Sir Francis Drake Hotel, San Francisco

You can use many a platitude to describe the Drake - Classy, elegant, historic, stylish - But the one which describes this hotel best is 'timeless'. There's a certain institutional air about it, like a federal building, which says this is how it was, and this is the way its gonna be, even if you come back a decade later. Photo by amelungc via Flickr.

Take, for instance, the ornate lobby with a high gilded ceiling and the crystal chandeliers, or the ever-present Tom Sweeney (the doorman), and the din of the cable cars. Nutty tourists invariably manage to find idiotic things to do, like taking pictures with the Naked Cowboy on 5th Ave in New York City. Similarly, one of the floopy things to do in San Francisco is to take a picture of yourself with Tom Sweeney, with the Drake in the bacground. Point is, it's like San Francisco has got used to the Drake, and to change it now into a cookie-cutter Union Square chain hotel where you simply check-in and check-out would be sacrilage.

But a hotel can't survive on past reputation alone. It needs neat, spacious and well equipped rooms, prompt service and a bucketload of amenities which travelers are used to. Luckily enough, the Drake is a Kimpton Brand Hotel, and Kimpton sets high standards across the board, including availability of the Kimpton Kids program, the EarthCare program and the Global Business program, not to mention Kimpton style shopping. And that's in addition to the usual complimentary wi-fi internet, room service and concierge, safety deposit boxes, 16 meeting rooms and a business center with the latest A/V equipment, in room spa services, shuttle service and an inhouse fitness center that opens late 2008 (meantime you can avail of the guest passes the hotel offers for ClubONE fitness, a block away from the Drake).

The hotel offers 416 guest rooms, including five suites and the plush Presidential Suite, with views of the City and the Bay. All rooms come with a cream, sage and a plum colored scheme, with complimentary wi-fi internet, cable television, on-demand movies and complimentary movie channel, a DVD player, a fully stocked honor bar, an essential travel 'kit', hairdryer, iron and ironing board, and Aveda bath products. Room rates start at $242.

For refreshments, dining and entertainment, the Drake offers three winners - Scala's Bistro, Harry Denton's Starlight Room and the Cafe Espresso - which, like the Drake, have gone above and beyond their call of duty in satisfying the needs of hotel guests, and are now very much part of San Francisco's foodie network. Scala's Bistro is the first floor Italian restaurant, a place very much in demand for its Italian cuisine as for the stylish setting. The Cafe Espresso serves up coffee, pastries and sandwiches, not to mention spreading around the delicious aroma of fresh baked bread. For it's part, Harry Denton's Starlight Room on the 21st floor, has made a name for itself as part of the evening cocktail circuit, with dancing, entertainment and a sweeping view of the City.

If you want a hotel room, there are n number of San Francisco hotels which offer all of this and more. But if you want your hotel stay to be part of the San Francisco experience, then there's nothing better on offer than the Sir Francis Drake Hotel.

Info: 450 Powell St. San Francisco CA 94102; (415) 392-7755; http://www.sirfrancisdrake.com/