From
From $799/night
Rooms
143
Setting
Nob Hill
Best For
Design · Heritage · Views
Reviewed
Sep-26
Reserve a Room
A 1922 apartment building on Nob Hill, made a hotel in 1924 for guests who stayed for months. Ken Fulk kept the plaster ceilings, the boiserie, and the tall windows, and furnished it like a grand residence.
The Huntington opened on the corner of California and Taylor Streets in 1922 as a residential apartment building and became a hotel in 1924, a long-stay address for the industrialists, financiers, and San Francisco families who wanted hotel service at the proportions of a private home. Princess Margaret and Truman Capote stayed here. The hotel closed in 2020, and after its owner defaulted on the mortgage, Flynn Properties and Highgate bought it in 2023. San Francisco designer Ken Fulk led the restoration, and the hotel reopened in March 2026 with 143 rooms and suites.
THE PROPERTY
Nob Hill is the most historically loaded address in San Francisco: the hill where the railroad fortunes built their mansions before the 1906 earthquake and fire, where the California Street cable car still climbs, and where the Fairmont, the Mark Hopkins, and the Huntington have competed for the same guests for a century. The Huntington faces Huntington Park, with Grace Cathedral on the far side, and is the quietest and most residential of the three. It is a member of Leading Hotels of the World.
LOBBY CULTURE
Fulk kept the Georgian bones intact: plasterwork ceilings, boiserie panels, and expansive windows. The lobby is off-white with a painted ceiling and stone floors, a central seating area, and fresh flowers at check-in. Residential furniture is scaled to the oversized rooms, with commissioned art and restored woodwork throughout. Off the lobby, the Big Four keeps its wood paneling, carved columns, and nightly piano, and Arabella's, a 25-seat martini bar, adds a smaller room for the hour before dinner.
DESIGN NOTES
Ken Fulk is known for maximalism, and the Huntington is his most restrained work. The crown molding, plaster detailing, red brick, and tall windows of the original building all survived the renovation, joined by soft Art Deco touches and earth tones with crimson accents. The 71 guestrooms and 72 suites keep traces of their apartment-era layouts in their proportions and window lines. The Penthouse runs nearly 1,500 square feet.
BAR & SHARED SPACES
The Big Four opened in 1976 and marks its 50th year in 2026, named for the four railroad barons who built their mansions on this hill. Chef David Intonato kept the chicken pot pie and the crab Louie, tableside service returned, and the piano is back in the 72-seat room. Arabella's, named for Arabella Huntington, pours decades-old spirits from a vintage French bar cart. The Nob Hill Spa runs nearly 9,000 square feet across three floors, with a heated soaking pool, 12 treatment rooms, saunas, and steam rooms.
The Huntington reopened in March 2026 after six dark years and a restoration led by Ken Fulk for Flynn Properties and Highgate. It is the most specifically San Francisco luxury stay available: apartment-scale rooms, the Big Four's piano at night, and Huntington Park outside the door.
— The Lobby Edit · Founder's Note
ROOMS THAT MATTER
The 143 rooms and suites are among the most generously proportioned hotel rooms in San Francisco, a legacy of a building sized for residents who stayed for seasons. The suites keep traces of their former apartment layouts. The corner suites have expansive views across the city and the bay. The Penthouse, at nearly 1,500 square feet, looks across Huntington Park and Grace Cathedral to the bay.
THE VERDICT
San Francisco's most historically considered luxury hotel, restored by the city's most specific designer. Apartment proportions, the Big Four at fifty, and a three-floor spa on top of the hill. The Huntington earns its Leading Hotels of the World membership on character alone.
Editor's Note
San Francisco's most considered restoration. Ken Fulk at his most historically specific. The proportions alone are worth the rate.
The Lobby Edit Score
9.2
/ 10
Ken Fulk's most restrained work. Apartment-scale rooms and the Big Four on Nob Hill.
Property
The Huntington Hotel
Brand
Independent · Leading Hotels of the World
Category
Historic Luxury
Rooms
143
Opened
1924 · Reopened 2026
Address
1075 California Street, San Francisco, CA
Rates From
$799.00
Per Night · Direct Booking
RESERVE VIA THE HUNTINGTON HOTEL
Collections
Design
Heritage
San Francisco
Americas
Spa
Views
Historic
Ken Fulk
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Moments at The Huntington Hotel
Nob Hill, Returned to Itself
Category Scores
Design & Materials
9.4
Atmosphere & Scent
9.1
Lobby Culture
9.1
Service
9.3
Rooms & Suites
9.2
Food & Beverage
9
Value
8.8
Sense of Place
Plaster ceilings, red brick, and a piano that plays every night. Nob Hill's grandest residence is open again.
SIGNATURE SCENT
Old wood paneling, brass polish, and cut flowers at the front desk. The building supplies its own scent.
LOBBY ENERGY
San Francisco establishment, Leading Hotels regulars, design-literate couples. Here for the hill itself.
MATERIAL CHARACTER
Georgian plasterwork, boiserie, crown molding, red brick, crimson accents. Ken Fulk at his most restrained.
TIME OF DAY
Best at 7pm, with a martini at Arabella's and the Big Four's piano starting next door.
The Huntington Hotel Lobby Culture Score: 9.1. The painted-ceiling lobby, the Big Four, and Arabella's make this the most specifically San Francisco hotel arrival available.
Suites
That Earn the Stay
King Junior Suite
King · Georgian Details · Plaster Ceilings · Apartment-Scale Proportions
From $799/night
Book This Suite
One-Bedroom Suite
King · Separate Living Room · Former Apartment Layout · City Views
From $1,100/night
Book This Suite
Corner One Bedroom Suite
King · Corner Position · Expansive City and Bay Views
From $1,300/night
Book This Suite
The Penthouse
King · 1,500 sq ft · Grace Cathedral and Bay Views · Most Expansive Accommodation
From $2,500/night
Book This Suite
The Common Ground
Dining, Bar & Shared Spaces
Where the hotel earns its rate beyond the room.
CURATED BY THE LOBBY EDIT
Where to Eat
THESE PLACEMENTS ARE OFFERED QUARTERLY TO RESTAURANTS THAT MEET OUR EDITORIAL STANDARD. LEARN ABOUT PARTNERSHIP →
Three restaurants worth the walk. One for every part of the day.
While You're Here
What to Do Nearby
01
Grace Cathedral
2 min walk across Huntington Park. The Gothic Revival cathedral with the finest interior of any church in San Francisco. Walk the indoor labyrinth in the morning light.
03
Huntington Park
Across the street. The park on the old Colton mansion site, with a replica of Rome's Fountain of the Tortoises at its center.
05
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
20 min walk to SOMA. The most significant modern art collection on the West Coast, in a building by Mario Botta with a Snohetta expansion. Allow three hours.
02
Cable Car
Directly outside on California Street. Ride the California line east down the hill toward the Embarcadero and the Ferry Building, or west to Van Ness. The most San Francisco ride from the front door.
04
The Nob Hill Spa
Already in the building. Three floors, saunas, steam, and a 94-degree soaking pool open to guests who book a treatment. Book before your stay.
06
The Ferry Building
15 min by cable car or 25 min walk downhill. The 1898 ferry terminal with the best concentration of Bay Area food producers under one roof. Go on a Saturday for the farmers market.
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Photography courtesy of Douglas Friedman & The Huntington Hotel
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