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Sleuthing San Francisco
The Chinese New Year’s Treasure Hunt

Hotel Union Square was the first of the boutique hotels in the Personality Hotel Group, all under 150 rooms and all within walking distance of Union Square. In the 2008 redo of the hotel (which first opened in 1913), the architect and designers updated with modern touches that pay tribute to the history of the hotel. Original Art Deco chandeliers and architectural accents remain in the lobby. Some rooms show exposed brick walls. Furniture, by local company EQ3, is smooth and contemporary, but with curved lines and metal and glass touches that hint at early-20th-century moderne.

Owners of the hotel group use local designers, artists, and craftsmen to design the unique looks of each of their hotels. For example, in their Hotel Diva, they called upon fashion and furniture designers Colleen and Lee Queen, lighting designer Pablo Pardo, and skateboard company DLX to create whimsical guest lounges on each floor of the hotel. Hotel Diva tends to draw a younger crowd, particularly fashionistas and clothing retailers, according to manager Sergio Mendoza.

If your taste runs more to the European traditional look, try the Kensington Park. The lobby mimics baronial England with painted wooden beams across the high ceiling. You will find hand-painted doors on the tiny original 1920s elevator, and a velvet settee inside. The recently refurbished rooms reflect a modernized English country house formality. Ask for a room with a Nob Hill view.

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