Prevue May-June 2017 - 58

Nob Hill
Connection
Combining San Francisco's history with an innovative meetings network
[ON LOCATION] JESSIE FETTERLING

N

ob Hill Connection combines The Masonic public
venue with five of San Francisco's luxury hotels-the
InterContinental Mark Hopkins, Fairmont San Francisco,
Stanford Court, The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco and
The Scarlet Huntington. All six work together to offer meeting
planners 1,837 rooms, 170,000 sf of function space and an array
of restaurants, entertainment venues and event suites, within
walking distance from one another in San Francisco's historic Nob
Hill neighborhood. And as construction on the Moscone Center
expansion continues through 2018, closing off Moscone North and
Moscone South through this September, Nob Hill Connection is
also a timely option for large groups.
Our group embarked on a Nob Hill walking tour with San
Francisco City Guides to learn more about the five hotels, the
hill's history and its famous landmarks.

A MEETINGS DESTINATION EMERGES
Back in the late 1800s, the steep climb from downtown San
Francisco made it easy for millionaires to buy a whole block on
Nob Hill for their mansions. That changed, however, when Leland
Stanford, a "Big Four" Central Pacific Railroad baron, along with
Mark Hopkins, Collis P. Huntington and Charles Crocker, decided
to fund the California Street Cable Railroad-the oldest cable car
line still in operation-with a line that traveled east and west, up
and down California Street directly in front of his house. While there

58 | prevuemeetings.com

are only three cable car lines left, the California Street (Line 61) line
that runs between Nob Hill and downtown still carries visitors and
meeting attendees up and down the hill.
The line runs in front of the 393-room Stanford Court, the
site of Stanford's home at the turn of the century, which recently
underwent an extensive makeover after Marriott took over in
2013. Designed to accommodate the millennial traveler, the
property features several local touches. The rotating chalk artwork
behind the check-in desk highlights significant San Francisco
influences in everything from music to innovation to art. Case
in point: Did you know the flexible drinking straw was invented
in San Francisco? The hotel also offers a "Bike the Bridge"
adventure for groups that want to trek across the Golden Gate
Bridge. (Note: Take Pacific Street on the way back to avoid the
mega trek back up the hill.)
Next to Stanford Court, the 380-room InterContinental
Mark Hopkins was built after the Victorian mansion of Mark
Hopkins, founder of the Central Pacific Railroad, burned in a fire
that followed the infamous 1906 earthquake. Ever since opening
as a hotel in 1926, the property helped put Nob Hill on the map
as a stomping ground for socialites. Its Top of the Mark cocktail
lounge on the 19th floor is a top watering hole for groups due to its
100-martini menu and 360-degree views of the city below. Some of
its best views can be found in Weepers' Corner, a popular spot for
celebrating company milestones. Weepers' Corner is best known,
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Prevue May-June 2017
