Historically a beacon of West Coast hospitality, San Francisco was, admittedly, hit very hard by the pandemic. A wave of instability created by remote work, lost jobs and the ever-shifting tech industry led to a lull, but the idea that the Bay Area is no longer a welcoming place is decidedly untrue. Growth may have slowed for a few years, but even during the fall of 2020, the city ushered in a second hotel from the Four Seasons, and additional properties have been slowly but steadily opening ever since. A few landmark hotels housed in historic buildings that took the time to renovate and recalibrate during Covid-19 have also recently returned to the scene.
This past spring, one of the city’s former hospitality icons, The Huntington Hotel, reopened in Nob Hill to plenty of fanfare, and with particular praise for the work of designer Ken Fulk, who dreamt up the glamorous new interiors. With this slightly whimsical and incredibly chic 12-story brick tower ready and waiting for guests, and Auberge busy working on a reimagining of Hearst Tower, there’s no time like the present for a trip to the City by the Bay. California is blessed with good weather year-round, but there’s something special about San Francisco in the summer. Below, find our picks for the best new hotels in the city over the last six years.
The Best New Hotels in San Francisco
Huntington Hotel
1075 California St., San Francisco, CA 94108
The Huntington Hotel reopened with much fanfare for good reason—this is exactly the kind of luxury boutique stay that San Francisco has been missing. Named for Collis Potter Huntington, one of the “big four” railroad tycoons, the Georgian-style brick apartment building opened in 1922 and was converted to a hotel in 1924. From the legendary ‘70s-era restaurant Big Four, where nostalgia reigns supreme and the chicken pot pie is omnipresent, to Arabella’s, a self-described “cocktail salon” named for Collis’ audacious second wife, the 143-room hotel is currently the most coveted stay in the city. Always a golden-era icon, the reborn Fulk-designed rooms are residential and palatial, with brick red and salmon accents. A three-level, 9,000-square-foot spa and 24/7 fitness center with Peloton bikes and personal training sessions upon request complete the experience.
Huntington Hotel.
Huntington Hotel
Beacon Grand
450 Powell St., San Francisco, CA 94102
A major reopening that hit the city in the summer of 2022, the Beacon Grand is another historic treasure that puts guests right in the heart of Union Square. Formerly known as the Sir Francis Drake Hotel, this 1928 landmark has only grown in stature over the last few years, as revamped modern amenities like hardwood floors and new bathrooms are a welcome accent to the building’s preserved marble columns and original chandeliers. A signature palette of royal blue, plus leather, copper and a hidden-away whiskey speakeasy gives this property a decidedly masculine feel, but in-room C.O. Bigelow toiletries and Illy coffee will please everyone. The 418 rooms are spread across 21 floors, but the oversized suites are the ideal location for a staycation flex. The top-floor Starlite lounge is a swanky cocktail bar in its own right, while the lobby level Post Room is good anytime—for happy hour, brasserie classics or a quiet breakfast before checkout.
Beacon Grand.
Beacon Grand
1 Hotel San Francisco
8 Mission St., San Francisco, CA 94105
Sustainability-focused brand 1 Hotels debuted over a decade ago, and in 2022, the luxury hotel collection opened its first San Francisco outpost. The property’s positioning on the Embarcadero—and close proximity to the historic Ferry Building—make it an easy option for visitors who want to be in the heart of the city. An outpost of Bamford Wellness spa on the 8th floor offers a rooftop soak ritual with either CBD or magnesium and arnica for muscle recovery, complete with city views. Back on the ground, the indoor/outdoor sprawl of locally focused restaurant Terrene is an all-day option for organic ingredients and a vegetarian bent, though there’s plenty of fish and meat for those who want something more substantial. Ask for a room with a view to get a glimpse of the Bay Bridge or the waterfront, and enjoy walk-in showers with more pampering from Bamford products.
1 Hotel San Francisco.
1 Hotel San Francisco
Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco at Embarcadero
222 Sansome St., San Francisco, CA 94104
Settling in as one of the foremost luxury stays in the city, this second Four Seasons location is perfectly positioned downtown in a 48-story tower that affords sweeping views of the city and the bay. The lobby and check-in are on the ground floor, but the rooms are on the top 11 floors of the building, offering guests panoramic views of the city’s remarkable skyline. Opened in fall of 2020, the 155-room outpost is well-equipped with a state-of-the-art fitness center open 24 hours, round-the-clock room service, and all-day dining at its Italian restaurant, Orafo, on the ground floor. Though it has a smaller footprint than the city’s original Four Seasons on Market Street, this one is just as luxe, and has picked up two Michelin keys since the platform started assessing hotels. Easy walkability to Jackson Square, Fisherman’s Wharf and Chinatown makes this a great pick for both those who want to spend time in the heart of the city, and guests seeking a sanctuary above it all.
Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco Embarcadero.
Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco Embarcadero
Timbri Hotel San Francisco
33 Turk St., San Francisco, CA, 94102
After a short-lived, two-year stint as an outpost of The Line Hotel, Hilton’s Curio Collection took over this Tenderloin property in early 2025, and recalibrated as the Timbri. Located half a mile from Union Square, the 236-key property houses a rooftop Mediterranean restaurant and solarium called Rise Over Run, a lobby-level coffee bar, Spoke Coffee and Cafe, and a cocktail bar, Dark Bar.
Greenhouse-inspired architecture via Handel Architects is accented by conceptual design from Bjarke Ingels Group, and a local arts partnership with tastemakers like Root Division means contemporary pieces are on constant rotation throughout the grounds. Floor-to-ceiling windows mean guest rooms full of light, and many come with deep soaking tubs for extra relaxation. It’s worth noting that cozy standard rooms here hover right around $300—a relative steal—but the suites still deliver luxury: The one-bedroom Sanctuary Penthouse is great for entertaining with wraparound windows, a living room, wet bar, and dining room with seating for up to eight people.
Timbri Hotel.
Timbri Hotel
The Jay, Autograph Collection
433 Clay St., San Francisco, CA 94111
A design-forward stay from Marriott, the serene, swanky Autograph Collection outpost comes off like a boutique hotel even though it’s technically part of a larger corporate network. Opened in late 2023, the hotel’s Art Deco-esque interiors are courtesy of design firm AvroKO, which transformed this former Le Meridien into a textured, modernist escape with a neutral palette and custom furniture. With 360 rooms, a third-floor lounge and terrace with a brand new restaurant, Brasserie, open to the public for all-day dining, and a swanky Southern restaurant, Prelude, there’s a lot of foot traffic in and out of the 25-story John Portman-designed Brutalist tower. Curated artwork and nods to San Francisco artists like Ruth Asawa keep the property firmly rooted in the city’s creative ethos. Design elements like concrete and plaster, warm wood, and geometric shapes redefine guest rooms and common spaces through the lens of “warm brutalism,” which, oddly enough, totally works.
The Jay, Autograph Collection.
The Jay, Autograph Collection
Luma Hotel San Francisco
100 Channel St., San Francisco, CA 94158
As the first-ever hotel development in Mission Bay, this 2022 property offers a totally different spin on the downtown stay, and it’s a thriving hub for sports lovers. Close proximity to Chase Center and Oracle Park makes it an ideal location for fans in town to catch a Warriors or Giants game—even if they’re rooting for away teams—and the property is also positioned well for concertgoers or visitors interested in exploring the waterfront. Only a half-mile from either of those venues, this property could easily be a walkable stay, or at the very least, an exceedingly short ride. Unlike many other historic or renovated properties in the city, this hotel is a new build from the ground up, with clean lines and modern architecture that give it a youthful vibe. Leaning into its positioning on the water and proximity to sports arenas, the hotel has put together packages that let guests kayak out into a nearby cove and watch a projection of the game from a unique vantage point on the water. On the other side of the spectrum, beer lovers can get local Fieldwork pints delivered straight to their room on game day. The 299 guest rooms and suites prioritize views of the bay, and three on-site venues include a lobby space that’s a coffee shop by day, wine bar by night, and Cavaña, a Latin American rooftop restaurant.
Luma Hotel San Francisco.
Luma Hotel San Francisco
