Loyalty program: Leaders Club (Leading Hotels of the World)
Rates: From $799
Checking into the Huntington Hotel feels like time traveling to an era not of tech bros but of Gold Rush dream chasers, when cocktail hour came with a pianist and people still dressed for dinner. The 12-story retreat opened in 1924 as a long-stay hotel and shuttered in 2022 after defaulting on its loans. The hotel has now reemerged under Highgate, the group behind such projects as the Ace Hotel New York and the Joule in Dallas, following a multi-year restoration led by local designer Ken Fulk.
Fulk is known for his maximalist, cinematic interiors, but here he shows appropriate restraint. Rooms and public spaces have the patina of a grand old hotel, with earth tones and splashes of crimson, without slipping into nostalgia cosplay. Nothing feels frozen in amber. Instead, the Huntington is genuinely comfortable for a modern traveler while honoring the building’s pedigree.
As someone who has been visiting family in San Francisco for nearly three decades, I was struck by how deftly Fulk bridges old-guard Nob Hill elegance and the flash of new money that has overtaken much of the city. The renovation also offers a more residential take on a heritage stay than many of the city’s historic hotels. If you want kitsch, the Tonga Room, Fairmont’s legendary tiki institution, is right across the street. Come to Huntington for a less performative kind of luxury—one that’s poised to set a new bar in the Bay Area hotel scene.
The location: Nob Hill, San Francisco
Long associated with San Francisco society culture, Nob Hill has historically been home to private clubs, grand hotels, and some of the city’s most expensive real estate.
Photo by A_McIntyre/Shutterstock
The hotel sits atop residential Nob Hill overlooking Huntington Park and directly facing Grace Cathedral. Many rooms frame the cathedral like a postcard; every accommodation above the seventh floor clears the hulking marble Masonic Temple and offers views of the city and even the water. Public transit nerds take note: The California Line cable car conveniently passes right in front of the hotel.
Who’s the Huntington Hotel for?
The Huntington is Nob Hill’s answer to the Carlyle Hotel in New York, offering top-notch hospitality without being overtly glamorous. It’s ideal for privacy-minded executives in baseball caps, and anyone who believes a hotel room should be large enough to fully unpack in.
Who it isn’t for
Anyone chasing rooftop scenes or conspicuous luxury branding. Part of the Huntington Hotel’s appeal is that it seems indifferent to all of that.
Rooms and public spaces have the patina of a grand old hotel without slipping into nostalgia cosplay.
The rooms at the Huntington Hotel
Earth tones, Deco touches, and large windows give the Huntington Hotel’s rooms a residential feel.
Photo by Douglas Friedman
The Huntington was never designed to feel transient. You can imagine industrialists and financiers having their steamer trunks unpacked and settling in for months at a time inside its 143 oversize guest rooms.
The proportions feel almost out of step with modern San Francisco. Even entry-level accommodations are spacious, while many of the 72 suites still retain traces of their former apartment-style layouts (although the kitchenettes are mostly gone). Fulk wisely lets the rooms’ architecture shine through. Original Georgian details remain intact—note the crown molding, plaster detailing, red brick, and tall windows—while the soft art deco touches add warmth without turning the hotel into a period set. Freshly cut flowers delivered at check-in is a lovely gesture.
The best rooms are the corner suites, particularly the “09” stacks, which open up to nearly 270-degree views: south toward downtown, west toward the Pacific, or onto Grace Cathedral and Huntington Park below.
The food and drink
At the Big Four Restaurant, crab Louie, chicken pot pie, and nightly piano music keep old San Francisco dining traditions alive.
Photos by Douglas Friedman
For decades, the Big Four Restaurant served as Nob Hill’s unofficial clubhouse. Business dinners happen here, but so do anniversary celebrations for couples returning to the same leather booth where they got engaged decades earlier. Bartenders remember your favorite esoteric cocktail, while waiters in formal whites still sweep crumbs from the tablecloth and the piano player tickles the ivory nightly. Little about the room has changed, and that’s part of the magic.
The menu follows suit. The restaurant’s beloved chicken pot pie is back, alongside crab Louie, oysters, and other American classics. Under executive chef David Intonato, the updates come through in ingredient sourcing and execution.
Beyond the main dining room is Arabella’s, the hotel’s reservation-only martini bar. With just 25 seats, vintage spirits, and a no-phones rule, it hearkens back to a speakeasy, when you could let loose and not worry about your shenanigans shaming you in the morning papers.
Staff and service
Service occasionally veers into eager new-opening territory, but I could tell the staff genuinely wanted guests to have a good time, which creates an atmosphere that feels almost conspiratorial. Brought your own champagne? Don’t be surprised if a bucket of ice magically appears in your room. Give a nod to the major domo, who tracks guests’ preferences, and she might let you sneak past the pool and use one of the outdoor lounge chairs reserved for spa guests.
Accessibility
There are several ADA-compliant rooms, as well as extra-wide doorways. Note that the hotel sits atop a very steep incline, which can be a challenge for those with mobility issues.
The Nob Hill Spa
Open to both guests and locals, the Nob Hill Spa has long functioned as one of San Francisco’s enduring wellness retreats.
Photo by Douglas Friedman
Long before the renovation, the spa was a destination for locals. The refreshed 9,000-square-foot wellness space spread across three levels remains open to nonguests, though hotel guests receive priority booking access.
After treatments like a CBD Therapy Massage or the Glass Skin Facial using 111 Skin products, linger at the indoor pool or, if you manage to secure one, outside on a chaise longue with tea or champagne, and cherish that hypnagogic state.
Make a trip of it
San Francisco may be compact, but steep hills keep it from being truly walkable for many. Nob Hill’s central location makes it fairly easy to see many sights. Within minutes, you can reach Union Square on foot, while Alamo Square’s famous Painted Ladies, a row of colorful Edwardian and Victorian houses, or the Herzog & de Meuron–designed de Young Museum are a short Waymo ride away.
For a dose of nature, carve out time for the western side of the city too. Rent bikes in the Presidio, wander Golden Gate Park, or drive toward the Pacific when the fog starts rolling in.
Afar was a guest of the Huntington Hotel. Our coverage is independent; the hotel did not review or approve this story.
