Nob Hill is the highest point near downtown San Francisco, built atop its summit on the 19th floor of The InterContinental Mark Hopkins, is their sky lounge, The Top of the Mark, and as I take in one of the world’s most famous panoramas from inside what has been a literal Must See Venue for 75 years, The Top of The Mark’s spectacular wraparound windows frame the Golden Gate and and Bay Bridges, Transamerica Pyramid, Chinatown, and the shopping and open spaces of Union Square, and save the bridges, all are in walking distance. My outdoors view, especially the skyscrapers and the engineering marvels that are the bridges are wonderful contrasts to the interior, where the Top of the Mark’s old world wood and wrought-iron charm speak or craftsmen from a bygone time.
Through this blend of past and present I see my future, and that future is dinner at 7, downstairs at the Intercontinental’s Nob Hill Club. Meals are available at the Top of The Mark, by special arrangement only, so I arranged one up here for tomorrow when in addition to my meal, light appetizers and desserts will be served. Those take placein the evenings with Nick Rossi and his Swing Four playing live on the first Saturday of each month.
As I step from the elevator, on the far side of the lobby are two historic ballrooms, 4,400 square feet and 2,128 square feet, painstakingly redesigned in 2022 reviving their perennial blend of sophisticated elegance and modern comfort now convey their rich history with the glamour and glitz of vintage San Francisco, but I turn right and am seated at my dinner table in the Nob Hill Club, a shared space restaurant, bar, grab and go, with Club InterContinental ® Lounge posing another iconic setting of the InterContinental Mark Hopkins, this one at ground-level where locally-sourced ingredients drive the seasonal menus and California-centric wine list highlights Napa, Sonoma, Monterey and Alameda Counties.
Beyond dinner hours, The Club InterContinental ® Lounge is particularly convenient, opening at 6:30 daily with a la-carte breakfast and available to guests with a 1 O’Clock late check out, have continued access to the Lounge until their departure.
I rode the cable car back to the hotel after a day out exploring the city and popped upstairs to find turndown service complete, not hungry enough for room service I pour a glass of red from my welcome basket of fresh fruit and wine. Mine and the other Full-sized suites on this floor have an enclosed sunroom with wonderful exposures, especially for the stretch of cloudless days that made this weekend by The Bay even more enjoyable. And as it was at The Top of The Mark, the interior’s wonderful appointments and local original art are exactly what a seasoned traveler expects from an InterContinental.
My bed’s a king but double-doubles are an option and like mine, all 26 Full-sized suites and rooms in the Club Category are fitted with flat-screen televisions in living and sleeping areas, with complimentary access to breakfast at Club Intercontinental, for guests not in a suite, that service is available as an add-on.
As wonderful as my Full Sized Suite’s accommodation is, the Mark Hopkins offers another level, their Luxury Suites, and the Nob Hill suite is an exemplar. The building’s French Chateau and Spanish Renaissance architectural style allow the shape and size of its suites’ physically larger windows and their placement along one of two sides of the building’s central arch, referred to as the hotel’s “arms” lent the designer freedom to present expansive views. And even with the view in mind, the suite’s interior impresses with 1,100 square feet of home away from home, or as guests may call it, home suite home away from home. The Nob Hill Suite offers choice: Either 24-hour laundry, and in-room dining for breakfast and dinner or self sufficiency, there’s a washer-dryer, full kitchen, walk-in closet, daily turndown service.
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So as I reflect on my time at The Mark Hopkins InterContinental, I’m reminded the more things change, , the more they stay the same, with service, luxury and comfort watchwords at The Mark Hopkins.
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