Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
THE WESTIN
ST. FRANCIS
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“In all my travels I have never seen the hospitality of San Francisco equaled anywhere in the world.”
—Conrad Hilton, hotelier
The turn of the century saw a surge in hotel construction in the thriving city of San Francisco. Lead-
ing the construction boom were the heirs of the Charles Crocker family fortune who announced
plans to build The Westin St. Francis. Crocker had been one of the original Forty-niners, but quickly
decided that mining was no way to make a fortune, and so he opened a store in Sacramento.
By 1854, Crocker was one of the wealthiest men in the area and had a strong business relation-
ship with Mark Hopkins, Collis Huntington, and Leland Stanford. Together, they became known
as the Big Four for their prominence in California's rapid economic development.
Following Crocker's death in 1888, the guardians of his estate set a vision to make San Francisco
the “Paris of the West.” Their stunning Union Square hotel would be the flagship.
Following a careful study of Europe's grand hotels—from Berlin, Vienna, and Monaco to Clar-
idge's in London and The Ritz in Paris—construction on the original St. Francis began. Two years
and $2.5 million later, the doors of The St. Francis opened in March of 1904. Early that evening,
carriages and automobiles stretched for three blocks waiting to approach her entrance.
The hotel was so popular that the owners quickly announced plans to add a third wing, two
floors of apartments, and a ballroom. The St. Francis had become the center of the city's social,
literary, and artistic life.
The earthquake of 1906 destroyed most of the city and The St. Francis was not spared. Fires
spawned by the quake destroyed the interior of the hotel's original 250 rooms, along with all early
records of the hotel. Determined to recover quickly, the owners erected a temporary hotel of 110
rooms in a court around the Dewey Monument in Union Square, and The St. Francis continued as
a focal point of the city. The square was soon dubbed The Little St. Francis because hotel residents
occupied the shelter.
The hotel interior was rebuilt, refurbished, and reopened late in 1907, with 450 guest rooms.
The long-planned third wing opened in 1908 and more additions followed on Post Street, making
this the largest hotel on the Pacific Coast. The Pacific Tower opened in 1971, adding a vast new
complex of guest rooms, suites, and venues and banquet facilities.
