We’re big fans of 1 Hotel, the luxury sustainable hotel brand that made its London debut in Mayfair in 2023
Our first experience of the brand, however, was staying at their Brooklyn hotel back in 2022, where we were seriously impressed by the views, rooms, value, and sustainable ethos. So when looking at hotels for a recent trip to San Francisco and noticing a 1 Hotel there, it was a no-brainer for us to get it booked for our first two nights in the States.
1 Hotel San Francisco opened in 2022, in a waterfront position right opposite the iconic Ferry Building and in the shadow of the Bay Bridge – many of the rooms have views looking out to the bridge which reminded us very much of how the New York hotel faces out to the Brooklyn Bridge. It’s a great location, with plenty of neighbourhoods like Chinatown and SoMa in easy walking distance, and anything else reachable with the hotel’s complimentary electric bikes – we had a great day buzzing around the whole city on these. The hotel also offers free rides within a 2-mile radius in its fully electric Audi, which is especially handy come dinner time when you probably don’t want to be rocking up on an electric bike.
As with all 1 Hotels, sustainability is a key element at the San Francisco property, particularly when it comes to the materials used by the designers. Almost everything you can see and touch comes from recycled or sustainable sources, such as the reclaimed redwood lumber salvaged from historic barns and industrial buildings that’s used in the lobby floor, or the rugs made from recycled wool and plant fibres. The exterior of the hotel is fitted with high-performance insulation, dual glass windows, and heat reflective roofing.
These are just a couple of examples, but there are touches everywhere, from the free water stations on every floor, to the wooden key cards, the rocks used as Do Not Disturb signs, the low-flow showers complete with 5 minute timers, and the free fruit in the lobby, which is sourced from surplus stocks that would otherwise have been thrown away. The casual guest may not even notice a lot of these sustainable touches but they are interwoven into almost every element of the design and experience, which is pretty impressive stuff.
There’s 200 rooms at the hotel including 14 suites, some of which have their own private outdoor terraces. One of the smaller standard rooms will be more than enough for most people however; though there is something to be said for opting for a waterfront room to catch those sweet Bay views. All rooms will feature the same smart design, sustainable linens, king size beds, en suite bathroom with Bamford products, Nespresso machine (with recyclable pods), green plants and a mini bar stocked with local artisanal products. It’s smart, cosy, comfy, and luxurious and all the better for being underpinned by a sustainable ethos.
Elsewhere around the hotel, we made good use of the gym when jet lag had us jumping out of bed at 5am, and we liked the look of the rooftop Bamford spa, complete with outdoor wooden bathtubs. On the ground flood there’s a huge restaurant Terrene, which has an outdoor terrace that’s covered in the winter and thrown open to the sun come spring/summer. On the menu there’s fresh farm-to-table California fare, all made using local organic ingredients, plus a list of zero-waste cocktails, local beers and wines from Napa Valley and Sonoma.
Just as we found with the Brooklyn location, 1 Hotel San Francisco ticks a lot of boxes for a city stay, with a great location, smart design and nice guest touches like the e-bikes and free Audi rides. We loved our stay here and can definitely recommend it for your next San Fran trip.
8 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94105, United States
1hotels.com