Fairmont San Francisco, A Classic Property with Modern Comforts
It was 1907 when the first Fairmont hotel, Fairmont San Francisco, made its debut atop Nob Hill. Today, the Fairmont boasts more than 60 resorts and I’ve had the good fortune to stay in many of these world-class lodgings, including the Fairmont Masai Mara in Kenya, the Fairmont Jasper in the Canadian Rockies, and recently, the Fairmont Orchid on the Big Island of Hawaii. All are excellent, but some of their more historic properties like the Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City and the Fairmont Empress in Victoria, BC, tend to have smaller rooms. So I was surprised and delighted to step into our spacious room at the Fairmont San Francisco, which offered more than enough breathing space for our family of four.
After a recent $21 million renovation, the place never looked better! The grand lobby and adjacent Laurel Court Restaurant is a wonderful welcome mat to the city of San Francisco. I also enjoyed roaming the long hallway off the lobby that has photographs of all the presidents who stayed here and documents the drafting of the UN Charter in the hotel’s Garden Room in 1945. Nearby in the Venetian Room, Tony Bennett first sang, “I Left my Heart in San Francisco.” Pets are welcome and there’s a small rooftop garden off the meeting rooms where you can roam outside. We loved jumping into taxis and riding down the steep hill, with views of the bay every which way. I’d definitely recommend the hotel to our clientele.