A grand, historic hotel atop Nob Hill with a landmark lobby and sweeping city views.
🛡️ Independent — no pay-to-rank🔎 Graded for who you are✓ Verified 2026-06-17How we grade →
The verdict
Worth the stay for…
Great for
If you've only got a day
Couples
Photographers
Depends
Travellers on a budget
Families with kids
Solo travellers
Anyone here to unwind
Romantics
History & culture buffs
Not for
—
Worth it for if you've only got a day, couples and photographers.
The location trade-off
What you're near — and what you're not
Walkable
Grace Cathedral directly across the street
The California St cable car at the door
The Tonga Room tiki bar in-house
Cut off from
The Mission and waterfront (ride away)
Steep climbs back uphill on foot
Rooms & rate
What you're paying for
A large historic tower plus rooms with city and bay views; upper floors and view categories command a premium. Expect classic, traditional decor rather than minimalist design, and confirm whether a destination fee applies.
Why we say this
Insider secrets & local vibes
Bigger and more theatrical than its Nob Hill rival the Ritz — a vast marble lobby, a full tower of rooms, and the kitschy, beloved Tonga Room tiki bar with its indoor rainstorms and floating band, which the Ritz's quieter polish has no answer for.
Not independently verified — estimated
The hilltop location means steep walks or rides down to most neighborhoods, and rates run high.
Not independently verified — estimated
What it feels like
Reading the room, traveller by traveller
Couples
A classic, romantic splurge; book a tower room for the view and a Tonga Room nightcap for the camp.
Multigenerational
Spacious and stately, and the Tonga Room's thunderstorm-and-tiki show is a genuine hit with kids — more of an occasion than the buttoned-up Ritz.
Good to know
Before you go
Cost
$$$$
Last verified
2026-06-17
Best time
Year-round; book ahead for views
Getting there
Atop Nob Hill; cable car nearby
Booking
Direct or OTA
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In-house Tonga Room & Hurricane Bar (a tiki bar open since 1945) stages indoor tropical rainstorms with a band on a floating lagoon barge. savingplaces.org ↗
🛡️ Independent — no pay-to-rank🔎 Graded for who you are✓ Verified 2026-06-17How we grade →