S.F.’s Sir Francis Drake Resort reveals new title in advance of grand re…
San Francisco’s historic Sir Francis Drake Lodge formally has a new name, the Beacon Grand, with a reopening planned for spring, according to Leah Goldstein, general public relations manager for the hotel.
The rebranding approach for the famed San Francisco lodge has been ongoing since the Northview Lodge Team procured the house very last April for approximately $157 million from the Kimpton Lodge and Restaurant Group.
“Everything was accomplished with so a great deal believed for these an legendary home,” Goldstein explained to The Chronicle. “We are not just modifying the name and then swiftly changing anything about the lodge. It is all significantly a lot more intentional than that.”
The 416-space hotel on Powell Street around Union Sq. has been shuttered since the onset of the pandemic.
The primary identify of the 94-yr-previous hotel paid out homage to 16th century explorer Francis Drake, recognized as the initially English sea captain to circumnavigate the earth.
Kimpton Hotels, the hotel’s previous owner, released a statement in 2020 saying the company prepared to “evaluate a title adjust and opportunity rebranding of the house.”
Goldstein said designs to rename the hotel weren’t settled until eventually Northview Lodge Team took around previous 12 months and expressed the wish to create an completely new expertise for future company, which included the new identify of the Beacon Grand.
In Marin County, the faculty district in San Anselmo voted previous calendar year to rename Sir Francis Drake Significant College to Archie Williams after 9 months of discussion. Williams was born in Oakland and honored with lots of tutorial achievements. He also famously competed in track and discipline in the 1936 Olympics.
Marin’s Sir Francis Drake Boulevard was named just after him in 1929. The 43-mile road runs by five jurisdictions in Marin County, every single with the electric power to make your mind up regardless of whether to preserve or modify the title.
Activists clinched a victory after the Fairfax Town Council voted past March to rename a extend of the boulevard that runs as a result of the metropolis. A identify the council is thinking of is Coastal Miwok Trail, a nod to its Indigenous roots.
Sir Francis Drake Boulevard also intersects the towns of Ross, San Anselmo, Larkspur and Marin, but govt officers in all those locations in the long run voted to maintain the authentic name.
Even though Northview Hotel Group has moved forward in dropping the Drake identify, Goldstein reported the rebranding will preserve elements of the property’s past.
Encouraging in this work is Oakland architecture organization Arcsine, which has been partnering with Northview to layout the inside elements. There is continue to no official word on the future of the Starlight Home, which sits atop the hotel and has been beloved by tourists from all over the planet.
“The new principle pretty substantially honors and respects the heritage of the iconic hotel,” she mentioned. “We are aiming for early March to share a lot more information and images.”
Alexandria Bordas is a San Francisco Chronicle staff members writer. E mail: [email protected] Twitter: @crossingbordas
