The Huntington Hotel Is Back: What the Big Four, Arabella's, and the Nob Hill Spa Mean for the Neighborhood

After five quiet years, the crown of Nob Hill is lit again

The Huntington Hotel reopened on Nob Hill in March 2026, five years after closing in 2020. A full renovation led by San Francisco designer Ken Fulk brought back the hotel's 143 rooms and suites, the Big Four restaurant in its 50th anniversary year, a new cocktail salon called Arabella's, and the three-level Nob Hill Spa.

I grew up in this city, and there are a handful of places that simply are San Francisco. The Huntington is one of them. So when the neon sign at the top of Nob Hill went dark in 2020, it felt like more than a hotel closing. It felt like a light going out. This spring, that light came back on.

Why the Huntington's reopening matters

The sign atop the Huntington has been a fixture on the Nob Hill skyline since 1949. The building beneath it is older still, opened as residential apartments in 1922 and converted to a hotel in 1924, across from the park that Arabella Huntington helped give to the city. For a century it has been a gathering place. Princess Margaret stayed here. So did the Rolling Stones.

Then the pandemic arrived, the hotel closed, and the property fell into disrepair. It was eventually purchased out of foreclosure by Flynn Properties, led by San Francisco native Greg Flynn, together with the hospitality firm Highgate. They did not cut corners. They restored it.

In March, the neon sign was relit. Mayor Daniel Lurie cut the ribbon. The doors opened. And the neighborhood exhaled.

What is new inside the Huntington Hotel?

Ken Fulk led the redesign, and he did the thing great designers do with a landmark. He left it recognizably itself. The brick exterior stayed. So did the brass fixtures and the carved columns. What changed is the feeling. Fulk reimagined the interiors as a grand private residence rather than a conventional hotel, which is exactly how the Huntington has always wanted to be experienced.

The result is 143 rooms and suites that feel collected rather than decorated, with the intimacy of a building that knows its own history.

The Big Four returns in its 50th year

For many San Franciscans, the real homecoming is the Big Four. The wood-paneled restaurant has long been the unofficial clubhouse of Nob Hill, the room where the city's political and cultural figures gathered for decades. It reopened on March 17, in its 50th anniversary year.

Chef David Intonato kept what people loved and refreshed the rest. The chicken pot pie stayed, at its pre-pandemic price of $35. Tableside service returned for dishes like steak tartare and cioppino. The piano plays nightly again. Fulk preserved the noir-ish, club-room atmosphere that made the space feel like a secret worth keeping.

Arabella's, a new cocktail salon

Alongside the Big Four is something new. Arabella's is a cocktail salon built around rare, decades-old spirits and a vintage French bar cart. The name nods to Arabella Huntington, and the room is designed for the kind of slow, conversational evening the city had been missing.

The Nob Hill Spa, reimagined across three levels

The Nob Hill Spa was long considered one of the most luxurious in San Francisco, and Fulk reimagined it across three full levels, with a pool, a sauna, and treatment rooms. For residents and locals, not just hotel guests, it is one of the few true urban wellness destinations at the top of the city.

What this means for Nob Hill real estate

I get asked often whether a single hotel reopening really moves a neighborhood. In this case, yes. Here is why.

Nob Hill is a residential neighborhood that depends on a small number of anchor institutions to set its tone. Grace Cathedral. Huntington Park. The grand hotels along the crown of the hill. When the Huntington went dark, the neighborhood lost a piece of its daily rhythm, its dining room, its bar, its spa. Buyers feel that, even when they cannot name it.

With the Huntington back, the immediate area has its energy and its foot traffic again. That is the kind of thing that quietly supports value. Buyers pay a premium for neighborhoods that feel alive, walkable, and cared for.

It is worth noting what sits a short walk away. Crescent Nob Hill at 875 California Street, the boutique condominium designed by Robert A.M. Stern and completed in 2020, is one of the newest luxury buildings in the neighborhood. Its residents now have the Big Four, Arabella's, and the Nob Hill Spa back within easy reach. The timing is good. A reawakened landmark and new luxury inventory, on the same few blocks.

A native's perspective

I do not get sentimental about many buildings. I get sentimental about this one. The Huntington reopening is part of a larger story San Francisco has been writing lately, one chapter after another, about a city finding its footing again.

If you are watching Nob Hill, whether to buy, to sell, or simply because you love it the way I do, this is a good moment to pay attention. I am always available for a confidential conversation about the neighborhood and what is moving within it.

Frequently Asked Questions

When did the Huntington Hotel reopen?

The Huntington Hotel reopened on Nob Hill in early March 2026, with an official neon sign relighting and a ribbon-cutting ceremony led by Mayor Daniel Lurie. It had been closed since 2020.

Is the Big Four restaurant open again?

Yes. The Big Four reopened inside the Huntington Hotel on March 17, 2026, in its 50th anniversary year. Designer Ken Fulk preserved the wood-paneled, club-room interior, and chef David Intonato kept classics like the $35 chicken pot pie while bringing back tableside service and nightly piano.

What is Arabella's at the Huntington Hotel?

Arabella's is a new cocktail salon inside the renovated Huntington Hotel. It features rare, decades-old spirits and a vintage French bar cart, and is named in a nod to Arabella Huntington.

Is the Nob Hill Spa open to the public?

The Nob Hill Spa reopened with the hotel in March 2026, reimagined across three levels with a pool, sauna, and treatment rooms. It has long been regarded as one of San Francisco's most luxurious spas. Treatment reservations are available through the hotel.

How does the Huntington reopening affect Nob Hill real estate?

A reopened anchor landmark tends to support neighborhood value by restoring foot traffic, dining, and daily energy that buyers pay a premium for. Newer luxury buildings nearby, such as Crescent Nob Hill at 875 California Street, now sit within a short walk of the revived hotel, restaurant, and spa.

Colleen Cotter | Sotheby's International Realty | CA DRE# 01703078

15+ years in San Francisco real estate | Top 1% of SF agents

415-706-1781 | [email protected] | colleencottersf.com

image via the Huntington Hotel