Nob Hill. It’s the place where the “nabobs” used to live, where the castles of the rich overlooked the city. Today, even without the old pre-earthquake turreted mansions, Nob Hill remains an affluent neighborhood. But is it still a destination for visitors? Have the days of the great Nob Hill hotels, clubs, and restaurants come and gone?
Tom Gerdich, general manager of the University Club, minces no words about the economy after 2008. “I think the hotels were the hardest hit with the recession, or depression, which is what it was,” he observes. But he adds, “There’s a dramatic change in the amount of people coming through the area, as opposed to a year-and-a-half ago. It looks like business has picked up in all hotels in the area. It looks like the economy is getting better. My office sits right on California and Powell, so I get a view of the cable cars. I see a pretty good mix of people. I hear conversations in German, French, and Spanish. We see a lot of couples with children.
“I don’t think Nob Hill will return to what it was before—until the city makes major changes to how it brings business into the area. I think those in charge need to look hard into what they want to do. I’ll just leave it at that.”
“We’ve had a great year,” says Steven Holt, marketing director of The Ritz-Carlton. “We have seen an uptick of international visitors to San Francisco and The Ritz-Carlton, along with a lot of business and leisure travelers.” Steven is especially pleased about the opening of The Ritz- Carlton’s new restaurant, Parallel 37 (which as of this writing was still in the middle of renovations). “Chef Ron Siegel is going to create a much simpler cuisine than before; not overly manipulated food. The restaurant has been expanded and now has a bar and lounge that opens into the restaurant itself. It will seat 46 in the bar and lounge and 100 in the restaurant, including a semi-private dining room for 20, and a chef’s table.”
Tom Klein, general manager of The Fairmont San Francisco and regional vice president, is emphatic about the viability of Nob Hill as a magnet for tourists. “There has been some negative press that Nob Hill is dead. That is just not correct. Nob Hill, and I mean predominantly the hotels, is buoyant from a destination standpoint, from an international tourist’s standpoint, from a business traveler’s standpoint. We’re back to the low 80 percent occupancies, and our rates continue to grow. We’re almost back to where things were a few years ago. And we’re working very closely with the website, sanfrancisco.travel, to be sure that they incorporate Nob Hill as a destination.”
Tom is aware that some of the concern about Nob Hill is related to the recent sale of The Huntington Hotel to Grace International, and the fact that the Fairmont and Mark Hopkins Hotel are going on the market. “We’ve formed a public relations and marketing committee to make sure that, while assets and hotels are for sale, this does not necessarily mean that a destination is not vibrant. A real estate transaction does not have a lot do with the business of hotels.”
The drive to draw in visitors includes the planned creation of at least one future, not-to-be-missed event on Nob Hill—establishing a brand new San Francisco holiday tradition. Tom explains, “An initiative for 2012, when the holiday season kicks off, is to transform Nob Hill for one day. You’ll be able to walk through the different hotels and enjoy food samples and wine tastings.
“We want to create an annual event that will become one of those things that you must do and must see during the holidays. The whole hill will light up.”
