Can we move in? One of the nicest and coolest hotels we have stayed in – The Battery Hotel in San Francisco is known as a famous members club in the heart of San Francisco. What most people don’t know, is that even though it is restricted to members only, if you book a room here you too can actually experience the hotel and all the events and amenities during your stay. And that’s exactly what we did on our last trip to the West Coast. Let me tell you, that you too should make travel plans, because this place is totally worth the trip!
The Hotel
The coolest thing about it is, that it doesn’t feel like a normal hotel, but more like a very stylish English house, a home away from home. There are two amazing restaurants, 14 beautiful designed rooms and one very impressive master suite. Every bedroom in the hotel is individually designed with incredible love to detail. From brick walls to little Hermés boxes to the most comfortable beds, I have ever slept in. As an admirer of British interior, I felt very much at home due to this English cozyness. You’ll never want to leave your room because it is so pretty.
If you want to spoil yourself a little, make sure to book room number 15. It’s the most impressive suite that opens out to a rooftop terrace. The suite can be booked as a room but also as an event location, which many club members make use of. And of course like every cool hotel there’s a have a very well equipped gym and beautiful spa. They offer Yoga classes, personal trainers or relaxing massages. All of this in the city center of San Francisco is a real luxury!
The Restaurants
Spoiler first: Best fries ever! The Battery’s restaurant 717B, is housed in two areas of the Club, one called the “Living Room” and the other called “The House Bar” with a beautiful counter in the middle of the restaurant. Both serve the same menu, but have totally different atmospheres. The “Living Room” reminds one of an elegant English Pub where you can sit for hours and have a drink or two. The other restaurant has a more spacious atmosphere with high ceilings and sailing sculptures on the sides, lounges and banquettes, which makes a more casual look. It is the perfect place to mingle and soak up the vibe of The Battery. But as we already mentioned: The food was absolutely outstanding! From delicious asparagus, to crispy fries, to the best Gnocchis I have ever tasted outside of Italy, the Chef of the restaurant personally guided us through the menu. Chef Kenny is not only a master in his profession, but also super nice and caring and made sure we had a fantastic evening!
However, one of my favorite things of the Hotel was obviously: The “Musto Bar”. It is not only a super stylish and cozy bar – but is has a secret door! Yes, a SECRET DOOR. Even though there are some Speakeasy bars in Europe, it’s a trend that’s coming over way too slowly for my taste. So of course we went completely bananas. After we had a first round of delicious Cocktails, I couldn’t stop myself of going full James Bond modus, acting cool and by touching the head of a sculpture and opening a door to an even cosier, well-hidden room. In that room you could feel the vibe of the ultimate after party hang out area. We loved it!
Interesting events
The Battery offers many cool events and art exhibitions during the year. And we’re talking about really tempting events with Miike Snow, Toro y Moi, conversations with artist Julian Schnabel or pop-up-stores with Vivienne Westwood. These events are held in many of their cool rooms like the Library, The Parlor, The Wine Cellar or the beautiful Garden Bar. Depending on the event, they choose a suiting room for every happening.
Do I need to become a member afterwards?
This is a question the hotel has to answer daily. Anyone can book a hotel room and if you are a hotel guest you can use all facilities the hotel has to offer. If you want to be part of The Battery after your stay, to book a table at the restaurants or to attend the events, you have to become a member. So, if you live in San Francisco you should really try to become a member! Oh and yes, we’ll be back for that secret door!
Adress: 717 Battery St, San Francisco, CA 94111, USA
For more information visit thebatterysf.com
Credits: All photos by Douglas Friedman, Courtesy of The Battery
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