San Francisco-based Joie de Vivre hotel group - known for creating hospitality experiences grounded in local culture - operates nine hotels in its home town. Each reveals a unique facet of the City’s distinctive and often eccentric character, and one of its newest, The Marker, is a resplendent illustration of the magic that happens when location, design, and service come together in one gleaming, turn-of-the-century San Francisco building.

Inhabiting what was once the Kimpton’s Monaco hotel, The Marker has placed its own original Joie de Vivre stamp on this centrally-located property. The boutique hotel percolates with urban energy and San Francisco style. 208 newly refurbished guest rooms echo the vim and vigor of the vibrant locale, and impressively grand and spacious common areas reflect the iconic status of the turn-of-the-century building. Here's why we love The Marker:

Location: The Marker is ideally located in an area dubbed ‘Tendernob,’ near the city’s best shopping, theaters, restaurants, and museums. Union Square, the Moscone Convention Center,  and the SOMA district are just a few blocks away, as is the newly remodeled SFMOMA. Take a brisk walk up one of San Francisco’s iconic hills and you’re at Nob Hill, home to Grace Cathedral, the classic Big 4 Restaurant, and Huntington Park. Prefer to explore on bike? The Marker can set you up with their in-house bicycles, allowing you to easily cruise down Market Street to Bay views and the Ferry Building farmer’s market.

Spacious Suites and Comfortable Rooms:  Few downtown boutique hotels offer the space of a Marker suite. Recently renovated, each provides ample area to spread out and make yourself at home. Other guest rooms are equally inviting and feature colorful striped walls and floral accents, pillow-top beds, and down bedding. Luxury bath products are by Jonathan Adler. Fido is also welcome; the hotel has pet-designated rooms and offers pet amenities such as a plush doggie bed and a turndown treat.

The Extras: From fresh lemon water in the lobby, to a nightly 5:00pm – 6:00pm wine social hour, to coffee and teas in the morning, The Marker is known for giving its guests a little something more. Enjoy unlimited PressReader access, in-room spa services, and free wi-fi. Each room features a LCD flat-screen TV, iHome stereo systems and an honor bar. The plush lobby ‘living room’ serves as a communal space for guests to relax after a day of sight-seeing. Comfy couches and cozy chairs surround a large central stone fireplace, and a corner game table beckons for a game of backgammon. A complimentary onsite fitness center provides everything you need to stay in shape: treadmills, ellipticals, spinners, yoga mats, and free weights.

 Tratto: The Marker’s in-house, signature restaurant features house made limoncello, grapefruit-cello, and orange-cello. Need we say more? This spirited, cocktail-driven restaurant – a favorite with neighborhood locals, the pre and post theater crowd, and of course hotel guests - serves rustic Italian fare in a convivial atmosphere inspired by the Italian happy hour tradition of "aperitivo." Menu items are simple, delicious, and meant to be shared, such as the house-made pastas and sausages, pizzas, seasonal vegetables, and seafood, all prepared simply for the fullest expression of flavor. The full bar features traditional Italian cocktails with a twist, such as the eponymous ‘Tratto,’ featuring their limoncello, Four Roses

bourbon, vermouth, and angostura bitters, of the ‘Molto Buona’ with El Dorado Rum, orgeat, limoncello, and strawberry shrub. Create your own ‘Boozy Italian Soda’ with your own choice of spirit and their selection of house-made Italian Sodas. Beers and wines are sourced from the best of the West Coast and Italy. High ceilings and arched windows let the sun shine in during the day. After dark, the space takes a dramatic turn as classic Italian movies (silenced, but with subtitles) take center stage on the bar’s wall – a little Joie de Vivre whim that separates this lovely hotel and restaurant from the pack.

The Marker Hotel, 501 Geary Street, San Francisco