The newest addition to the San Francisco skyline is one that can be seen from our offices here at Perfect Escapes. We’ve watched it over the past year rise up from the foundation scaffolding to become the blue beacon in the South of Market area. And while it does look drastically different than the artist’s rendering that we have been seeing all over the place and which graces their materials, the building has grown on me. Then again, I look at it every single day.
A few weeks ago, I was given the opportunity to take a hard-hat tour as construction is still underway on the interior (yes, I do not look great in a hard-hat). The InterContinental is definitely going to change the SOMA neighborhood, as it stretches out the recent expansion of the Moscone Center and expands into what was previously a slight no-man’s land.
Inside the hotel (granted I had to use some imagination due to the construction), one thing that jumped out was the vast amount of conference space – over 43,000 square feet. Huge individual ballrooms and numerous individual smaller breakout rooms make up the three entire floors.
The rooms were nice, although this is definitely a hotel where depending what room you get and what floor you’re on will have a huge impact on your stay. Each room has a flat panel tv, hi-speed internet, and an iPod docking stereo. I’m kind of surprised every hotel doesn’t have that yet. The size of the rooms vary, as does the “unique” features, such as some of the rooms on the north face, which have very public viewing bathrooms. The entire wall of one bathroom was a window overlooking the neighboring office building. If you close the drapes, you’re fine. But definitely a bit unsettling.
On another floor, some very large suites overlook the outdoor area of the spa, which may cause a bit of discomfort for spa visitors. But I’m sure that once the hotel opens, they will make necessary changes. And people going to the spa can always retreat to the indoor pool, or to the elite Club InterContinental.
The biggest draw is the view. The entire hotel was built to keep the views of the San Francisco Bay Area in prime focus and from almost every side of the hotel, the views are fantastic. It is definitely worth the extra money to upgrade to a larger room on the upper floors since these tend to have the best views in any direction.
It should be interesting to see what the hotel’s addition to the city does in 2008, as it increases the amount of hotel rooms in San Francisco by another 550. And located only blocks away from the W San Francisco, the Marriott, Hotel Palomar, St. Regis, Westin Market Street, Four Seasons, and The Palace – it is definitely another notch in San Francisco’s rising luxury hotel scene.
The hotel is taking reservations for stays beginning February 27, 2008.
Source : http://www.perfectescapes.com/
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