Hotel Adagio by Gregory McNamee

The Hotel Adagio, in the heart of San Francisco’s ton-y Theatre District, is a marvel of Spanish Colonial Revival architecture, the dominant California style of the Jazz Age. In the course of its recent, pricey (reported at more than $11 million) renovation, the hotel lost some of its patina, even if the corridors still have a dark and somewhat haunted air. Now a part of the Joie de Vivre chain, the Adagio is tidy and efficient; the staff is young, and there cane occasionally be a certain too-cool-for-you air on the part of some of the desk help. Overall, though, quite satisfactory and with some good special offers.

The rooms
The Adagio’s facelift may have missed a few spots, notably the hallways, but the rooms are a treat, with large, comfortable beds and modern fixtures. The bathrooms tend to be small but, unusually in the city, most have tubs as well as showers. The Adagio eschews air conditioning, no great problem given the normally clement weather, but on warm nights the air can be a little close - and opening the window invites a symphony of street noise into one’s lair.