Everything you need to know about The Historic Palace Hotel in San Francisco

The Palace Hotel was the first luxury Hotel ever built in San Francisco. When it was first built, in 1875, it was the largest hotel in the world and certainly the most opulent. From its early days, it has been a splurge worthy travel destination.
Although the original structure was destroyed by the 1906 earthquake and fire, the current structure, completed December 19, 1909, is just as impressive. Over a hundred years later, it is still an amazing place to visit, to dine, and to spend the night. It is a uniquely San Franciscan hotel experience.
The Palace Hotel’s prime location, on the southwest corner of Market and Kearny Streets, close to the Moscone Center, the Union Square shopping district, the San Francisco Ferry Building and many important city landmarks.It is, also, a hotel where you will encounter locals. Many come there for the incredible brunch buffet and high tea service, offered at the Garden Court. Others come for the delicious cocktails and cuisine at the Pied Piper Bar.This guide will help you navigate your way through this 9 story hotel, with 550 rooms.
Accommodations
The Palace Hotel is part of the Historic Hotels of America. The program, founded in 1989, is run by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. This group identifies American hotels that have maintained architectural integrity from their respective time periods. These hotels are, also, identified for their authenticity and sense of place. A modern renovation of the Palace, added classically inspired contemporary design to the space that perfectly compliments the historic architecture. The Palace is not a tired old relic of yesteryear. It is still a place where guests will enjoy first-class accommodations, including lavish amenities, top-notch hospitality and world class dining.
Rooms: The rooms have high ceilings and custom furnishings inspired by the hotel’s origins. The beds have leather tufted head boards and luxurious bedding. Every room has marble baths and showers, as well as a 48 inch flat screen Television.Select suites, offer separate seating areas and views of Market Street, enhancing the guest experience.
Check in/out: Check-in time is 4:00 PM and Check-out time is 12:00 PM. They do offer early check-in and late check-out for a fee.
24 Hour Pool and Fitness Services: At The Palace Hotel, pool and fitness hours are never limited. These accommodations are available to you at any hour. The indoor pool is located beneath a beautiful glass dome. They also offer a hot tub. The gym has plenty of equipment and is one of the nicest hotel gyms in the city.
Kids: The Palace is family friendly and even offers babysitting services to guests, a kid friendly pool, and the restaurant and in-room dining menus offer kids options. There is also a Ghirardelli Ice cream Parlor on the property. One of the on line hotel packages offers a second, connecting room for 30% off, as well.
Pets: The Palace is a pet friendly hotel.
Dining
In-Room Dining: At the Palace you can enjoy breakfast in bed, with in-room dining offered from 6:30 am until 10:00 am. In the evening you can enjoy beer, wine cocktails or food in your room between 5:00 pm and 10:00 pm. A kid’s menu is also offered. The fee for in room dining is 20% plus $5.00. They offer the same delicious food served in the two restaurants on the premise.
The Garden Court Restaurant
The Garden Court Restaurant, revealed in 1909, along with the “New Palace”, will whisk you back to the Gilded Age. It is the most stunning restaurant in San Francisco and is considered one of the most beautiful rooms in the world. It was designated an historic landmark in 1969, making it the city’s only interior landmark.
The Garden Court is also among the hotel’s event spaces and makes a stunning backdrop for a wedding or important special occasion. The venue has hosted Presidents and is a location of important historical events. For example, in 1919 two luncheons were hosted by President Woodrow Wilson at the Garden Court. The luncheons were held in support of the Versailles Treaty ending World War I. And in 1945, the official banquet honoring the opening session of the United Nations was also held there. To this day, the high society, San Francisco Debutant Ball, is held there each December.
The interior has grand marble columns, a stunning stained glass ceiling and 750 pounds of Austrian Crystal Chandeliers. The ceiling may look familiar to you.
The Garden Court offers Breakfast and Lunch, as well as high tea service and a noteworthy weekend brunch buffet. The Garden Court Lounge offers beverage service all day and snacks in the afternoon and evening.
Fun Fact #1:
Did you know that Green Goddess Dressing was invented at the Palace Hotel?
In 1923, an actor by the name of George Arliss was starring in the play “The Green Goddess”. While performing in San Francisco, he stayed at the Palace. The Palace Hotel’s Executive Chef, Phillip Roemer, decided to create a dish in honor of the actor. Chef Roemer created a creamy, tangy, bright green salad dressing that has stood the test of time. The dressing was named Green Goddess Dressing, after the play Arliss was starring in and was served to all guests enjoying the starter salad at the hotel.
Although Green Goddess dressing has fallen in and out of culinary fashion, over the decades, the Palace has continued to serve the iconic San Francisco Dressing on its crab salad. To this day it can be enjoyed at the Pied Piper Lounge and the Garden Court. The current cocktail menu even offers a non-alcoholic drink option, inspired by the this famous salad, called the “Green Goddess Refresher”. It is made with tarragon, cucumber and ginger beer.
Fun Fact #2:
Did you know that one of the most important bartenders in history worked at the Palace?
“Cocktail Bill” Boothby was one of the early creators of cocktails in the late 19th and early twentieth centuries and wrote two of the earliest American Cocktail Manuals. His namesake drink, a lesser known classic cocktail, “The Boothby” is still available in the cocktail lounge at the Garden Court and on the Cocktail Menu at the Pied Piper Lounge. The Boothby is a riff on the Manhattan, with the addition of orange bitters and champagne.
Fun Fact #3:
The final scenes of the 1997 action thriller, “The Game” starring Michael Douglass are filmed at the Garden Court, in the Palace Hotel. The glass ceiling that the lead character, Nicholas (played by Douglass), crashes through, is the stunning glass ceiling at the Garden Court. If you are a film buff be sure to see our guide to film locations in and near Union Square.
Breakfast
Hours: Monday to Saturday 6:30AM to10:30AM
The a la carte breakfast menu offers traditional breakfast favorites, such as omelets, Eggs Benedict, pancakes, fruit bowls, oatmeal and a pastry basket, all made with fresh, seasonal ingredients. Breakfast cocktails, such as Mimosas, Bloody Mary’s and Bellinis are offered as well as delicious smoothies and coffee and tea service. The items from this menu are offered on the in-room dining menu, as well.
*please note that Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite, Titanium Elite and Ambassador Elite members will receive vouchers for complimentary Continental Breakfast, at the Garden Court, during their stay.
Brunch Buffet
Hours: Sunday 7:00 AM to 2:00 PM
The Garden Court Brunch Buffet has been a destination for locals over the years. They offer a wide array of delicious breakfast offerings in an all you can eat format. It is one of the best spots for Sunday Brunch in San Francisco.
The menu includes classic breakfast items like, assorted cereal, scrambled eggs,bacon, chicken sausage, Challah Bread French Toast, bagels, assorted breakfast pastry and breakfast potatoes. It also includes seasonal fruits and berries, artisanal cheese and charcuterie, a smoked fish display and a very San Francisco offering of traditional dim sum. There are also daily specials, vegan items made with fresh, seasonal vegetables. It includes juice, coffee and tea. The price is $48 for adults and $24 for children.
Lunch:
Hours: Monday to Saturday 12:00PM to 2:00PM
They offer a lunch menu that includes starter soups and salads. They offer entree salads, as well, such as Tuna Nicoise and, of course, the signature Crab Salad with Green Goddess Dressing. For entrees they offer roasted chicken, steaks, short ribs and fresh fish. There are also sandwiches, such as a lobster club. It is a perfect location for a business lunch.
High Tea
Hours: Saturday 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM
The signature high tea service at The Palace, is one of the best in the city. It is offered year round, on Saturday afternoons. For special occasions, such as the winter holidays and Valentine’s Day, additional high tea services are added, with a special holiday flare.
The high tea service includes a premium selection of Harney and Sons Teas, house made scones, pastry and fresh tea sandwiches. It is $125 per person.
For children age 12 and up, they offer a Prince and Princess Tea.It includes special children’s tea sandwiches and pastries plus a Jeweled Crown and Candy Scepter. The price for kids is $65.
The Garden Court Lounge
Hours: 9:00 AM to 10:00 PM (food from 3:00 PM to 10:00 PM)
There is a lounge area, with a small satellite bar, lounge tables and couches in the front of the Garden Court Restaurant. The lounge offers a casual spot to relax and enjoy the space, even during the hours that the restaurant is not open. They offer coffee, tea, soft drinks and alcoholic beverages throughout the day. There is also access to wifi. It is a great spot to work, relax or socialize. If you just want coffee or a drink or a small snack, it is the perfect alternative within the hotel before the Pied Piper Lounge opens for the evening at 4:30 PM.
Pied Piper Lounge
The Pied Piper Lounge is named for the historic 16 foot painting that adorns the wall of the back bar, “The Pied Piper of Hamelin”. The space is gorgeous and has the 5 million dollar Maxfield Parrish Painting adorning the wall of the back bar.
The menu offers everything from appetizers and salads, including the Crab Salad with Green Goddess Dressing, which was invented at the hotel in 1923, to burgers, steaks, fish and pasta. The cocktail menu is modern but has The Boothby cocktail on the menu, which was invented there, by their late nineteenth/early twentieth century bartender of notoriety, “Cocktail Bill” Boothby.
Ghirardelli Ice Cream Parlor:
Ghirardelli Chocolate is a company that was founded in San Francisco. Today the city has a few old fashioned ice cream parlors serving delicious treats, made with Ghirardelli Chocolate. The majority are located in Ghirardelli Square, the site of the original chocolate factory. There is also one at the Giant’s Baseball stadium, which is known for is culinary offerings. The lines at the stadium can get incredibly long, as do the lines at Ghirardelli Square. Guests of the Palace and anyone visiting Union Square can enjoy the iconic chocolate and ice cream sundaes, at the hotel, where the lines tend to be more reasonable. It is also a great place to shop for souvenirs or gifts for people back home.
History
The Palace Hotel is a symbol of the transformation of San Francisco, from a humble port town to a world class city. It was built, just 26 years after the California Gold Rush began. This stunning, historic, work of architecture was a true representation of the gilded age. The gilded age was a time when great wealth was quickly achieved. It was also a time of rapid industrial growth. The Palace was the first, of many, grand hotels built in San Francisco, where Mining Magnates and Railroad Barrons could truly show off their newfound wealth. Many of the wealthy elites of the time, lived atop Nob Hill and were referred to as “Hob Nobs”. The Hob Nobs would socialize at the Palace regularly.
Fun Fact #3:
The hotel closed briefly, from 1989 to 1991 for seismic retrofitting. On the day it re-opened, in 1991, the line was three blocks long to get into the Garden Court and see the iconic ceiling.
Fun Fact #4:
The Palace Hotel was the tallest building in San Francisco when it was first built.
Fun Fact #5:
The Palace Hotel had the first hydraulic elevators, meant to transport people, on the West Coast. They were wood paneled. People of the gilded age called them “rising rooms”.
The original Palace hotel was built in 1875. It was 7 stories high and had 755 rooms. It had five elevators, aka rising rooms, a very modern and luxurious amenity for the time.We take the elevator for granted today but in 1875, the elevator made a lavish building, like the Palace Hotel, possible.It was the largest hotel, in the world, at the time. The hotel also boasted telegraph communication on all 7 floors and call buttons in all 750 rooms. The rooms also had private bathrooms, something that was not at all common place at the time. Lastly, the building was adorned with marble, gold and opulent crystal Chandeliers. No expense was spared. The cost of contracting a hotel so lavish was $5 million in 1875, which would be well over $100 million in today’s money.
The original Palace Hotel, completed in 1875, was financed and designed by William Ralston, founder of the Bank of California. He was rapidly becoming one of the wealthiest men on the West Coast. He relied on his Bank of California to finance the $5 million hotel project. Ralston never saw the hotel completed. The Bank of California collapsed in August of 1875. His business partner, Senator William Sharron, is said to have been partially responsible for the collapse. Ralston, an avid swimmer, was found dead in the water near Meigg’s Wharf, just hours after the bank collapse. At first it was thought to be a suicide and later determined he had suffered a stroke. Senator Sharron ended up with the bank, the hotel and even a personal property, owned by Ralston. He paid pennies on the dollar for these acquisitions.
Sadly, the original structure was destroyed in the 1906 earthquake and the fires that erupted all over the city afterwards. The building that occupies the southwest corner of Montgomery and Kearny Streets today is sometimes referred to as the “New Palace”. The New Palace was built with the same attention to luxurious detail as the original. The New Palace has been around so long that it has achieved historic landmark status. It is a stunning work of architecture, a luxury accommodation for travelers and inside is a free museum, two world renown dining facilities, a multimillion dollar piece of art and possibly two or more ghosts.
The New Palace was completed on December 19, 1909. It continuously operated since then, except for a short closure from January 1989 to April 1991. During this time it went under a seismic retrofit. During the time of the seismic retrofit, the city was struck with the most recent earthquake of epic proportions, the Loma Prieta. It was a 6.9 and caused a great deal of death and destruction. The Palace was unscathed by the Loma Prieta Earthquake and once again attracted elite members of society, including the wealthy, Presidents, Dignitaries and other people with great political power and celebrities.
“The Garden Court” Yesterday and Today
Today the hotel boasts the most beautiful dining room and lounge in the city, known as the Garden Court. The stained glass ceiling is epic. The crystal chandeliers and marble columns quickly whisk you back to the gilded age. This area is very similar to the “Grand Court”, later referred to as the “palm Court” of the original Palace. In 1875, an area of the hotel, located in the same space as the Garden Court restaurant today, is where horses and carriages of guests were received. The spacious room could receive up to 4 horse carriages at the time. There was a beautiful glass ceiling over the area. The surrounding area was balconies, where hotel guests could watch as newcomers checked in. Eventually is was converted into a space to dine and socialize called the Palm Court. This is where Italian opera singer, Louisa Tetrazzini gave her famous Christmas Eve concert that inspired the creation of the dish, “Chicken Tetrazzini”.
Dining at The Palace Yesterday and Today
In the Gilded Age, the original structure boasted several public spaces, including The Gold and White Room, a grand public dining area that sat up to 600 people. There were 2 grills, one for women and one for men, serving the finest steaks, chops and culinary offerings in the city. There was also a bar and a billiards room.
In the gilded age there were also drawing rooms and a children’s dining room and some other accommodations like a conservatory, on the 7th floor.
Today the hotel offers private dining rooms for special events and has the Garden Court and Garden Court Lounge for dining, drinking, coffee service, high tea and social gatherings and the Pied Piper Lounge, a bar and restaurant. There is also a Ghirardelli Ice Cream Parlor on the premise, as well as a few modern shops.
Famous Works of Art
The Pied Piper of Hamelin:
This 6 foot tall, 16 foot wide painting was commissioned in 1909 by the hotel. It was painted by iconic artist and illustrator, pf the golden age of illustration, Maxfield Parrish.
Parrish’s work influenced that of Norman Rockwell. He was a highly successful and highly paid artist. He enjoyed a long career and, by the 1920’s, he was the highest paid commercial artist in the United States.
Maxfield Parrish was commissioned by 3 hotels, in the early 20th Century, to create works of art. First he was commissioned by the Knickerbocker Hotel in New York. He painted a piece called “Old King Cole”, an 8 by 30 foot painting that now hangs at the St.Regis in Manhattan. In 1906 he was commissioned to paint the Pied Piper of Hamelin for the Place Hotel in San Francisco. In 1910 he painted the 6 by 14 foot painting, Sing a Song of Six Pense”, after being commissioned by the Sherman House in Chicago.
Parrish’s work is known for a technique called “glazing”, which results in beautiful light & color. His paintings are stunning. When looking at the Pied Piper, above the bar at The Palace Hotel, it is easy to see why he was such an influential and highly paid artist of his era.
Celebrity Stories
Louisa Tetrazzini
In the gilded age, opera singers were among the celebrities of the day. Louisa Tetrazzini, an Italian opera singer, was the most famous opera singer of her day. She adored San Francisco, as much as its people adored her. Being among the who’s who of the day, she stayed at The Palace Hotel, while visiting. She was a larger than life personality and certainly made her mark on the city by the bay.
Own Christmas Eve 1905, Louisa was staying at The “Old Palace” hotel. It was just 3 months and 3 weeks before the 1906 earthquake and fires would rip through the city and the grand hotel would be destroyed . That night, in the Palm Court, where the modern day Garden Court Restaurant sits today, the San Francisco Boys Choir Performed. Louisa, who was a guest of the hotel, joined in and gave a free concert to the people at the Palm Court that evening. This would not be her only free Christmas Eve performance in the city of San Francisco. In 1910, less than 4 years after the great earthquake, she would perform in the streets, not far from the Palace hotel.
Louisa Tetrazzini was a free spirit and very stubborn. She got in a dispute with Oscar Hammerstein, whom she had been performing for at the Manhattan Opera Company in NewYork. She wanted to perform in San Francisco on Christmas. He wanted her to perform in New York. She wanted $2,500. He did not want to pay that amount. He sued her. She was told she had to exclusively perform for Hammerstein while under contract. The stubborn Tetrazzini decided she’s rather be in San Francisco on Christmas of 1910, so she would perform for free in the streets of San Francisco, as a gift to the earthquake survivors living in the city.
According to San Francisco Journalist, Carle Nolte, Louisa said, “When they told me I could not sing in America unless it was for Hammerstein, I said I would sing in the streets of San Francisco, for I knew the streets of San Francisco were free”. “I never thought I would be a street singer,” she said, “but I want to do this for San Francisco … because I like San Francisco better than any other city in the world. San Francisco is my country.”
San Francisco returned the sentiment. The Chef at the Palace Hotel, Ernest Arbogast, is said to have created the dish in her honor, for the meal served at The Palm Court, on Christmas Eve 1905. Unfortunately, unlike the Green Goddess Salad, this dish is not a staple on the hotel’s menu any longer.
Enrico Caruso
Another celebrity of the gilded era, Enrico Caruso, an opera singer, who is still considered by many as the greatest tenor of all time, never returned to The Palace again, after the 1906 Earthquake and did not have the same warm and fuzzy feelings as Louisa Tetrazzini did about the city. In Caruso’s defense, his last evening spent at the Palace and in San Francisco was on April 17, 1906.
Caruso booked a room on the 5th floor of the Palace Hotel, while performing in the Opera Carmen. On the night of the 17th, he performed, returned to the hotel for luxurious dining and imbibing with friends in his circle. He retired to his luxurious room and slept well. That is, until about 5:18 am. He, like everyone else in San Francisco, was rudely awakened by an earthquake that rated 7.7 to 7.9 on the Richter Scale. He saw buildings collapse before him. He spent a night on the streets. Eventually he was able to gather his luggage and board a Ferry Boat to Oakland. He never returned to the city or the hotel again.
Film Locations at the Palace
“Herbie Rides Again” (1974): The Walt Disney film, “Herbie Rides Again”, sequel to “The Love Bug”, features the Palace Hotel, as well as other areas in San Francisco. They show the exterior of the Palace and the House of Shields, in one scene, and the Volkswagen Beetle driving through the dining room of the Garden Court Restaurant in another scene. This was filmed during the era when The Palace was owned by Sheraton.
“Jade” (1995): Most remember the 1990’s erotic thriller, “Basic Instinct”, starring Michael Douglass and Sharron Stone. A lesser known erotic thriller of the era was also filmed in San Francisco, Paramount Pictures, “Jade”, starring David Caruso. The Ballroom scenes were filmed inside the Palace Hotel.
“The Game” (1997): In the ending scenes of the Hollywood Thriller, “The Game”, starring Michael Douglas, Douglas’s character crashed through the iconic stained glass ceiling, at the Palace Hotel’s Garden Court Restaurant.
“Patch Adams” (1998): The Robin Williams film, “Patch Adams” features the Palace Hotel in the opening “Meat Packers” scene in one of the elegant ballrooms.
Ghost Stories
San Francisco is a place that is claimed to be one of the most haunted cities in the country. Ghost hunters and those who seek a thrill from close encounters with the paranormal, come to the city in hope of ghost spotting. Union Square is a neighborhood with a large concentration of ghost stories and alleged ghost sightings. The Palace is said to have more than its fair share of ghosts.
The Ghost of President Warren G. Harding: Warren G. Harding was one of 19 Presidents, who have visited the Palace over the years and the 13, who have spent the night. He is the only one who died there. In August of 1923 Harding and his wife arrived in San Francisco by train and booked room 8064. At the time this was considered the Presidential Suite. On August 2nd Harding passed away. The circumstances were rather strange. Some say he had food poisoning, others say he died of cerebral apoplexy. Others believe it was a little more nefarious and that he was poisoned. For some reason Mrs. Harding, denied an autopsy. The official story is that he died in his sleep on the evening of August 2, 1923. Unreliable sources believe that Harding may have died in one of the underground tunnels that ran to one of the nearby speakeasies. At the time, The Dawn Club was said to be operating as a speakeasy and had a tunnel running from the Palace Hotel’s kitchen. The House of Shields was operating a speakeasy in the basement and a tunnel was said to connect this speakeasy with a tunnel, as well. San Francisco was a bootleggers town and a drinkers town. It is believed that Harding enjoyed being able to indulge in a little tipple while visiting the city. Of course this would not have been spoken about, especially by the hotel staff, known for catering to every whim of the upper-crust clientel, who paid a pretty penny to stay at the grand hotel. Harding’s ghost has been spotted by hotel guests over the years. If you are the type, who enjoys a ghost hunt, room 8064 (no longer the Presidential Suite), can be requested.
Lady in Red: There is rumor of a ghost simply known as “The Lady in Red”. Supposedly the Lady in Red is an unfriendly ghost, who walks through walls, looking for businessmen, who are alone. She seduces the men and they are found paralyzed in fear, in the morning.
The Friendly Poltergeist: An unknown entity, a poltergeist, with a sense of humor, is said to tap people on the shoulder, while they dine at the Pied Piper. When they turn around, nobody is there.
The French Girl: The Palace Hotels cooks say they have seen a French Girl, in old fashioned clothing. She is rumored to come to them, asking for soup and then disappears.
The Palace Hotel is a must see destination in San Francisco’s Union Square Neighborhood for many reasons. Its rich history, luxury accommodations, world class dining and beautiful property, with much to see and explore offers a little something for everyone. This article highlights many of the facinating details about the Palace and all it offers. There is so much more to its expansive history. It is the ultimate splurge worthy hotel to book for your stay in the city but well worth a visit, even if you are not a hotel guest.
The Palace Hotel
2 New Montgomery St
San Francisco, CA 94105