The Argent Hotel, San Francisco; When Location Is Everything

Press Release: Destination Hotels & Resorts

September 10, 1999
SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- A city of endless sights and sounds, sightseeing in San Francisco is an exercise in strategic planning. There's always one more street to investigate, one more neighborhood to explore, one more view to discover... and there's never enough time. Fortunately, guests at The Argent Hotel have the benefit of a great location central to the city's thriving business district, arts and culture, shopping, entertainment and children's activities.

All Work and Plenty of Play

For business travelers, The Argent is conveniently located right across Market Street from the Financial District. This main business district of San Francisco is filled with over 300,000 people daily, thriving in one of the USA's hottest economies. One block in the opposite direction of the hotel, the Moscone Convention Center is the city's principal convention space. This conference mecca is home to over 700 conventions and trade shows each year, drawing discriminating experts from all over the world in subjects ranging from fine foods to computer wizardry.

The "Center" of the Arts

There are also a variety of artistic and cultural activities surrounding The Argent. The hotel overlooks the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), less than a block down Third Street. Designed by Swiss architect Mario Botta, the SFMOMA is the second largest modern art museum in the United States. Enter into the atrium, bathed in natural light from the cylindrical skylight, which soars up 125 feet overhead to explore five floors worth of cutting edge and contemporary paintings, architecture, photography and media art. Don't forget to stop at the museum store, which is one of the best places to buy art books on the West Coast.

From the museum, proceed across Third Street to the Yerba Buena Gardens and Center for the Arts. Visual and performing arts are both represented at this building which provides a forum for the work of San Francisco's diverse artistic and ethnic communities. Its galleries feature large-scale multimedia exhibits and kinetic sculptures. They also screen an eclectic assortment of experimental films and unusual documentaries. The attached 5.5-acre Esplanade Garden has an excellent view of The Argent and is an ideal resting spot for weary adventurers and city workers. Catch a free noontime concert in the summer or take a relaxing stroll amid the unusual and innovative outdoor art collection and through the 50-foot granite waterfall memorial to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

After winding through the gardens, follow Fourth Street south to the Ansel Adams Center for Photography. At this center, smaller galleries are dedicated to the work of arguably America's most famous photographer and his contemporaries. The larger space, accented by cement columns, showcases living photographers, some of whom are pushing the envelope of the medium by printing on transparent synthetic surfaces or creating sculptural photo collages.

Shopper's Paradise

The Argent is also conveniently located for all your shopping needs. San Francisco's grandest shopping avenue, Post Street, is just two blocks from The Argent's front door. Known for it's international designer boutiques, Post Street is where you will find Armani, Ralph Lauren, Coach, Gianni Versace, Cartier and San Francisco's own -- Gump's.

Further up Post is the West Coast's most elegant shopping destinations -- Union Square. Union Square caters to the discriminating shopper with a mix of international designer boutiques, sumptuous gift stores, fine art galleries and major luxury retailers. Long a fixture on Union Square, Macy's Flagship has undergone a massive remodeling and is reopening in August 1999, rejoining venerable favorites Neiman Marcus and Sax Fifth Avenue. Tiffany & Co., Gucci, Bullock & Jones and Niketown are just a few of the spectacular stops that grace Union Square park.

A block and a half down Market Street rests San Francisco Shopping Centre anchored by a 5-story Nordstrom department store. Riding America's only spiral escalators through the nine-story vertical mall, shopper's can discover a unique mix of upscale, trend setting retailers, and a collection of merchants and merchandise unlike any other.

That's Entertainment

The Argent's immediate neighborhood is also home to various entertainment venues. The brand new Sony Metreon Entertainment Center is adjacent to the Yerba Buena Gardens and less than a five-minute walk from the hotel. This first-of-its-kind entertainment experience combines three interactive family attractions from the world famous authors Maurice Sendak, David Macaulay and Jean Giraud; a Sony Style store location; the Discovery Channel Destination store; eight new restaurants celebrating San Francisco's exciting cuisine; an upscale nightclub; and a 15-screen movie theater, including San Francisco's first and only SONY-IMAX® screen.

For entertainment of a more thespian nature, San Francisco's theater row is only blocks away. On any given night, there is overwhelming selection of traditional and contemporary shows from Tennessee Williams' "A Streetcar Named Desire" to the Broadway hit "Rent."

Traveling families will find endless activities on the ``Rooftop at Yerba Buena Gardens'', a new destination for families and youth, located directly on top of the Moscone Convention Center. Highlights span from cutting edge technology to nostalgic Americana. Zeum is San Francisco's new art and technology center where kids ages 8-18 explore the visual, media and performing arts. Visitors can create their own claymation animation, build a multimedia show, design a web page, or collaborate with artists from around the Bay and across the globe. Just outside the dramatically designed Zeum, is the new home for the fully restored 1903 Charles Looff antique carousel from San Francisco's ``Playland at the Beach.'' The Rooftop also features a regulation-sized ice skating rink, bowling center and child care center -- all surrounding a beautiful play and learning garden ideal for picnics and outdoor performances.

The Future

Exciting projects immediately adjacent to The Argent will further enhance the hotel's already enviable location. Jessie Square, located behind the hotel will be a gracious, welcoming plaza unifying the architecture and cultures of The Mexican Museum, The Jewish Museum San Francisco, and St. Patrick's Catholic Church. It will be paved in a fine stone, and will feature trees, flowers, graceful and welcoming seating, and a major work of art of glass and water. Jessie Square faces Mission Street, and is connected to Third Street via the Argent's serene sculpture garden. Outdoor seating for both museum cafes will be located toward The Argent side of the plaza. The museums are slated to start construction in approximately a year, to open in late 2002 or early 2003.

Getting from "Here'' to "There''

While taxis can easily speed you on your journey across the city, more adventurous explorers will find that The Argent is at the hub of San Francisco's public transportation system.

Just take a short stroll to Powell and Market Streets to catch a ride on San Francisco's most venerable mode of transportation, the cable car. Cable cars pass some of the most breathtaking views of the bay as they traverse the hills to Chinatown, Fisherman's Wharf and Ghirardelli Square.

Enjoy a slightly longer walk down Market Street towards the Ferry building and catch a ferry to picturesque Sausalito and other points around the San Francisco Bay. Or hop on any of a number of public buses on the corner of Third and Market Streets to easily and reliably reach all parts of the city. Also at this intersection, the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) runs under Market Street. BART is the fastest way to speed under the bay to Berkeley and other East Bay attractions.

The guest services team at The Argent has information on all these attractions and more. Make sure to ask about special agreements or seasonal offers as well as information on other Bay Area activities.

About The Argent

With breathtaking floor-to-ceiling panoramic views, each of The Argent's 667 guestrooms and suites offers a calm respite from a hectic world. Equipped for business, and designed for pleasure, The Argent offers warm, attentive service - all delivered with true San Franciscan flair. To find out more about The Argent, you can refer to our website at www.argenthotel.com .

About Destination Hotels & Resorts

The Argent, is the newest addition to a family of properties owned by Destination Hotels & Resorts. Each distinctive, well-situated Destination Hotels & Resorts property offers exceptional recreational opportunities and conference facilities. Properties include the Hotel del Coronado near San Diego; the Inverness Hotel & Gold Club near Denver; the Royal Palms Hotel & Casitas in Phoenix; Wild Dunes Resort in Charleston, S.C.; Sunriver Resort in Sunriver, Oregon; and Tenaya Lodge in Yosemite, California. To find out more about Destination Hotels & Resorts properties, visit the company's Web site at www.destinationtravel.com .

SOURCE: Destination Hotels & Resorts