San Francisco's Art and Architecture Paradise

San Francisco is a cerebral city by any measure. It's also an art lover’s paradise, with something to satisfy aficionados of every medium.

Architecture fans will find famed edifices from Beaux Arts to Art Deco to Midcentury Modern and beyond, as the skyscrapers continue to rise on the peninsula. Lovers of city planning and open green spaces will appreciate the city’s abundant parks, while those who prefer traditional mediums in modern or classic styles won’t be disappointed with the city’s plethora of museums.

The city’s sumptuous St. Regis San Francisco accommodation is no different.

Art has always been a brand touchpoint of St. Regis Hotels & Resorts. The original New York location’s King Cole Bar has long been watched over by Maxfield Parrish’s famous mural, famously ordered by hotel founder Colonel John Jacob Astor IV himself. A mural features in every St. Regis property around the world to this day.

In San Francisco, the mural is Andrew Morrow’s two-panel “Love” and “War,” which celebrates the position of San Francisco as the gateway between East and West and the present as the gateway to the past and the future—suggesting the St. Regis brand's position between modern luxury amenities and old world sophistication.

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This Old World/New World dichotomy is also the greater theme of the hotel’s entire curated art collection from a suite of global artists, (with a sizable contingent from the Bay Area), satisfying another St. Regis brand touch point: Homage to the hotel’s location.

The hotel lies immediately next door to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and guest rooms enjoy views of the Yerba Buena Gardens and the surrounding neighborhood. The Center for the Arts, the California Historical Society, Moscone Center and Union Square are all within walking distance. If guests don’t fancy a walk, the hotel’s house car is available upon application to the doorperson.

And what a house car! The St. Regis San Francisco is one of three of the brand’s North America hotels that partners with Bentley Motors for house car journeys up to 1.5 miles from the hotel during the evening hours. The car is also available for private charter with the concierge.

St. Regis brand aficionados will note that the San Francisco property was one of the first to demonstrate the new design aesthetic for the brand when it first opened in 2005. The hallmarks are intimate, smaller spaces—more like staying in a grand home instead of a grand hotel.

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Clean lines also punctuate guest rooms, and “hidden” closets seem to magically appear out of what, at first glance, are merely wall panels. Rooms and suites are comfortably appointed but not overdone—it’s almost surprising how much use one gets out of a fainting couch by a window in a hotel room—with deep soaker tubs, and separate entries.

Suites, of course, have St. Regis signature butler service, which includes beverage service, packing and unpacking and light pressing, in addition to coordination of dining reservations and activities when needed. In-hotel activities include a full-service spa and a hard-to-leave indoor infinity pool with comfortable seating, city views and room service a touch tone away—a welcome antidote to a day exploring the peninsula and its numerous hills.

As an added bonus, the Museum of the African Diaspora is located within several floors of the hotel building itself. Guests can take advantage of a private entry with their guest room key card.

The hotel easily fulfills its mission of feeling like an intimate home. None of the spaces ever feel quite crowded, even though the bar is a popular post-work watering hole and breakfast in the grill was well patronized.

The spaces always feel exclusive and cozy, with polished marble, exotic woods, and no shortage of art objects. It’s almost like a museum with guestrooms, where a century of hospitality tradition is preserved in a way that appeals to contemporary travelers.

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The Takeaway

The St. Regis San Francisco is a perfect Bay Area sanctuary for lovers of art and convenience; St. Regis brand devotees won’t be disappointed.

The Math

I haven’t seen rates lower than $400 a night.

Instagrammable Moment

The postcard views of the city are generally taken from hilltop hotels, so you won’t find sweeping vistas here. But if you can manage to snag the Bentley, the driver and doorperson are usually patient enough for a snap or two. Other good shots include the infinity pool and any of the art.

Loyalty

Starwood Preferred Guest

Good To Know

The house car is available on a first come-first served basis during the evenings for journeys originating at the hotel only.

There are no in-room coffee facilities in standard rooms—guests in suites can have coffee brought by their butlers—but several urns of regular, decaf, and hot water can be found on the lobby bar in the mornings.