Fairmont San Francisco — South Of Market
The Fairmont San Francisco Penthouse Suite is one of the most storied penthouse suites in San Francisco, occupying the entire 8th floor of the historic main building across 6,000 square feet. The three-bedroom, four-bathroom layout accommodates up to 8 guests and includes a two-story library, a billiards room with Persian mosaic walls, a formal dining room, a full kitchen, a living room with fireplace, and a private outdoor terrace with city skyline and Bay views. Valued at over $20 million and priced around $18,000 per night, it has hosted U.S. presidents, royalty, and global celebrities since it became a guest suite in 1981.
Few hotel suites anywhere carry the weight of history that defines this Nob Hill landmark: for nearly a century, this 6,000-square-foot residence has been the backdrop for world-altering meetings, rock-and-roll legend, and some of the most closely guarded stories in San Francisco hospitality.
The Fairmont Penthouse takes up the complete 8th floor of the hotel's original main building — 6,000 square feet that function less like a hotel suite and more like a private city residence. The floor plan includes three bedrooms (one king master, a second king guest room, and a third room with a queen bed), four bathrooms, a formal dining room capable of seating up to 60 guests, and a living room centered on a grand piano and a working fireplace. The crown jewel is a two-story library holding approximately 2,500 volumes, its domed ceiling hand-painted in gold leaf with a celestial map — a detail that has drawn guests from Marilyn Monroe to the Kardashians to request a tour of the space specifically. A private outdoor terrace extends the living area with panoramic views of the San Francisco skyline and the Bay.
Room amenities confirmed by the hotel include Le Labo bathroom products, plush terry cloth robes, a Nespresso machine, mini-bar, full kitchen, smart HD televisions, high-speed Wi-Fi, a work desk, and a dedicated VIP Guest Relations contact assigned exclusively to penthouse guests. The billiards room is finished with hand-carved wood walls rendered in colorful Moorish mosaic designs — a room distinctive enough that it has appeared in HBO's 'Ballers,' Netflix's 'The O.A.,' and the 1996 film 'The Rock,' among other productions. A sliding bookcase on the second floor of the library conceals a historic passageway that hotel staff have guided curious guests through for decades. On-request items available from the hotel include rollaway beds, cribs, and a humidifier.
The suite is the right choice for groups of up to 8 guests who need true residential scale — a full kitchen and 60-person dining room make it functional for private events, not just overnight stays. It was originally built in 1927 for local financier John S. Drumm at $1,000 per month, later served as a private residence for mining heiress Maud Flood and hotel owner Benjamin Swig, and was converted to a guest suite in 1981. A $1.9 million redesign by New York firm Champalimaud in 2009 updated technology while preserving original elements including the gold-leaf library ceiling and a hand-painted world map in one of the guest rooms. Presidents Harry Truman, John F. Kennedy, Bill Clinton, and George H.W. Bush are among the documented guests; the formal dining room is where Truman met with world leaders in 1945 to help draft the charter for the United Nations.
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The Penthouse Suite occupies the entire 8th floor of the Fairmont's original main building. No other guest rooms share that floor, giving the suite complete privacy across its full 6,000 square feet.
The suite has been reported at approximately $18,000 per night, a figure referenced during the Kardashian family's publicly documented stay. The suite itself is valued at over $20 million. Current nightly rates vary by date and should be confirmed directly with the hotel at booking.
Documented guests include Presidents John F. Kennedy, Harry Truman, Bill Clinton, and George H.W. Bush, as well as Prince Charles, Alfred Hitchcock, Elton John, the Rolling Stones, Russell Crowe, and the Kardashian family. Tony Bennett performed a private warm-up in the suite, and hotel chief concierge Tom Wolfe — who joined the staff in 1974 — witnessed many of these stays firsthand. YouTuber Casey Neistat's 2016 video tour of the suite has accumulated nearly 13 million views.
Yes. The suite has served as a filming location for HBO's 'Ballers,' Netflix's 'The O.A.' and the 2019 film 'Always Be My Maybe,' ABC's 'The Bachelor,' the 2015 film 'The Intern,' and the 1996 action film 'The Rock,' in which a terrace scene prompted multiple calls to 911 from guests in neighboring buildings who witnessed the staged action.
The penthouse was constructed in 1927 at the request of San Francisco financier John S. Drumm, who paid $1,000 per month to live there. It served as a private residence until 1981, when it was converted into a guest suite. The most recent redesign was completed in 2009 by New York-based firm Champalimaud at a cost of $1.9 million, updating technology while preserving original features such as the gold-leaf library ceiling and a hand-painted world map in one of the guest bedrooms.