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Here's Hoping the Recession Will Be Done Soon: Fairmont San Fran Renovating Its Penthouse

Go To The Hotel's Web Site Where: 950 Mason Street [map], San Francisco, CA, United States, 94108
August 5, 2009 at 4:32 PM | by MsRebecca | 2 Comments

You heard the news, right? The recession is over! Newsweek says it is so. Need further proof? The Fairmont San Francisco says so, too!

OK, so they didn’t actually put in those words. Not exactly. But the hotel did announce that it’s restoring its super fancy “iconic” penthouse this fall.

The opulent 6,000 square-foot space, valued at $20 million, was built in 1926 as a private residence and was made available to hotel guests in 1981. The Penthouse Suite takes up an entire floor and has three large bedrooms, a living room, grand piano, formal dining room for 60, a kitchen, a billiards room covered in Persian tile, a massive patio, and a two-storey circular library, with a secret passageway concealed behind bookshelves.

Over the years, the penthouse has been rented to rock stars and political bigwigs, including leaders of “The Big Four” who convened at the Fairmont before drafting the United Nations charter in 1945. “If only these walls could talk …” the hotel’s general manager Thomas Klein is quoted saying in the press release about the restoration. And—while renting this baby comes with housekeepers, a butler, chef, masseuse, personal trainer, and chauffer—at $15,000 a night, we sincerely hope the walls do talk.

Perhaps the most impressive part of this news is the timeframe: the restoration work by Champalimaud began recently, in early August, and according to the press release, “is scheduled for completion in mid-September 2009.” Excuse for laughing but, well, OK. Uh huh. We look forward to seeing the big unveiling come September 15.

You know, the revamp of the suite takes us right back to the Roaring '20s. And we all know how that decade turned out ...

[All pre-renovation photos courtesy of Fairmont Hotels]

2 Comments

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Return to » Here's Hoping the Recession Will Be Done Soon: Fairmont San Fran Renovating Its Penthouse

  1. globetrotting gourmet

    HotelChatter Member

    $15k/night? Really?

    I'm sure the end result will make Ivana Trump blush, but who in their right mind needs to spend $15k/night for a hotel room? Ick.
    August 5, 2009 at 7:45 PM
    #Permalink

  1. bbphx

    HotelChatter Member

    $15K? Maybe with F&B included...

    A friend/acquaintance of mine rented this out for his 40th birthday party a few years back... I remember it being a big chunk of change, but including entertainment, food, alcohol, service and gratuities for around 100 people I can't imagine what it cost... it's definitely a better special event space than a hotel room.

    It was a really, really great party though, and the space was incredible... definitely felt like you were re-living a part of SF history.  I'll never forget that night!

    August 5, 2009 at 8:34 PM
    #Permalink

Return to » Here's Hoping the Recession Will Be Done Soon: Fairmont San Fran Renovating Its Penthouse

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