One of San Francisco’s enduring signs of the pandemic has been the empty hotels lit up with heart symbols, among them one Union Square skyscraper hotel whose lights spelled out “♥ SF.”

 

But those particular lights don’t spell out “♥ SF” anymore.  As of Wednesday, those lights are counting down the days until the reopening of that Union Square skyscraper hotel, as the San Francisco Business Times reports that the Hilton Union Square will reopen this Monday, May 24. 

 

But, regrettably, that Hilton hotel’s panorama-view rooftop bar will be among the sections of the facility that is not reopening just yet. “The popular Cityscape Bar on Tower 1's 46th floor also will remain closed, only opening when occupancy picks up,” according to the Business Times.

 

District 6 Supervisor Matt Haney popped by to check on the reopening proceedings Friday morning, and noted the fun fact that this Hilton is “the largest hotel west of Las Vegas.” In fact, the Hilton Union Square ranks, by number of rooms, as the largest hotel in California.

The return of a downtown hotel is probably not that big a deal to you (though if you’re tempted, rooms start at $204 Monday night). But it is a big deal to the more than 1,000 people who work at that hotel, and anyone rooting for the local tourism industry’s comeback.