Hotel Emblem San Francisco, a Viceroy Urban Retreat

Today it’s perhaps more accurately seen as Silicon Valley’s grittier urban neighbor, but San Francisco’s counter-culture bona fides are indisputable. It’s strange that the city’s boutique hotels don’t make more of its bohemian history, but Hotel Emblem is all in — from its book-lined Writer’s Alcove to its Beat-inspired cocktail bar and its literary-inspired artworks, it wears its artistic inspiration on its sleeve.

For that you can thank its new owners; there’s been a hotel here for a long time, but as the Emblem it’s a new member of the Viceroy Urban Retreats family, a line that prizes personality and uniqueness of character. On pure luxury it’s not meant to compete with the city’s grand hotels, though in truth it’s not far off — and when it comes to style it’s in a class of its own.

For a location, too, it’s tough to beat — at Sutter and Mason, it’s barely a block from Union Square, at the foot of Nob Hill, surrounded by galleries, shops, theatres, and restaurants. The Obscenity Bar & Lounge is stylish and, in the end, anything but offensive, while the Bluestone Lane, the café, serves a high-end brew alongside light bites and pastries.