Beacon Grand, San Francisco review, USA: Historic Californian stay's breathtaking restoration

The former Sir Francis Drake Hotel has been given an extensive renovation without compromising its old-world style.Credit: Beacon Grand

THE PLACE

Built in 1928, The Sir Francis Drake Hotel was San Francisco's grandest hotel for decades. More than 10,000 people came to stand outside and admire it when it first opened and its launch party attracted California's Governor and Hollywood's biggest stars. Fully renovated and reopened with a new name in June 2022, old-world style remains – with vaulted gold leaf ceilings, French and Italian marble and a grand marble staircase at the entrance.

THE LOCATION

The elegantly-styled guest room beds each feature the best mattress this side of the Mississippi (with 32 centimetres of gel foam).Credit: Beacon Grand

Beacon Grand is located in Union Square, a major tourist destination within San Francisco which is home to one of the largest collections of department stores, upscale boutiques and art galleries in the US. You're also only a short walk from America's oldest Chinatown and only a few more blocks away from Fisherman's Wharf and the city's world-famous harbour. There are trolleybuses just outside, though it's easy to walk.

THE SPACE

Come in from the street and you're immediately thrown back a century in time in the hotel's European renaissance-inspired two-story lobby. Cocktails and rare whiskeys are served at its historic bar where you can hear live music from Thursday to Saturday evenings. Perhaps you'd rather escape into a hidden lounge through a once secret door, or find the Prohibition Room where guests could drink liquor illegally brought in from Canada. This was the most expensive hotel built in California at its time of construction and its grand touches are still evident throughout.

Cocktails and rare whiskeys are served at the Beacon Grand's historic bar.Credit: Beacon Grand

THE ROOM

Every guest room and suite was re-designed to feature as many modern touches as historic flourishes. So you'll get extra-high ceilings and European oak floors which come with black-out curtains, a pillow menu and the best mattress this side of the Mississippi (with 32 centimetres of gel foam). All Grand guest rooms and suites offer city views. Bathrooms aren't huge, but the black-tile flooring and custom vanities are appealing.

THE FOOD

Breakfasts are served buffet-style in the hotel's lounge on the mezzanine level overlooking the lobby. Dinners are served there also and range from beef burgers to grilled lobster tail – the ambience is casually elegant, where you're as likely to don a t-shirt and jeans as a sports coat or an evening dress. Plans are under way for a new restaurant to be opened by the end of 2023, with its concept and theme still to be determined.

STEPPING OUT

You don't have far to go… to anywhere. Union Square is one of the busiest neighbourhoods in San Francisco, and is full of every kind of entertainment from dive bars to cocktail lounges to live music venues. It also has one of the largest offerings of restaurants in the whole city. You're right next to the city's Theatre District but it's worth getting an Uber or taking the train to The Mission, the indie-hip part of the city with its quirky restaurants, street arts scene and alternative bars.

THE VERDICT

If you want to feel the glamour of a long-gone era of San Francisco, there's nowhere like the Grand Beacon. But it's not stuck in its past either, staying here also feels about as cool a place you'll find in 2023. Staff are over-the-top friendly, never pretentious; and while it's perfectly positioned to access the whole city, you'll want to spend adequate time soaking up the vibe within.

ESSENTIALS

Rooms from $279 USD per night. 450 Powell St, San Francisco. See beacongrand.com

OUR RATING OUT OF FIVE

★★★★½

HIGHLIGHT

Entering the lobby from busy Powell Street and stepping right back into a time in San Francisco's history where nothing was rushed.

LOWLIGHT

Meals are certainly adequate – but until the hotel's new restaurant opens later in 2023, breakfast and dinner options are limited (especially breakfast).

Craig Tansley travelled courtesy of Beacon Grand and Visit California.