San Francisco’s historic Palace Hotel reopened early Thursday afternoon, in yet another sign that the city is coming back from the pandemic.
The reopening of San Francisco's oldest hotel contributes to the re-emergence of downtown San Francisco, which is becoming livelier by the day.
“The restaurants are reopening around us,” Clifton Clark, general manager of the Palace Hotel, told KCBS Radio. “Pedestrians on the streets give an air of safety,”
The historic structure was closed by COVID for more than a year.
“This beautiful hotel is so full of life but what brings the life to this beautiful building are the guests and our associates,” Clark said.
During the closure, the staff combed the luxury hotel’s archives and have opened a small museum on the grounds that showcases the Palace’s nearly 150-year history.
Among the highlights in the museum, named “Landmark 18,” are various pictures from the hotel’s historic past, including photos and artifacts from the original building, its first chef in 1875 and one of San Francisco's most famous bartenders that worked there.
A woman named Mary was one of the first guests to check in after the hotel re-opened it’ doors. She had previously never been to the famed building.
What did she think of it?
“Oh it’s gorgeous. It’s enormous,” Mary said. “The décor is beautiful.”
Years and years ago, KCBS Radio used to broadcast out of the Palace.
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