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.”
Daybreak in San Francisco with a sweet little message from the Hilton. (📸 cred: Matty O'Diejo) @HiltonSFUnionSq pic.twitter.com/M81V8qp089
— Hamish Krishna (@MoHotmessGandhi) April 22, 2020
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.
Tonight, we turned up the lights on our tall tower to begin the 5-day countdown to our grand reopening. Scroll through for a great view! #5 #Countdown #HiltonSFUnionSquare
— Hilton San Francisco Union Square (@HiltonSFUnionSq) May 20, 2021
📸: @benviews_2021 pic.twitter.com/0jlU0HMnHm
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.
Hilton Union Square, in D6, is the largest hotel west of Las Vegas, w nearly 2000 rooms.
— Matt Haney (@MattHaneySF) May 21, 2021
Closed for over a year, they're reopening on Monday.
They employ over 1000 people normally, exciting to see people coming back to work, ready to welcome visitors again. @UniteHereLocal2 pic.twitter.com/DVAxTBQfMG
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.
