Need to know

Rooms

366, including 106 suites.

Rates

US$300–US$2,500, not including taxes. Breakfast is an additional US$15–US$20 a person.

Check-out

Midday; though this is flexible for an additional cost. Earliest check-in, 3pm.

Facilities

Gym, laundry service, in-room spa treatments, WiFi (US$14.95 a day). In rooms: king- or queen-size beds, flatscreen TV, CD/DVD player, iPod dock, air-conditioning, minibar, Agua by Korres toiletries.

Poolside

There’s no pool at Clift.

Children

Baby cots are available free of charge, and extra beds can be put into rooms for US$50 a night. Staff also provide a babysitting service for a flexible cost, though you must give at least 24 hours notice. There’s no children’s menu in the restaurant.

Also

Slimline pets (well, those under 40lb) are welcome at the hotel – provided you pay a US$150 supplement and keep them on the fifth floor only… Smokers are permitted to light up in designated rooms.

In the know

Our favourite rooms

All bedrooms at Clift have been decorated in a soft palette of muted lilacs with pops of vibrant orange. Large sleigh beds made of delicate English sycamore are found throughout, complete with crisp, clean lines and 400 thread-count linen; while floor-to-ceiling mirrors keep everything light, bright, and airy. If its real luxury you’re after, our favourite room is the 525sq ft Loft King, which comes with a king-size bed, an exquisite bathroom and a Louis XVI-style armchair – designed by Philippe Starck, of course.

Packing tips

This is California, but not of the beach variety: killer heels and (and rocks) are a must for the evenings. Don’t forget your ballet flats if you plan on hitting the shops, though, as San Francisco’s hills are no laughing matter.

Also

Guests are given a special card at check-in, which allows you to charge drinks to your room (which prevents anyone else cheekily adding their own orders to your tab). Flash this card to the doorman on super-busy Friday and Saturday nights, and experience that right-side-of-the-velvet-rope feeling as you sashay past the queues outside.

Food & drink

Hotel restaurant

The enormous dining room at Asia de Cuba, swathed theatrically in maroon silk drapes, and centred around a vast, cross-shaped Venetian mirrored dining table, offers glamorous dining at its finest. The menu is a bold fusion of Asian and Latin influences – Cuban barbecue chicken served with sticky coconut rice and avocado cilantro fruit salsa is a house classic – making this one of the most exciting dining experiences in town.

Dress code

Louboutins and lounge suits should do the trick.

Top table

If you’re not keen on sitting at the communal dining table, try a table by the window for the best view of the beautiful people in the adjacent Redwood Room.

Last orders

The restaurant closes at 10pm, Sunday to Thursday; and at 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays. Cocktails are shaken in the Redwood Room till 2am seven days a week.

Room service

Drinks, hot meals and snacks are available 24 hours a day.

Hotel bar

With an elongated etched Murano glass bar and bottles soaring up to the heavens, the Redwood Room is a place to see and be seen. Jam-packed at weekends, often with a queue to get in, this is the drinking den of choice for San Francisco’s elite, who come here to see, be seen and sip mandarin lemongrass martinis. Like the music, the feel here is lounge-bar cool – with decadent red velvet furniture lining the intimate alcoves around the room, and digital artwork displayed on plasma screens.

Smith card offer A free room upgrade at check-in (based on availability). GoldSmith members get a double upgrade

If you're a member of Mr & Mrs Smith, you can get special privileges at every Smith hotel you book through us. Just show your Smith card at check-in to claim the offer featured on every hotel page (like the one above).

Not a member? Join now

Smith concierge

If you'd prefer to talk to someone, or don't want to book online, call our travel team on 1 866 610 3867. We guarantee you’ll get the best available rates, and we don’t charge a booking fee.

Clift

495 Geary Street