale urban aesthetic. Some rooms have spectacular bay views where you almost feel on top of the Ferry Building and a few suites have stunning terraces overlooking the skyline. Don't miss the cocktails in the ground-floor restaurant, Terrene, which frequently incorporates discarded or upcycled ingredients into its drink creations.

As one of the few hotels to open in the downtown area in recent years, this Bonvoy branded property adds a very welcome jolt of energy to the city's flagship business district. Design firm powerhouse AvroKO created the sleek look that balances a sharp modern aesthetic with the original 1980's Brutalist concrete building by architect John Portman. The spiral staircase at the entrance and the unique diagonal floor-to-ceilings in rooms are the two most notable examples of this sleek contrast of different design palates brought together. Guest rooms feature great views, giant 65-inch flat-screen TVs, plush beds, and local food and drink artisans in the mini bar. 

San Francisco doesn't get much more old-school elegant than this Lower Pac Heights Victorian mansion transformed into a luxurious, intimate lodging with spacious, individually decorated rooms. The building is known as the Payne House, having been built originally for the Payne family, which made its fortune from the mid-19th-century gold rush. Luckily, the amenities are far more sophisticated than those at a Gold Rush–era campsite, with deluxe Belisari Italian linens. Art lovers will appreciate the collection of paintings, a Murano Venetian glass chandelier, and haute design and furnishings in the public areas.

Chic, urbane, and nicely laid out, the W's colorful guest rooms (and unique Spectacular Studio indoor-outdoor suites with a heated patio) come with an abstract Gold Rush theme (both the 1800s one and the current tech wave) and include such comforts as upholstered window seats, pillow-top mattresses, Nespresso machines, and sleek baths with MOMO amenities by Davines. Upper floors have excellent views of SFMOMA, Yerba Buena Gardens, and the Bay Bridge. Business guests dominate during the week, but on weekends the hotel attracts families with children and pets are always very welcome. This is the first LEED-EB (for large brand hotels in existing buildings) Platinum-certified building in North America. As far as W Hotels go, this one feels a little more grown-up.