Last Updated on June 15, 2022
Should there be any problem finding Hotel Diva on Geary Street located just off San Francisco’s Union Square, just look up. The seductive custom window shades show black and white
silhouettes of curvaceous females in corsets or fishnets. Still can’t find it? Look down. Diva has a ‘walk of fame’ on the sidewalk in front of the hotel complete with signatures, hand and foot impressions of the hotel’s celebrity guests.
Walking into the lobby at Diva, we watched the cheeky-sexy exterior fade into a sleek, discreet city abode. The Diva crew are helpful, considerate and cool – not overly interested, not bubbly, and no questions about how long I will stay and if I have been to San Francisco before (though they could have mentioned the free continental breakfast on the 7th floor, which unfortunately we never visited).
On the plus side, there is direct lobby access to a Starbucks on one side, and the upscale Colibri Mexican restaurant on the other. Colibri will even deliver free of charge to your room. It’s too bad Starbucks doesn’t offer the same, because we could have used some coffee to get us up and out of bed after swinging that 36inch flat screen to face the bed, curling up in the luxury duvet cover and relaxing on a rainy San Fran afternoon.
Diva’s website declares that a hotel should not feel like a home away from home. It should make you feel spontaneous, adventurous, and do things you don’t normally do, like have sex during the day. The incredibly comfortable beds, individually designed rolled steel headboards, pillows perfect for pillow-talk, sleek leather couch, and aforementioned seductive shades call for just that. But don’t let the sexy fool you. Diva is as much for work as for play.
The desk in the room is spacious, the chair, ergonomic even, and the wireless connection as speedy as it gets. We were able to easily write, blog, upload images and surf the mornings away. On every other floor are 24-hour Diva Lounges, which are meeting rooms (with wi-fi), and each are designed by San Francisco based artists and designers. It was a shame that no one was using these spaces whenever we peeked in, but the vibe in the lounges would certainly suit creative brainstorming sessions for media / art types.
Getting its fair share of use was Diva’s fitness center. Boutique hotels often boast such facilities on their website, only to provide a dusty machine or two (one inevitably out-of-order) and free weights. Diva’s gym was the real deal with everything from fitness balls to mats, all types of machines, weights for girls and boys and a TV.
The building was originally built in 1915 and traded as the Somerton Hotel. Like many San Francisco hotels, the building was originally constructed as temporary housing for the workers and volunteers who rebuilt the city after the 1906 San Francisco fire. As a result, the rooms were constructed for singles, small in size. Diva’s 118 guestrooms, including ours, are more spacious than most hotels in the area – of which, during our ten-day stint in San Fran, we sampled four.
Diva’s main downside is not entirely its own fault. It just so happens that San Francisco’s gritty area known as the Tenderloin sits just two blocks from Union Square. However, though you might stumble into the area, it is not overly dangerous, and coming from the city center you might never notice it at all. In fact, it was Hotel Diva’s location and fiery attitude that won us over in the end.
Hotel Diva
440 Geary Street
San Francisco
www.hoteldiva.com
