Top 10 San Francisco Hotels

Listed here are the top 10 hotels in San Francisco. Each hotel offers not just luxury, but also a heritage that is a part of San Francisco's history and culture.

1. The Fairmont San Francisco: This hotel is the original Fairmont, opened in 1907. Today it is just as much a part of San Francisco as the Golden Gate Bridge or the cable cars.

But even without the 103 years of history, the luxurious 591 guest rooms and suites atop Nob Hill, where all of the City's cable car lines meet, would make this the best hotel in San Francisco.

Consider the history - the grand opening that pulled San Francisco out of the shock of the great earthquake of 1906, all the Presidents that have stayed at the hotel since then, the drafting of the UN Charter in 1945, famous tv shows and movies like Hotel and Vertigo filmed at the hotel, America's first concierge, the first bar to open in San Francisco after prohibition... the list goes on.

The sum of it is that until the day The Fairmont decides to close its doors, it will remain the best hotel in San Francicso.

More info: www.fairmont.com/sanfrancisco/

2. Grand Hyatt San Francisco: Opened in 1973, the Grand Hyatt San Francisco houses 685 guest rooms and suites in a landmark 36 story tower.

The landmark structure, the prime location in Union Square and the trademark Hyatt exclusivity and luxury get this hotel a prime spot on this list.

More info: http://grandsanfrancisco.hyatt.com/

3. Mandarin Oriental: Also near Union Square and also in a landmark tower that is the third tallest building in San Francisco.

With 151 rooms and seven exquisite suites, the Mandarin Oriental is just as exclusive and luxurious as the Grand Hyatt.

More info: www.mandarinoriental.com/sanfrancisco

4. The Ritz-Carlton San Francisco: Opened 1991, after a $100 million reconstruction of the Metropolitan Insurance building.

A Nob Hill hotel with 336 guest rooms including 60 suites, The Ritz-Carlton features include The Dining Room - San Francisco's only Forbes/Mobil 5-star restaurant.

The power and luxury of the the Ritz-Carlton brand, not to mention priceless artifacts in the hotel such as the Louis XVI marble urns, make this one of the best hotels in San Francisco.

More info: www.ritzcarlton.com/

5. Hilton San Francisco: The Financial District Hilton, which opened in 2006, deserves mention for being built on a landmark site that dates back to the 19th century.

It was first a theatre and then City Hall, followed by a long stint as the San Francisco Hall of Justice.

This 27 storey Chinatown hotel has a wonderful lobby design based on Feng Shui, one of the reasons why this hotel is so popular amongst visiting businessmen.

It might have something to do with the 544 guest rooms and suites, a 24 hour business center and 15 meeting rooms, including a 4,396 sq ft grand ballroom with 20 ft floor-to-ceiling glass windows.

More info: www.sanfranciscohiltonhotel.com/

6. The Palace Hotel: The Palace Hotel not only has a past that dates back to Oct 1875, but even at present looks like a plush palace from the 19th century.

The 553 guest rooms and suites have 14 ft ceilings, and the architechture, the furnishings and the marble bathrooms all hark back to a bygone era.

The Palace has had just as much to do with San Francisco's history as The Fairmont, if not more.

More info: www.sfpalace.com/

7. Le Méridien San Francisco: This 360 room hotel opened in 2006 and is located in the Financial District.

Le Méridien is directly connected by a pedestrian bridge to the Federal Reserve Building.

Also, it has made itself a part of San Francisco's art scene by playing host to and promoting artists, painters and creative individuals.

More info: www.starwoodhotels.com/lemeridien/

8. The St. Regis San Francisco: Another art hub in a historic building, the St. Regis shares its 40 story tower with the Museum of the African Diaspora.

The hotel's SOMA location adds to its art creds, with the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art as its neighbor.

More info: www.starwoodhotels.com/stregis/

9. Taj Campton Place: This 110 room hotel opened in 1909, and the structure is made up two historic 12th century buildings.

Campton Place has a distinct old world European charm, and the landmark 17 floor property has a prime location on Stockton Street in Union Square.

More info: www.tajhotels.com/Luxury/

10. Orchard Hotel: If all the hotels mentioned above are part of San Francisco's past, the eco-friendly Orchard Hotel is just as much a part of the city's future.

Built from the ground up and opened in 2000, the Orchard Hotel and it's sister property the Orchard Garden Hotel were among the earliest hotels in the US to embrace the environment and offer guests a green stay.

Today, there are LEED certified green hotels popping up all over the US, and being green is a fashion statement and a way of life.

San Francisco and its residents are counted amongst the most environmentally conscious in the world, and a small part of the credit for all this goes to the Orchard Hotel and its visionary management.

More info: www.theorchardhotel.com/

Photo credits (from top):- 1 - Yorick_R; 2 - Fairmont Hotels & Resorts; 3 - prayitno; 4 - Mandarin Oriental Group; 5 - Hilton Worldwide; 6 - igb; 7 - garyembridge; 8 - terren in Virginia; 9 - Taj Hotels; 10 - Orchard Hotel