If the drive into the city from the San Francisco Airport feels like a trip into the future (AI billboards dot the city, and the Waymos abound), the Huntington Hotel feels like a trip into the past. Or, at least, a much more well-furnished version of it.

The hotel, in historic Nob Hill—where Gilded Age robber barons built their mansions—is a San Francisco stalwart. Opened as an apartment building in 1922 and then converted into a hotel in 1924, it recently underwent a massive renovation and reopening, with interiors by an SF legend, the much-lauded designer Ken Fulk. His jaw-dropping work is witnessed first in the lobby, where visitors are greeted by friendly staff in a room rife with crown molding, sumptuous velvet furniture, and Old World tapestries.

Photo: Courtesy of the Huntington Hotel

The rooms (there are 71 guest rooms and 72 suites, including a 1,500 square foot penthouse) skew more modern, but no less comfortable. Because the building was originally built as luxury apartments, the layouts are massive, light-filled, and feel more like high-end residential flats. The beds are a particular highlight, with sheets featuring a high, high thread count and a robe I desperately wanted to steal. My suite had a spectacular view of the bay, and within minutes of my arrival, the hotel had me floating upon its waters, which were shimmering teal on a sunny day.

Photo: Courtesy of the Huntington Hotel