 Built in 1906. Old-world charm combined with unique accommodations in the heart of San Francisco at this cozy European-style hotel, situated in tranquil North Beach and within walking distance of Fisherman's Wharf. The San Remo Hotel offers a convenient location only a short stroll from Ghirardelli Square, featuring delicious chocolate shops and charming boutiques. The Powell Street cable car is only one block from the hotel and provides instant access to exciting Union Square. The completely non-smoking San Remo is furnished with Victorian heirlooms and historic photographs. Guests can enjoy cozy rooms complete with pedestal sinks and charming antiques. Shared bath facilities are located on each floor. The San Remo is also host to the country's oldest Italian restaurant, Fior d'Italia, opened in 1886. The restaurant offers an extensive menu of authentic Northern Italian cuisine. History One hundred years ago, after the 1906 earthquake and fire destroyed most of San Francisco, Bank of America founder A.P. Giannini constructed a new hotel at 2237 Mason Street, close to the shoreline and shipyards at the edge of North Beach. Giannini named his 62-room three-story Italianate Victorian the “New California Hotel” — an optimistic vision of San Francisco’s rebirth. Originally, immigrant Italians found refuge at the hotel and its street-level restaurant. A transient labor force was housed at the San Remo and recruited to rebuild the city. Free meals and rooms were given to many workers who assisted the city’s recovery. Other guests were merchant seaman, waterfront workers, poets, journalists and pensioners. Penniless artists paid with their paintings. In 1922 the hotel was renamed the San Remo, after the name of a picturesque Italian town on the Gulf of Genoa and consistent with the Genoa-style meals prepared in the restaurant. Full course dinners were offered for fifty cents during the Depression. Eventually the San Remo became a North Beach neighborhood institution, one of San Francisco’s last family-style eateries and watering holes where the famous and anonymous mixed with informality for much of the century. Tom and Robert Field, brothers who have owned the hotel since 1971, continue the San Remo’s long tradition of comfortable lodging, reasonable rates, turn-of-the-century charm and community service. In the spirit of Giannini, the Fields offered rooms without charge to victims of the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake whose homes were either destroyed or damaged. The hotel ambiance is Old World: quiet rooms without phones or TVs, Victorian heirloom furnishings and hallways lined with historic photos, books and magazines. There are few concessions to modern times we offer free Wi-Fi as well as Coffee and Lemon Water. Guests share bath facilities, reminiscent of European pensione-style lodging. With a worldwide reputation as one of the city’s enduring treasures, many international and domestic guests are return customers. The owners and staff of the century-old hotel are dedicated to providing a comfortable and memorable visit to Victorian San Francisco. Address + Neighborhood: The San Remo Hotel, 2237 Mason St., San Francisco CA 94133. Located in the neighborhood of North Beach, San Francisco's Italian district. Website: www.sanremohotel.com
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