Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco at Embarcadero

This luxury hotel in a modern Financial District high-rise offers superlative service and San Fran’s most sweeping views.

• The highest guestrooms in San Francisco, with stunning views from every room
• The Golden Gate Terrace Suite, with its 800 square foot terrace in the sky
• Top-notch service, as can be expected at any Four Seasons hotel

The Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco at Embarcadero (then a Mandarin Oriental, and later a Loews Regency) was the first San Francisco hotel to be built within an office high-rise, a setting that once seemed odd and now seems almost de rigueur. Its 155 guest rooms and suites are situated between the 38th and 48th floors in one of the city’s tallest buildings, so all windows frame dramatic views (though the Bay-View rooms with views of the San Francisco Bay are preferred). It is thrilling to see the iconic TransAmerica Pyramid looming outside the window, and in the background, the Golden Gate Bridge stretching like a blue thread across the bay. Surely the point of being in San Francisco is to revel in views like these. Rooms have a soothing color palette of grays and creams, with pops of vermillion in the carpeting and accent chairs.

The Financial District location gives it an edge for the business traveler who wants to be within walking distance of bank headquarters and law offices. However, while the hotel may attract Financial District types during the week, on weekends it’s a superb secret destination for a romantic hideaway. Some bathtubs have gorgeous bay views, enhancing the escapist mood. Although the Financial District can feel deserted on the weekends, you are a stone’s throw from Union Square in one direction and the Embarcadero in the other.

Executives like the Financial District location, and everyone will appreciate the best city views of any San Francisco hotel. (Those with acrophobia may wish to avoid rooms that require walking through the glass hallways in the sky). Families should opt for the Four Seasons in downtown San Francisco on Market Street.