Palace Hotel San Francisco

Editorial score of 9.0 of 10, the composite average of the three factors above (Rooms, Service, Location). Method at our methodology page. Affiliate disclosure: booking links may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you, and never change our verdict.

Why does the Palace Hotel rank among the best in San Francisco?

The Palace Hotel earns its place because it is the most architecturally extraordinary grand hotel in the city, and it charges less for that grandeur than the Nob Hill five-stars do. It first opened in 1875 as the largest and most luxurious hotel in the world, was destroyed after the 1906 earthquake and fire, and was rebuilt on the same New Montgomery Street site and reopened in 1909. The heart of the building is the Garden Court, a soaring hall ringed by marble columns and crowned with a stained-glass ceiling, lit by chandeliers that date to the hotel's early years. Breakfast or brunch under that glass, with the light pouring down onto white linen, is one of the finest hotel experiences in the American West and the single reason many guests choose the Palace over a newer address.

The rest of the hotel has to live up to that room, and it mostly does. The 556 rooms are large by San Francisco standards and finished in a warm, period style, and the hotel keeps a sky-lit indoor pool that few downtown properties can match. As part of the Luxury Collection it runs with more operational consistency than many independent historic hotels, and its position at the corner of Market and New Montgomery puts it at the meeting point of the Financial District, SoMa and the museum quarter. For a traveller who wants old San Francisco grandeur and a central address without the top Nob Hill rate, this is the value pick among the city's grand hotels. Set your expectations for a very large, busy landmark rather than an intimate boutique, and it delivers.

What are the best rooms to request?

Request a higher-floor room or a suite and ask for one of the renovated categories away from Market Street, because in a house this size the difference between rooms is real. The 556 rooms are large by city standards and finished in warm, period-appropriate colours, with the high ceilings and generous proportions that a 1909 building allows. The trade-off of that scale is variety: some rooms have been refreshed more recently than others, and rooms low over Market Street can catch traffic and streetcar noise, while interior and upper-floor rooms are quieter. For a special stay it is worth booking a suite or a Luxury Collection premium category, both for the extra space and for the better light and calm.

One honest caveat that glossy write-ups skip: this is a grand, high-traffic hotel with meeting and event business, so at busy times the lobby and lifts can feel more like a landmark than a retreat, and service, while polished, is stretched across a lot of rooms. Guests who want the intimacy of a small hotel will feel the scale here. Treat the Palace as a piece of living San Francisco history with a central address, book up a category for a quieter, brighter room, and the building rewards you.

What is the dining and the bar scene like?

Dining at the Palace is anchored by one of the most beautiful rooms in California. The Garden Court, under its stained-glass ceiling and chandeliers, serves breakfast and lunch, a signature weekend brunch and an afternoon tea, and the setting alone makes the meal feel like an occasion from the moment you sit down. It is a San Francisco ritual as much as a restaurant, the kind of room locals bring visiting family to, and it is the centrepiece of the whole hotel. Whether or not you stay the night, a table under the glass is worth planning for.

What about the bar, pool and amenities?

The hotel's best-known bar is the Pied Piper, named for Maxfield Parrish's painting The Pied Piper of Hamelin, which has hung behind the bar since 1909 and gives the room its character. It pours craft cocktails in one of the most atmospheric hotel bars in the city and works equally well for a pre-dinner drink or a nightcap. Beyond the food and drink, the Palace keeps a sky-lit indoor swimming pool, a genuine rarity for a historic downtown hotel, along with a fitness centre, valet parking and extensive meeting and event space. For a couple, the combination of the Garden Court, the Pied Piper and a swim under the skylight is a strong argument on its own, and one that the view-first towers such as the Four Seasons at Embarcadero cannot answer.

Signature amenities

At the corner of Market and New Montgomery

The Garden Court, the rooms, the Pied Piper

Garden Court

Guest room

Pied Piper Bar

Pool

How does the Palace Hotel compare with San Francisco's other grand hotels?

Against the field, the Palace is the historic-landmark value pick, and the choice comes down to what matters most on your stay. The Four Seasons at Embarcadero is the modern-tower alternative, with bay views and newer rooms but no room to rival the Garden Court. The Ritz-Carlton San Francisco brings Nob Hill grandeur, cable cars at the door and a more polished, higher-priced service. The Fairmont San Francisco is the other great historic house on the hill, home to the Tonga Room and famous views, at a similar heritage price point. The Palace trade-off is scale: it is a very large, busy hotel, and the intimacy some travellers want lives elsewhere.

Other luxury stays in San Francisco

#2 · Embarcadero

Four Seasons Embarcadero

Financial District · tower

★★★★★HFK 9.3

#3 · Nob Hill

The Ritz-Carlton

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★★★★★HFK 9.2

#4 · Nob Hill

Fairmont San Francisco

Nob Hill · heritage

★★★★★HFK 9.0

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