This is part 2 of our exclusive interview with San Francisco Travel Association EVP and Chief Sales Officer Nicole Rogers.
Beyond Moscone Center, can you tell us about some exciting meeting space developments in the city?
One of the most anticipated events this year is the unveiling of Presidio Tunnel Tops on July 17. The additional 14 acres of parkland in the Presidio will have reservable spaces in its meadows for special events. Built over the tops of the Presidio Parkway highway tunnels, Presidio Tunnel Tops will feature scenic overlooks with stunning views of the Golden Gate Bridge and the city, trails, picnic areas, gathering spaces and gardens and meadows. It is designed by James Corner Field Operations—the firm behind New York’s High Line. The Presidio also offers several other venues that host events, including the Golden Gate Club, the Presidio Officers’ Club and the Log Cabin.
There are also several new hotel meeting and event spaces. This month three new properties are opening—1 Hotel San Francisco, LUMA Hotel San Francisco and Beacon Grand (formerly the Sir Francis Drake), and they offer a wide range of meeting spaces. The Hyatt Regency San Francisco Downtown SOMA debuted in February with 30,000 square feet of refreshed meeting and event space following a $70 million+ re-imaging of the Park Central Hotel. And both the St. Regis San Francisco and Stanford Court Hotel revealed renovated meeting space earlier this year.
Next year, a new private event space will open at One Sansome, which is located downtown by San Francisco’s Montgomery BART Station. The private event space, accommodating around 2,000 people, plus a bar and restaurant are being added to the property’s publicly accessible 1910 conservatory. It will be called Holbrook House, and the owner is aiming to open early next year.
Tell us about a couple of popular places for groups wanting to experience the true San Francisco.
San Francisco is known for its beautiful scenery, iconic sights, neighborhoods, culinary scene and arts and culture. Taking a Bay cruise from Fisherman’s Wharf is one of the best ways to see the city’s famous Golden Gate Bridge and stunning scenery. San Francisco’s compact size also makes it easily explored by foot. There are culinary walking tours in the Mission, North Beach or at the Ferry Building and Ferry Plaza Farmers Market that focus on the city’s amazing food scene. Our arts and culture offerings are equally diverse and rich. Moscone Center is located in Yerba Buena, which boasts the greatest concentration of arts institutions west of the Hudson River, and is a wonderful place to explore. Groups will find a “true” San Francisco experience in whatever neighborhood they visit.
Also, there’s nothing better than taking in a San Francisco Giants baseball game. The Giants offer a newly renovated and enhanced yacht that offers hors d’oeuvres, cocktails and/or full dinners while privately experiencing the beautiful view of the City from the Bay. It will dock right next to the ballpark and both group tickets and private suites are available for your group to watch a game!
What’s new in terms of restaurants and activities for groups that haven’t visited in the past couple of years?
The biggest change to the city’s restaurant scene is outdoor dining which blossomed during the pandemic and here is to stay. Under the City’s now permanent “Shared Space” program, more than 1,000 restaurants opened in-street dining by taking over parking spots. The restaurants built “parklets,” which make the most of the city’s temperate climate and are kitted out with roofs and heat lamps. Outdoor dining can be found everywhere, including hot spots such as Filmore St. in Pacific Heights, Hayes St. in Hayes Valley, Valencia St. in the Mission District, Green and Columbus streets in North Beach and Chestnut St. in the Marina.
What’s one of the city’s best-kept secrets?
The incredible range of city parks. Every San Franciscan lives within a 10-minute walk of a park. Golden Gate Park is the most famous, but there are many other, smaller parks that are stunning. Two of the newest are Francisco Park, which opened this April off of Hyde Street in Russian Hill and has panoramic views of the Bay, and Salesforce Park, which floats 70-feet above street level atop the roof of the Salesforce Transit Center in SOMA. The urban park runs a nearly four-block stretch and offers the tranquility of spacious lawns and botanical gardens above city streets.
