Hotel Zeppelin, San Francisco, USA

Taking over two storied buildings — one a high-brow press club and the other the 1913-built Cecil Hotel that once concealed a hopping basement speakeasy — San Francisco’s newest boutique property Hotel Zeppelin brings together the city’s varied characteristics under one roof.

In the intimate ground-level hangout, the restored brick walls, cornice trims, and hand-troweled moldings project a sense of history, as well as an urban flair brought in graffiti by Color Cartel, visible in black light. With a nod to the property’s speakeasy past, Seattle-based Dawson Design Associates suspended a dramatic overhead cage lined with gin bottles in the lobby café/bar. The original curved stairs lead to the 1300-square-foot playroom downstairs, where you might challenge a fellow guest in a game of shuffleboard or quick-shot basketball, or read under a giant lamp shade made with soda can pull-tabs.

The property’s 196 rooms and suites range from cosy 200-square-foot nooks to the 1800-square-foot Zeppelin Suite, complete with its own outdoor deck. Featuring soaring ceilings, industrial light fixtures, and crushed velvet pillows, all the guest rooms are exercises in contrast: you might find a retro record player along with a USB-equipped nightstand, a comfy hoodie-inspired bathrobe hanging next to a sexy, dark-green wall, 60’s-inspired psychedelic lamp next to a contemporary metal chair—which is to say, eclectically San Francisco.