JW Marriott San Francisco

Rebranded in 2006, the former Pan Pacific hotel is far enough from Union Square that guests can avoid the crush, but close enough that the shops are mere steps away. The dazzling third-floor lobby, with its soaring 18-storey ceiling, is morphing in early 2008 into a 'great room' with coffee kiosk, bar and American restaurant. But Marriott is keeping the brass-railed hallways that circle the atrium and lead to the guest rooms, which, thanks to a $20 million renovation, now include bigger flat-screen TVs, sophisticated lighting and a gold and sage palette with rich red accents.