Chicago-based Oxford Capital Group LLC will open four rebranded and repositioned hotel properties in downtown San Francisco this fall: Hotel Julian San Francisco (formerly Hotel Vertigo, and originally Empire Hotel), SoMa House (formerly Americania Hotel), Hotel Garrett (formerly Good Hotel) and Hotel Fiona (formerly Carriage Inn).
In the Bay Area, Oxford currently owns and operates Hotel Griffon on the Embarcadero; Inn at Union Square and King George Hotel in Union Square; Creekside Inn in Palo Alto; and Hotel Los Gatos. The company’s wholly-owned affiliate, Oxford Hotels & Resorts LLC, will continue to manage these properties post-reopening.
“We are sanguine about the long-term prospects of downtown San Francisco, which has proven resilient over a number of economic cycles and challenges,” said Sarang Peruri, COO, Oxford Capital Group LLC and partner, Oxford Hotels & Resorts LLC. “By investing in these four properties as well as coming off recent comprehensive refreshes of Hotel Griffon and Hotel Los Gatos, our local portfolio of nine hotels is poised to differentiate itself and attract new customers.”
With these developments, Oxford has proven its commitment to rebuilding and enhancing the surrounding community—and in particular the SoMa neighborhood—as it fell victim to homelessness and crime during the pandemic, according to the company. The properties for nearly three years were some of the first hotels in the city to provide quarantine facilities during COVID.
“As we expand our West Coast presence, we are proud to bring Oxford’s commitment to compelling design, quality service and enjoyable and safe community-driven experiences to these new properties,” said George Jordan, president, Oxford Hotels & Resorts LLC. “SoMa will soon have new, vibrant public spaces and food & beverage experiences for locals and visitors to enjoy; somewhat of a ‘living room’ for the neighborhood.”
In late 2022, Oxford began its efforts to refresh and reposition the properties. The initial focus was the guestrooms and lobby areas to allow for a soft reopening. Later this year and early next year, the company will debut additional guestrooms (adding nine rooms at SoMa House and four rooms at Hotel Garrett) and multiple new food and beverage facilities.
“On behalf of the City of San Francisco, I proudly welcome this bold investment in the South of Market neighborhood, and am eager to see the vibrancy, excitement and visitation these new hotels will bring to the community and city at large,” said San Francisco Mayor London Breed. “Oxford’s efforts here are an example of the kind of strong commitment that shows people are betting on San Francisco and that our future is bright. We look forward to continuing to work alongside Oxford to make sure these properties are successful and the surrounding neighborhood is welcoming and safe for visitors, workers and residents.”
Hotel Julian San Francisco, located in the Lower Nob Hill submarket of downtown San Francisco, is finishing a multimillion-dollar refresh. Set to debut in mid-October, the hotel will feature 107 refreshed guestrooms and a two-story, indoor-outdoor wine bar called Carlotta’s (set to open in early 2024), whose name dates to the Alfred Hitchcock film “Vertigo” that was filmed at the property in the 1950s. The hotel features hard flooring, new central air conditioning, new furniture and refreshed bathrooms across its guestrooms and a reconfigured two-story arrival lobby.
Debuting in September, SoMa House is finishing a multimillion-dollar refresh across 152 guestrooms (including the proposed addition of nine guestrooms), as well as the build-out of a new sports-themed gastropub concept called SoMA Social (set to open in early 2024). Amenities will include a fitness center, a heated outdoor pool and a courtyard space that includes a new water feature. The guestroom refresh includes hard flooring, new furniture, refreshed bathrooms and improved air conditioning. The property is also currently designing a new indoor-outdoor rooftop venue that would be operated in conjunction with SoMa Social.
Hotel Garrett’s multimillion-dollar refresh includes hard flooring, an improved air conditioning system, new furniture and refreshed bathrooms across 121 guestrooms (including the proposed addition of four guestrooms), along with an expanded and reconfigured lobby. The hotel, which will open in September, houses a 4,200-sq.-ft. restaurant space with an open kitchen, two private dining areas and full-service bar, and is currently evaluating prospective tenants to relaunch this venue in 2024.
Set to debut in September, the refreshed, historic 48-key Hotel Fiona features hard flooring, new furniture, central air conditioning and refreshed bathrooms across its guestrooms, as well as an updated arrival lobby.
