The Two Key selection rounds out with the Battery. A 14-suite boutique hotel in the heart of the city that doubles as an exclusive members-only club for the tech elite, it remains the city's most coveted social hub, complete with an active event calendar and a myriad of upscale dining and drinking options open only to members and hotel guests. Business travelers will appreciate the quiet workspace downstairs, as well as the arcade-like game room for blowing off late-night steam.

San Francisco Bay and its environs offer a wealth of swanky lodging options, and there’s a lot of variety, from urban Union Square to pastoral Napa Valley. However, that famous, shimmering bay can act as something of a moat — meaning you’re either in San Francisco or you’re quite a ways out of it. The Lodge at Cavallo Point solves this dilemma by embracing that very juxtaposition. To the north of you are hills of eucalyptus, to the south of you is the entire panorama of San Francisco.

The astounding views of the glittering bay at Cavallo Point Lodge are rivaled only by the towering vantage point of the Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco at Embarcadero, another Two Key selection — this one in a more traditional location for the city's travelers: a downtown skyscraper. Expect the same elegance found at a Four Seasons anywhere in the world, mixed with San Francisco-specific experiences like private sunset sailing cruises around the bay and photography tours.

The Hotel Drisco makes its home in the tony neighborhood of Pacific Heights, its hilltop location far from the bustle of downtown and just a short ride from the city's Presidio National Park. The house is classic Edwardian in look, and just as elegant within. This is no bed and breakfast — it's much more luxurious than that phrase might denote. But the hotel itself is without a doubt, well, a house, albeit one with panoramic city views from spacious suites to go with gourmet breakfasts.

Head to the financial district on the water and you'll find 1 Hotel San Francisco. Like its sister hotels across the United States, the mission here is sleek, eco-conscious design, an excellent spa (this one known for a range of organic products and dedication to low-waste practices) and an on-site restaurant that sources most ingredients from within a 100-mile radius. Active sightseers borrow the hotel's bicycles and explore the waterfront and downtown attractions, all just a short pedal away.