Ritz-Carlton San Francisco by Daniel Scott

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel is the address in San Francisco these days, perched as it is on Nob Hill, at the heart of this compact city. The grandiloquent building in which the hotel is housed has been a city landmark since 1909 and it’s a neo-classical façade is impressive, with tall, fat columns rising high above its entrance.

This is one of the best of the Ritz-Carlton brand of hotels, especially for those visiting San Francisco on business. Apart from it’s convenient location, close to the financial district and easily accessible by the city’s famous trams, the hotel has three business-friendly “club” levels. Here, a club lounge has light breakfasts, snacks and drinks available all day and well-organised, compact guest rooms offer high-speed internet access and even a troubleshooting technology butler. The lobby lounge or the garden courtyard are also useful for informal meetings. But those out to impress invite clients to “the Dining Room”, the onsite restaurant. “Expect the ‘transcendental’”, reads one enthusiastic review, “even if it is a blow-the-bank job”. Service and ambience just the right side of pretentious should also be anticipated, as should a sommelier passionate about small Californian wineries.