Before we share our Best of 2016 Hotels post (one of my absolute favorites to write each year), we first need to wrap up our year of hotel stays with two more posts, including this one, a recap of our visit to The Buchanan in San Francisco.

Located where the Pacific Heights, Fillmore, and Japantown neighborhoods intersect, this Kimpton hotel was on my radar long before our trip, thanks to a number of design websites that profiled the remarkable interior by designer Nicole Hollis. Articles about the hotel kept popping up here and there, so naturally, when the plans came together for our spring trip to Carmel and Big Sur with a final night in SF, there really was no question as to where we’d stay.

It didn’t take us long after we dropped our bags and began exploring the hotel to see that the property certainly lived up to the design-centric praise it has received. Everywhere we looked, there was another element of interest to admire – from the lobby’s light installation made of 3,100 Japanese whiskey bottles, to the deep green paneled wall that displays a perfectly eclectic assortment of art, to the guest rooms that feature a rich, contrasting palette with bold prints and shibori-dyed pillows on the bed.

Sadly, our stay at The Buchanan was regrettably brief, but even in that short overnight, we still had plenty of opportunity to soak up much of the property’s unique design and character, and would highly recommend a stay for anyone visiting the bay area.

Photos by Meredith Perdue for Map & Menu.