Fairmont San Francisco

The Fairmont sits on Nob Hill at 950 Mason Street, twenty-three floors above the city. It is a large hotel — six hundred and six rooms and suites across a historic main building and a tower — and the views from the upper floors take in San Francisco Bay, Alcatraz, Coit Tower, and the Golden Gate Bridge.

Rooms in the main building have fourteen-foot vaulted ceilings and windows that open; those in the tower have marble bathrooms with a separate tub and shower, and picture windows facing the Bay or the skyline. At the upper end, the Fairmont Suite on the twenty-third floor has a two-hundred-and-seventy-degree Bay view and an infinity bathtub, while the Penthouse spans the entire eighth floor at six thousand square feet, with three bedrooms, a kitchen, a library, a billiards room, and an outdoor terrace. The Tony Bennett Suite on the twenty-second floor holds artwork by the artist, who first performed here in 1961.

The hotel has four dining options. Laurel Court Restaurant serves seasonal California cooking, with charcuterie made in-house using cold-curing techniques. The Tonga Room offers Pacific Rim cuisine with live entertainment and a simulated rainstorm over an indoor pool. Caffe Cento covers quick meals. A spa, fitness centre, and meeting facilities are also on site.

The California Street cable car stops nearby, giving direct access to the Embarcadero and Fisherman's Wharf without a car.