A warm and welcoming hotel in the heart of Japantown. Succulents and other plants in pots decorate the foyer beside geometric cane-back chairs and colorful throw cushions. The hotel's 4,000-square-foot fitness center has a yoga studio and floor-to-ceiling windows with views of the hotel's tea garden, and the rooms have works of both traditional and modern Japanese art.

Pim Techamuanvivit (of Kin Khao) opened the elegant and fiery Thai restaurant, Nari. Nearby Japan Center Malls provide ramen shops and unique boutiques, making this an ideal spot for any otaku.

The Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco at Embarcadero stands out as the lone high-rise among a sea of other buildings, yet it nonetheless fits in with its surroundings. When you enter, though, you'll find yourself in a sphere that appears to be emitting light and realize that you've left our world behind.

The lobby looks like a contemporary art museum comes to life, with a rhythmic, polished Guy Dill sculpture as its centerpiece and a dazzling white stairway reminiscent of the Guggenheim immediately beyond.

St. Regis is the hotel of choice for wealthy businessmen and NBA players visiting San Francisco, and it's simple to understand why. It's a real high-end establishment, with extras like cashmere blankets, limo service, and mattresses topped with luxurious leather headboards styled like the dashboards of racing cars.

The hotel has remodeled the guest rooms, which now include original artwork and furnishings designed specifically for the establishment. Not to mention, the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art are also within walking distance from the area's central location in SoMA. The hotel's fitness center spans an impressive 5,700 square feet and offers stunning views of the city, not to mention the option to hire a personal trainer.

St. Francis is an excellent choice if you're in the market for a beautiful home with a rich past. St. Francis was built as part of the Crocker family's early 20th-century vision to turn San Francisco into "the Paris of the West." Amazingly, the hotel was still standing after the 1906 quake and rapidly became a popular destination for the city's elite.

The guests at the hotel read like a who's who of...well, everyone. The likes of Louis Armstrong, Shirley Temple, Ernest Hemingway, and Emperor Hirohito have all graced these hallowed halls. St. Francis is a Bay Area institution, unlike any other hotel. The lobby Christmas display of St. Francis is legendary in the area, and its centerpiece is a gigantic, complex sugar castle.

When you look through the lobby window at the Hotel Emblem, you can't miss the stacks of literature on display. From floor to ceiling, there was a massive pile of them, their spines a rainbow of colors. When you get inside, you'll see that all those paperbacks and hardcovers are only the beginning of a whole wall devoted to books.

From the vintage typewriters at the front desk to the black-and-gold Obscenity Bar, named after the infamous trial that followed the publishing of Allen Ginsberg's poem "Howl," the hotel exudes a deep respect for literature.

Located at the intersection of Fifth and Market Streets in the SOMA neighborhood, the InterContinental is a vast, blue-glass edifice that rises 33 floors into the sky. This hotel caters mostly to business travelers.

This hotel's convenient proximity to Moscone West makes it a good option for conference attendees. The hotel has 550 rooms and 43,000 square feet of event space, yet despite its size, the lobby seems cozy thanks to the wood paneling, many windows, floor lights, wing chairs, and metal cutout tables.

The Axiom Hotel, located in the heart of San Francisco at the crossroads of Union Square and SoMa, is a recent addition to the city's hotel sector, having debuted in 2016. The building may be almost a century old, but it has retained its traditional appeal with ornate moldings and a beautiful façade, and the inside is as stylish as it is functional for today's passengers. Each room provides a haven from the bustle of the city with a simple design and calming eggshell and powder blue color scheme.

That's the case with everything from the marble baths to the dim lighting and the cozy beds. Astro, the delivery robot, helps the workers out by delivering orders to customers without them having to interact with anybody.

Because it was built in Japan, the Nikko has a style that reflects that country's culture. The rooms and common areas were updated in 2017, making them more peaceful and pleasant with a blue and white color scheme with pillowtop mattresses.

The 10,000-square-foot fitness center has a steam room and dry saunas, and the indoor pool is completely transparent so that natural light can flood the area throughout the day. Located so close to the action of Union Square, the setting is a definite plus.