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Hotel Zetta: San Francisco’s Modern Marvel

By Shandana A. Durrani Jan 26, 2014 5:42 AM

Chic, modern hotels are nothing new but when you add sustainable elements and high-class design, modern turns into marvel. San Francisco’s Hotel Zetta, opened in the summer of 2013, is one such architectural wonder, thanks to Dawson Design Associates.

Situated in SOMA, known for its high-tech design firms and museum-laden streets, Hotel Zetta boasts 116 rooms and suites, all of an ample size for relaxation. Down comforters and imported linens envelope the beds. Mosiac tiles cover the walls of the walk-in shower, filled with Neil George bath products. Guests can work at expansive butcher block desks with free WIFI, smart TVs and G-LINK docking stations.

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The hotel offers activities not found in traditional hotels. The lobby has Macs for personal use. The Zetta also has a 1500-square-foot adult playroom with space-age chairs, a red English phone booth (for drink and food orders), a vintage Rochester pool table, shuffleboard, board games and game consoles. The highlight of the playroom is the giant, 30-foot Plinko game wall, complete with soccer balls, that you have to see to believe—and that you sometimes have to wait to try.

Like other Viceroy properties, the Zetta has a proactive water- and energy-saving plan that includes active recycling, energy-efficient lighting and the use of biodegradable and eco-friendly products. Dawson Design used a lot of reclaimed wood and lumber in the interiors. Antique doors have been turned into wall paneling. Then there’s the Lusive Décor lobby chandeliers made from recycled eyeglasses.

With all that the Zetta offers, you’d never want to leave the hotel. But you should. The SOMA area is home to many world-class museums such as SFMOMA, the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts and The Cartoon Art Museum, and the hotel is a stone’s throw away from Union Square and the Civic Center.

Shandana A. Durrani has been a magazine editor and travel writer for more than two decades. Her work has appeared in numerous… Read Full Bio

Six Senses Rome is a peaceful retreat in a beautifully chaotic city

the lobby at Six Senses Rome

Rome is one of the most visited cities in Europe, and by all accounts, it gets crowded. But considering that it’s one of the world’s most important epicenters for history, culture, food and architecture, we can forgive the crowds. After all, complaining about tourism when you’re a tourist is not the way. But booking yourself a peaceful respite to start and end each day most certainly is.

I chose Six Senses Rome as my home base during a recent four-day trip to the city. The property opened in 2023 in the restored 15th-century Palazzo Salviati Cesi Mellini. The historic building sets the tone before you even check in, with restored 600-year-old columns in the main entrance, pale travertine floors, a light-dappled lobby overflowing with greenery, and a massive marble staircase that’s almost comically regal. And its neighbor is the gorgeous San Marcello al Corso Church—so you can start your sightseeing by literally going next door.

5 Tips If You’re Traveling With Cigars: I Learned No. 2 the Hard Way

Wood, Hardwood, Accessories

Traveling with cigars can be challenging if you’re not prepared. The lack of preparation can lead to your favorite cigars getting smashed from inadequate storage, or they can peel because they weren’t kept at the proper temperature, among other issues. Sometimes you do all the right things, and still come away shaking your head.

I’ve been smoking cigars for two decades now, and it’s not beneath me to admit that I’ve made plenty of cigar travel mistakes in that span, and as recently as two weeks ago. You live, you learn, and hope you don’t waste a stogie on the next trip. My most recent cigar travel mistake is what inspired me to share these tips. Sure, there are plenty of articles out there offering similar advice. But this list comes from a cigar smoker and writer who has visited six countries and about a dozen states in the last year alone. And in that time, mistakes were made, and lessons were learned.

The art of adventure packing: packing light but effective

Clothing, Coat, Jacket

If you are like me, you grew up with stories of adventure. Whether you were fans of fictional adventure like Indiana Jones and Alan Quartermain, or you loved the true-life accounts of Ernest Shackleton and David Livingstone, there is a deep pull to venture into the unknown. The desire to abandon the Mon-Fri 9-5 in search of something deeper. You could spend your time thinking about hopping a boat and sailing the seven seas like the pirates of old. You could look up at the elusive peak of a mountain and believe it begs to be summited. You could stare into the depths of a jungle and wonder what treasures it hides beneath its canopy. No matter what kind of adventurer you are, you need to be prepared for whatever the world throws at you. I have climbed Salkantay Peak and explored the jungles of Peru. I have scanned the plains of Africa in search of a giant cat (the prospect of which was much more comforting than the actual sighting and wondering if I was far enough away). And I have disappeared into the secluded areas of Svalbard. One thing that remained constant was the need for the right pack.

Here is what I learned when packing for my adventures.