94 Best Hotels in San Francisco, California

The nautically themed Argonaut's guest rooms have exposed-brick walls, wood-beam ceilings, and best of all, waterfront rooms windows that open to enjoy Alcatraz and Golden Gate Bridge views. It's easy to relax here, far from the downtown bustle, with in-room yoga kits, fire pits outside, and some rooms have ultra-comfortable plush chaise-style lounge chairs. The building is part of the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, whose visitor center is next door to the lobby.

You can pretend you're a denizen of one of San Francisco's wealthiest neighborhoods at this understated, elegant Edwardian hotel built in 1903. Posh cream- and silver-hued rooms and suites, some with sweeping city views, are genteelly furnished and beautifully combine old-world charm with modern touches. The long list of amenities includes morning newspapers; plush robes; complimentary Wi-Fi; passes to the Jewish Community Center for swimming and exercise; a 24-hour fitness center (though the JCC offers more substantial workout options); 24-hour coffee and tea service, plus in-room Nespresso machines; and bicycles to borrow for the day. There's also complimentary chauffeur service each morning to any destination within the city. The hotel will even move your car to follow neighborhood parking restrictions. A free, expansive breakfast buffet, plus dishes made to order, is served in a sunny, spacious dining room where tea and homemade biscotti are on offer in the afternoon; wine, hot hors d'oeuvres, cheese, and charcuterie are set out each evening.

Antiques, unique artwork, fine linens, and windows opening to a lovely courtyard or Union Street view make this charming Edwardian inn popular with honeymooners and those looking for a romantic getaway with an English countryside ambience. Rooms are equipped with comfortable beds and double-paned windows, and some have stained-glass windows. The hosts serve an elaborate breakfast, plus coffee, tea, and freshly baked goods throughout the day.

Green, pet-friendly, and equipped with high-speed fiber-optic Wi-Fi, the tech-oriented Axiom nimbly provides a boutique experience business and leisure travelers applaud. Just steps from the Powell Street cable-car turnaround, the hotel offers service that’s polite, intuitive, and efficient. The public spaces, including a check-in area filled with California-themed books, evoke the past while projecting an au courant vibe. Many rooms are old-school small but make sensible use of the available space.

In their six-story structure dating back to 1910, hosts Claude and Micheline Lambert created a bit of Paris a few blocks from Union Square, with rooms individually decorated with pastel colors, a stenciled ceiling, and prints of works by Picasso, Chagall, Klimt, and other European artists. The hotel is on the National Register of Historic Places and has a wonderful vintage French atmosphere, but it also contains some relevant modern touches like free Wi-Fi and flat-screen TVs.  Look online or call for special packages and discounted rates.

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.

Travelers looking for charming accommodations around Union Square will enjoy this four-story Edwardian building with bay windows, an original birdcage elevator, hallways lined with historical photographs, and rooms decorated with antiques, wicker pieces, and Laura Ashley bedding and curtains. Only 14 rooms have private baths, some with claw-foot tubs, but every guest can enjoy the afternoon tea and homemade cookies served in the cozy parlor. Breakfast is served down the block at the Cornell Hotel de France.

A frothy homage to 1950s Beat writers, 1960s hippies and rockers, and other local agents of change, the hip Hotel Zeppelin appeals to a youngish crowd with high-tech amenities and an inviting, sometimes boisterous, game room with a pool table, quick-shot basketball wall, and other entertainments. A fireplace and bar area give the lobby a warm communal atmosphere, while smart TVs, blackout shades, and spacious maple-top work desks in the guest rooms satisfy the desires of 21st-century travelers. The hotel's restaurant, PLS on Post, serves towering burgers and shakes with peace, love, and soul (PLS).

The three-story Lodge occupies former Army barracks, built in the 1890s, and is at the Main Post green's northwestern edge, allowing some rooms to have Golden Gate Bridge views; all rooms are far more upscale and chic than military accommodations, with large flat-screen TVs, well-appointed bathrooms, workstations, and dreamy, custom-made pillow-top mattresses. The best vantage point for the Golden Gate Bridge is from the fire pit just outside the lobby, where guests can warm up with coffee and a complimentary breakfast or enjoy an aperitif from the late-afternoon wine and snacks reception. Rooms, hallways, and the lobby feature a transitional combination of century-old paintings and photographs of the early Presidio military days along with contemporary military- and San Francisco–themed artwork.

These tiny rooms, with simple yet modern decor and private bathrooms, are within walking distance to the lively Haight, Hayes Valley, and Castro neighborhoods. This place is ideal for guests not expecting to spend much time in their rooms but wanting to repair to a decent retreat after a long day of exploring. The friendly staffers can assist with airport shuttles and tips on street parking (a chore in this part of town). The back garden, shared by the excellent Italian restaurant Ragazza, is a fine place to unwind in the evening.

Feel virtuous and eco-friendly while enjoying a junior terrace room with private outdoor space and views of downtown at this service-oriented and environmentally friendly boutique hotel close to the Financial District and Chinatown that was the city's first LEED-certified hotel. Local artist Archie Held's glass water sculpture in the lobby sets the green tone, and a high aesthetic standard. The simply styled rooms have low-flow toilets, textiles in hues of green and gold, and natural woods.

Open since 1875 and rebuilt after the 1906 earthquake, this legendary hotel continues to be one of the city's elite places to stay, with a prominent location at the border of SoMa and downtown plus a delightful mix of modern amenities (an indoor lap pool beneath a glass-domed ceiling) and deluxe architectural details of a bygone era. The entrance area is a time-traveling stunner, with Austrian crystal chandeliers and eight pairs of bronze-filigree marble columns supporting a magnificent dome ceiling. The former carriage entrance, which reemerged as crystal-roofed The Garden Court restaurant, is a favorite of ladies who lunch and those who enjoy an elaborate Sunday brunch (it's also where Green Goddess salad dressing was invented). Even if you're not staying here, sip a cocktail at the Pied Piper Bar, named for its Maxfield Parrish painting.

Two yellow 1909 Edwardian houses enchant travelers wanting an authentic San Francisco experience; dark hallways and steep staircases lead to bright, earth-toned rooms with tiled baths (most with tubs), comfortable sitting areas, and cozy linens. The innkeepers serve continental breakfast in the light-filled dining area or out in the lush gardens. If you're lucky, you'll catch a visiting San Francisco Symphony pianist who might be staying here during the season and sometimes plays the grand piano in the sophisticated living room.

The owners of this 1883 Victorian house, a historic landmark, have created a one-of-a-kind bed-and-breakfast steps from the lower Haight and Hayes Valley, with many of the original mantelpieces, fireplaces, and mirrors, as well as the ornate ceiling molding, still intact. The innkeepers treat visitors like houseguests, offering elaborate breakfasts—imagine starting the day with a goat-cheese soufflé with strawberry sauce—and after-dinner drinks and candies around twilight. Massive windows fill the rooms with light, and spruced-up bathrooms have large showers; several even have claw-foot tubs and fireplaces. Guests congregate in the downstairs area to watch TV in the parlor, read in the living room, or dine in the attractive eating area.

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.

Inside the magnificent, flatiron-shape Beaux Arts–style building is one of the city's most spectacular places to stay, a sharp, upscale, ultra-hip boutique hotel; in contrast, outside is one of the roughest intersections for street life in San Francisco. The Proper rates high both for the eye-catching redesign by Kelly Wearstler (she also designed the guest room blankets and kimonos) and for amenities like SF's premier rooftop bar (Charmaine's) and Bellino fine Italian linens, towels, and down comforters.

Three blocks west of Union Square and loaded with high- and low-tech amenities, this Pineapple Hospitality boutique property delivers value in a stylish package, starting with the lobby's paintings and sculptures and the giant black-and-white art above the adjacent bar. Inside a renovated 1913 structure, the hotel has rooms with bright-yellow curtains, light-colored walls, and Carrara marble-tiled bathrooms. All accommodations have air-conditioning, high-speed Wi-Fi, Keurig coffeemakers, USB charging stations, and 50-inch HD LED TVs with cable.

With a strong location at the convergence of Chinatown, the Financial District, and Union Square, this boutique anchor attracts a design-conscious crowd and is highlighted by its intricately decorated lobby featuring marble floors, a wood-beam ceiling, and art from around the world. The focal point is a 1940s mural depicting Mission Dolores, uncovered during demolition work. Rooms are sophisticated and homey, with white wainscoting, cool blue custom-upholstered headboards and benches, bright-red splashes, and Frette linens. Complimentary coffee and biscotti are served every morning, and the afternoon's free beer, wine, and canned cocktail hour is well attended.

Built in 1903, this two-story, Georgian revival–style structure once served as officers' quarters but these days is a standout boutique hotel where the rooms and suites have a nice sense of modern refinement and historical touches varying by the room, such as wrought-iron beds, vintage black-and-white photos, and Pendleton blankets. In addition to the main quarters, the nearby Funston House contains four rooms surrounding a common living room, dining room, and kitchen, making it ideal for larger groups. Perks include a nightly wine-and-cheese reception and a continental breakfast. This place is as homey as it gets, complete with rocking chairs on the porches and an outdoor fire pit.

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.

This 1928 landmark—renovated and reopened in 2022—welcomes guests in its ornate, high-ceilinged lobby and classically elegant rooms that come equipped with 21st-century tech amenities but evoke the hotel's heyday with gorgeously restored wood plank floors and plush white comforters. Together the lobby—decked out with chandeliers, Italian marble, and velvet furnishings—and wood-paneled library next to the mezzanine bar's grand fireplace bring to mind a half-restored Italian castle. Gloriously reincarnated in 2024, the legendary, top-floor bar Starlite is well worth a visit.

A handy Castro location, reasonable prices, and the holy grail of San Francisco lodging—free parking—make this courtyard-style motel with cool mid-century vibes a favorite. The spacious guestrooms have fun splashes of color, generous bathrooms, minifridges, and coffeemakers, and there's a rooftop terrace for lounging in the sun. For those without cars, the historic F-line trolley passes the motel, and there are plenty of dining and shopping options right outside.

Fancy moldings and 10-foot-tall windows grace the red-carpeted lobby of this brick Victorian listed on the National Register of Historic Places that has rooms of varying size and setup. Rooms have dark-wood antique-reproduction furniture; standard rooms can feel cramped, but the suites and junior suites are more spacious and have different kinds of kitchen facilities. All suites have a bidet in the bathroom and whirlpool bathtubs. The generous breakfast baskets have a good variety of offerings, and afternoon tea and wine are served beneath a crystal chandelier in the lobby.

A relatively inexpensive option (look for online specials), this 1913 Edwardian is part of the Best Western chain's Premier Collection, and it retains a period feel, especially in the tile-floor lobby with a fireplace and adjoining wood-paneled bar. The rooms are San Francisco small and lack for style, but they're comfortable and have desks, flat-screen TVs, and spacious closets. A computer and printer are available in the business center, and Wi-Fi is free.

Built to accommodate visitors to the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition, this favorite of budget travelers has cable car views from its modest lobby. High ceilings lend Edwardian grandeur to the moderate-size guest rooms; check out the pillow menu with a dozen choices. The small, clean bathrooms have extra-deep tubs, branded rubber ducky included. Complimentary coffee, tea, apples, and cookies are available around the clock in the lobby.

European sensibility, a youthful vibe, reasonable rates, and a safe Union Square location make this art-filled hotel a smart and popular choice, and though rooms are compact---with in-room sinks; oval, glass-walled shower/WC pods; and king-size beds that run literally wall to wall---smart organization helps offset the size, as do the lobby's large and colorful Living Room and bar. 

This 18-floor Marriott-affiliated hotel is arguably the best of the few mid-range hotels in SoMa. Guest rooms have a subtle glamorous touch with catchy black-and-white carpets and tufted headboards. There is also a unique set of allergy-free rooms that come with an air purifier and special hypoallergenic bedding and pillows. The public areas are particularly noteworthy with colorful San Francisco–inspired art pieces, plus an outdoor courtyard with fire pits that is a rare breath of fresh air in the dense downtown area.

Built for the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition world's fair, this longtime favorite bridges the gap between hip modern and timeless classic style. Its swanky lobby and nicely polished rooms have some decorative touches inspired by that major early 20th-century global event when the hotel was born. Rooms are spacious by San Francisco standards and include stylish modern furniture, 50-inch flat-screen smart TVs, and luxury touches like rainfall showers and Coco Mango bath products by Poggesi. The gorgeous signature bar, the Redwood Room, is equally known for its creative cocktails and art-deco design.

Close to Chinatown and Fisherman's Wharf, this affordable lodging with basic rooms decked out with oversize pillows, earth-toned bedding, and large flat-screen TVs is a great pick if you brought your family and have a car to park. Big windows offer the occasional glimpse of downtown, cable cars ding by outside, and a helpful staff and free parking and Wi-Fi add to the allure. Off-season rates are a steal.