May 08, 2008

Media Contact:
Kelly Chamberlin
Chamberlin Public Relations
415.336.4332
kelly@chamberlinpr.com

SAN FRANCISCO'S DYNAMIC NEW PERSONALITIES
Personality Hotels Set to Open Hotel Frank and Hotel Vertigo

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - May 8, 2008 - Personality Hotels, San Francisco's largest privately-owned boutique hotel operator, will debut two of The City's most distinctive and fashionable boutique hotels - Hotel Frank (December 2008) and Hotel Vertigo (early 2009). Both properties are highly anticipated to ignite the hospitality experience with a refreshingly new level of avant garde design and chic sophistication.

Spearheading the designs for both hotels is award-winning LA-based firm Thomas Schoos Design, Inc. renowned for the interior designs of many top urban restaurants, hotels and nightclubs, including Los Angeles' Huntley Hotel and its rooftop restaurant The Penthouse, Koi, O-Bar and Table 8 restaurants, and Tao restaurant and nightclub in New York and Las Vegas.

Hotel Vertigo
The 97-room Hotel Vertigo (currently the York Hotel) is undergoing a $5 million renovation that includes a complete redesign of all guestrooms, meeting space, corridors, the fitness center and lobby. In addition, one of America's hottest culinary stars - prominent chef, television celebrity and acclaimed author Tyler Florence - is opening his first-ever restaurant, Bar Florence, in early 2009. Upon completion, the hotel will be renamed Hotel Vertigo after Alfred Hitchcock's 1958 classic thriller staring James Stewart and Kim Novak (Novak's character lived in the hotel during the last half of the film).

A neighborhood gem, Hotel Vertigo offers the best of both worlds - ideally nestled in a charming residential pocket of lower Nob Hill just off bustling Union Square and the downtown theater district. World-class shopping, theaters, art galleries, renowned restaurants and the nightlife are just a short walking distance from the hotel.

Weaving the inimitable eccentricity, style, and playfulness of San Francisco, whimsical Hotel Vertigo is designed to ignite the imagination. Reflecting a mix of classic French style and chic metropolitan city life, historic elements of the past beautifully play off modern design. As guests enter the gleaming marble lobby, they are welcomed by kitschy porcelain animal figurines sitting by the large windows. Original 1920s columns with intricate detailing, soaring 25-foot high ceilings and salon-style seating provide a glamorous setting for intimate groups to gather and share the latest news over cocktails and shared plates.

Delightful surprises await in the guestroom. A warm tangerine glow seeping through sheer orange curtains instantly greets guests and beckons them to enter. Bathed in a palette of bright white, striking orange and French aubergine, guestrooms feature fun touches such as European porcelain white horse head bedside lamps and custom wing back chairs in vibrant orange glossy leather stitched with the word "Vertigo" on the seat. The rooms contain one nod to Hitchcock's masterpiece - wall art that is a contemporary play off the 'swirl' symbol in the movie, leaving only those most familiar with Vertigo with the satisfaction of making the subtle connection. Crisp white and orange 300 thread count Italian linens, accentuated by white tufted-leather headboards, add a clean, streamlined look. Bathrooms are stylishly outfitted in creamy white crocodile-patterned tiles, custom, dark walnut vanities with porcelain sinks and designer chrome fixtures, and oversized rain showerheads. All guestrooms feature 36" flat screen televisions with satellite service, iPod docking stations, in-room movies, robes and slippers, honor bars and in-room safes.

Hotel Frank
Bold and unmistakable, Hotel Frank (currently The Maxwell Hotel) is undergoing an extensive $10 million transformation that includes all 153 guestrooms, new bathrooms, hallways, lobby and meeting space. Located in fashionable Union Square, the energy of San Francisco is just out the door, and the options are endless: from first-class shopping to world-renowned dining, from award-winning theater to a bustling arts district… even a ride on a classic cable car.

Constructed in 1908, Hotel Frank is a refreshingly straight-forward new twist on a San Francisco vintage landmark where guests can dare to be different, relax and feel free to be themselves. This sense of freedom and unabashed "frankness" is expressed throughout the hotel's fashion-forward design where "time-less" is daringly redefined. Here, the changing styles that have influenced San Francisco through the ages are artfully synthesized into a contemporary, eclectic homage to stylistic change. Iconic nods to the inspiration of artful design through the decades can be seen throughout the hotel - from the sumptuous, turn-of-the-century Beaux Art classicism, to the tailored lines of 40's Art Deco. From retro mod 60's chic, to hip, new millennium styling, Hotel Frank comes alive with a harmonious blend of ageless and up-to-the-minute shapes, textures and colors.

From the lobby to the guestrooms and all common areas, a distinctive, classic houndstooth pattern prevails throughout the entire hotel, setting the black and white stage for punches of striking emerald green and stylish furnishings. Hotel Frank's uptown-city guestrooms exude a tailored look with eye-catching houndstooth-patterned custom carpet, elongated leather crocodile-patterned headboards in emerald green and white couches, complemented by hand-blown smoke glass bubbles of light that dangle over the bedside and vintage 1930s artwork showcased by ornate brass framing. Elegant bathrooms outfitted in floor-to-ceiling carrera marble offer a quiet refuge where relaxing modernism meets sleek-styled efficiency. All guestrooms feature amenities such as signature robes, in-room safes, honor bars, 32" flat screen televisions and iPod docking stations.

Established in 1982 as San Francisco's first boutique hotel company, Personality Hotels is the largest privately-owned boutique hotel operator in The City. From a quaint European-style suite to a zenful night's sleep amid sounds of a tropical rain forest, Personality Hotels can oblige. Celebrating the unique personality in all of us, Personality Hotels consists of an eclectic collection of seven San Francisco boutique properties including SEXY Hotel Diva, GRAND Kensington Park Hotel, AUTHENTIC Hotel Union Square, VIVID Hotel Metropolis, TIMELESS Steinhart Hotel, WHIMSICAL Hotel Vertigo (coming December 2008) and BOLD Hotel Frank (coming early 2009). Located in the center of the action, all Personality Hotels are within walking distance of Union Square shopping, theatres and restaurants. For more information and to book reservations, call 800.553.1900 or visit www.personalityhotels.com.

High-resolution photography is available for download at www.pictureswithpersonality.com.