Hotel Zeppelin in San Francisco is part of the super-glam Viceroy Hotels & Resorts, in their Urban Retreat division, which is the company’s brand aimed at a younger demographic than some of the company’s sprawling resorts. Think “design-forward,” in a vintage building, add a solid restaurant, and that’s Hotel Zeppelin. The game room in the lower level of the hotel is a fun touch.
Location: Hotel Zeppelin has a superb location on the western edge of Union Square, and cool spots like Chinatown and the Ferry Building are quick Uber/Lyft rides away. Hotel guests can also easily catch a ride one of the famous cable cars to Fisherman’s Wharf, which is a tourist trap but there are good places for cheap food, like Nick’s Lighthouse (seafood, and California dungeness crab season starts Nov. 15!) and The Buena Vista (diner with the famous Irish Coffee, which is delicious).
To ride the cable car: exit the hotel, turn right, walk two blocks east to Powell St., and look for the little brown sign that designates the cable car stop. To pay, use the MuniMobile app, which is the best way to get around town; otherwise, boarding the cable cars mid-route is $7, cash only, the conductors don’t make change and they aren’t into chitchat so you better have a five and two singles ready.
Rooms: Sexy, moody chic, with dark walls and dramatic lighting, and the beds are plush and inviting. Hallways and rooms are dark, but alluringly so. For an urban hotel in the middle of San Francisco, the Zeppelin’s rooms are pretty spacious. The showers are definitely big enough for two, so interpret that design element however you will.
Food: Speaking of sexy, let’s discuss the restaurant in the lobby, The Rambler. This is not fussy “California cuisine,” as dinner here involves big plates of hearty food, like pork chops, and short ribs, and steaks, oh my. Wolfgang Puck ran a restaurant in this space years ago, and he bequeathed his famous pizza oven to The Rambler, so the pizzas here are inventive and tasty. If we may give a beverage suggestion: order the Rambler Sazerac, which is spiked with absinthe and tobacco bitters, and it one of the best cocktails in San Francisco.
At Night: The bars in SOMA (South of Market) are directly south. OMG, a neighborhood bar, is less than a mile from Hotel Zeppelin, although you might want to use a car to drop you off and pick you up from there. Powerhouse and The Eagle are just a bit further, so there is a lot of fun to be found nearby. The Castro is a 10 minute ride away.
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