San Francisco has always been a city of reinvention, and nowhere is that spirit more fitting than atop Nob Hill, where the storied Huntington Hotel has quietly reclaimed its rightful place in the city’s luxury landscape. After years of closure, extensive renovation, and no small amount of anticipation, The Huntington will reopen its doors on March 1, 2026 — and if the early word is any indication, it will be better than ever.
A History Worth Knowing
The Huntington’s story begins not as a hotel at all, but as an apartment building. Designed by the architectural firm Weeks and Day, the 12-story Georgian-style brick building debuted in 1922 as the Huntington Apartments — and at the time, it was the tallest brick-and-steel high-rise west of the Mississippi. A landmark from day one, in other words.
Real estate developer Eugene Fritz converted the property into a hotel in 1924, and it was named after Collis P. Huntington, one of the famed “Big Four” railroad tycoons who helped build the Central Pacific Railroad and, in many ways, the American West itself. Huntington, along with Leland Stanford, Charles Crocker, and Mark Hopkins, once maintained grand mansions atop Nob Hill — a neighborhood that has never quite let go of that Gilded Age grandeur.
Fritz’s grandchildren ran the hotel for decades, and it became one of those rare San Francisco institutions that felt genuinely irreplaceable. Marlene Dietrich and Claudette Colbert were among its celebrity guests. Truman Capote was a regular. Opera singers, foreign dignitaries, and generations of San Francisco society passed through its doors, making the Huntington something more than a hotel — it was a civic institution.
The Scarlet Chapter and the Road to Closure
In 2011, Fritz’s family sold the property to Singapore-based Grace International, marking the first time in the hotel’s history that it changed hands outside the founding family. Grace International, which also operated the Scarlet Hotel in Singapore, rebranded the property as The Scarlet Huntington following a $15 million renovation that completed in 2014. The rebrand was met with mixed feelings among locals who were attached to the original name and identity, but the hotel continued to operate as one of Nob Hill’s premier addresses.
In 2018, Woodridge Capital purchased the hotel from Grace International for $87 million. Then the pandemic hit. The Huntington closed its doors in 2020, and unlike many of its San Francisco counterparts, it never managed to reopen. Woodridge defaulted on a $56.2 million mortgage, lender Deutsche Bank threatened foreclosure, and the hotel sat shuttered on one of the most iconic corners in the city — celebrating its 100th birthday in 2022 with its doors locked.
New Ownership, New Vision
The turnaround began in 2023 when San Francisco native and billionaire Greg Flynn, founder and CEO of Flynn Properties, partnered with hospitality giant Highgate to acquire the distressed property for well under the outstanding loan amount. Flynn — whose commercial real estate portfolio includes luxury properties in Napa Valley, Cabo San Lucas, and Telluride — was direct about his intentions from the start.
“Make no mistake, we are market timers,” Flynn said. “San Francisco has always risen from the ashes.” His commitment went beyond the financial, though. As a San Francisco native, Flynn was adamant that the hotel be restored to its former identity — no major brand flag, no gimmicky rebrand. Just the Huntington, done right.
Renovation work began in earnest in 2024, with Singular Builders and BAR Architects & Interiors leading the restoration. The team preserved the building’s original Georgian architectural details wherever possible — stately plasterwork ceilings, boiserie panels, and expansive light-filled windows — while modernizing everything else. In September 2025, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places, a well-deserved recognition that also underscored the renovation team’s commitment to authenticity. Named one of 2026’s most anticipated openings by both ELLE Décor and Vogue, the Huntington’s return has been one of the most talked-about moments in San Francisco hospitality in years.
The hotel now offers 71 guest rooms and 72 suites — a notably intimate count that reflects the building’s famously generous room sizes, averaging around 581 square feet compared to an industry-standard 200. Many rooms and suites offer panoramic views of the bay and city that are simply hard to replicate anywhere in San Francisco.
The Big Four: 50 Years and Still Roaring
No conversation about the Huntington is complete without a nod to The Big Four restaurant, which has been a cornerstone of the Nob Hill social scene for half a century. Named for the railroad magnates whose fortunes shaped both the neighborhood and the hotel, The Big Four has always felt like a place out of time — in the best possible way. Dark wood, leather banquettes, railroad memorabilia, and a whiskey list that commands respect.
The new owners undertook a thoughtful renovation of the space, with a stated commitment to preserving the charm that locals and regulars have cherished for decades. The result feels like The Big Four at its best: familiar and refined, with enough polish to feel fresh without losing the soul that made it an institution. And fittingly, the restaurant is marking its 50th anniversary year alongside the hotel’s reopening — a coincidence that feels almost too perfect.
The Nob Hill Spa: A Sanctuary Reborn
The Huntington’s Nob Hill Spa has long been one of the city’s most beloved retreats, and it returns in reimagined form as arguably San Francisco’s most luxurious spa destination. The 11,000-square-foot, three-story space — one of the few hotel spas in the city to offer an indoor pool — has been completely overhauled, with a sun-drenched atrium framed by carved tropical hardwoods and heirloom stone setting the tone for what lies within.
The new Nob Hill Spa positions itself as a sanctuary for what the hotel describes as “intentional indulgence,” with a curated menu of restorative treatments that nod to global wellness traditions while feeling distinctly at home in San Francisco. Whether you’re a hotel guest or simply a San Franciscan in need of an escape from the city’s pace, the spa is very much worth the trip up the hill on its own.
The Bottom Line
San Francisco has had its share of challenges in recent years, and the luxury hotel sector has felt that strain acutely. The Huntington’s return — brought back by a local businessman with genuine love for the city and the resources to do it right — feels like a meaningful moment. This isn’t a corporate refresh or a branded takeover. It’s a restoration in the truest sense: a great hotel, given the attention it always deserved, ready to welcome a new generation of guests to Nob Hill’s most storied address.
The Huntington Hotel is located at 1075 California Street, San Francisco. Reservations available at thehuntingtonhotel.com.
