‘White House of the West’ Spotlight: Inside the Fairmont Penthouse Suite’s Iconic Rooms

The Fairmont San Francisco is more than just a beautiful hotel perched atop Nob Hill; it’s a cornerstone of the city’s history and culture. While its iconic tiki bar, the Tonga Room, draws plenty of buzz, and the holiday Gingerbread House is beloved by locals come Christmas time, the real crown jewel is their legendary 8th-floor Penthouse Suite.

Nicknamed the “White House of the West”, the Fairmont Penthouse Suite has played host to presidents, celebrities, and even the drafting of the United Nations Charter in 1945.

I had the rare opportunity to step inside this extraordinary space and spend a day with the Fairmont team to explore its opulent design, storied past, and the riveting lore that makes it one of the most exclusive hotel rooms in the world.

The Fairmont Penthouse Suite isn’t just a hotel room, it’s an experience. While it’s available to rent for an unforgettable stay, it’s also a sought-after venue for weddings, corporate retreats, and private events.

My favorite room is the library, a space that feels like stepping into a celestial dream. A large starburst chandelier hangs in the center, drawing your eye up to the dome ceiling adorned with hand-painted constellations. The shelves are lined with old, rare books, though many first editions were removed for safekeeping after being discovered by the San Francisco Library.

Another standout space is the Moroccan Billiards Room, a jewel box of a room that transports you to another world. The walls are covered in hand-painted wood tiles that mimic the look of ceramic, each one a tiny masterpiece.

When light pours in from the ornate windows, little shadows shaped like flowers are cast upon the pool table, adding to the whimsy.

We couldn’t resist playing a quick game of pool, because honestly, how often do you get the whole Penthouse Suite to yourself?

As I lined up a shot, the faint clang of the California Street cable car bell drifted up from the street below almost on cue to remind me that despite standing in the room that felt like it belonged on the other side of the world, I was still in the heart of San Francisco.

That’s the magic of the Penthouse Suite: every room feels like a portal to somewhere else, or sometime else, yet it’s all tied together by subtle nods to the city’s rich culture and history.

Take the dining room, for example, where the ornate wallpaper reflects the vibrant spirit of Chinatown just a few blocks away, and the fireplace is styled with giant selenite crystal fireplace logs instead of wood.

Wandering through its halls, I couldn’t help but feel the weight of that history. This is where presidents, world leaders, and Hollywood icons have stayed, where decisions that shaped the world were made, and where whispers of scandalous rendezvous still linger.

Truth be told, the entire San Francisco Fairmont property echoes this legacy. The hotel dates back to 1902, when sisters Theresa Fair Oelrichs and Virginia Fair Vanderbilt started building the very first Fairmont Hotel.

That’s right – a hotel brand that now expands worldwide was founded right here on top of Nob Hill. It almost didn’t happen, too. The first Fairmont was set to have its grand opening on April 18, 1906, and if you know your San Francisco history, then you know that’s the day of the famous 1906 earthquake.

The Fairmont Hotel survived the 7.9 magnitude quake but was gutted in the following fires that destroyed most of the city. Undeterred, it was reopened a year later under the direction of Julia Morgan, California’s first licensed female architect, who also designed the famous Hearst Castle.

The grand reopening was a celebration of resilience, with fireworks, champagne, and 13,000 oysters, cementing the Fairmont as a symbol of San Francisco’s rebirth, earning its reputation as “a hotel so grand they built a city around it”.

The Penthouse Suite, though, wasn’t built until 1926 at the urging of John S. Drum, then-president of the American Trust Company, the suite was originally conceived as a private residence for him atop the hotel. Drum leased the suite for $1,000 a month, which equals about $18k in 2025.

Drum called the Penthouse home until 1938, after which it became the residence of Maude Flood, a mining heiress who lived there for nearly three decades.

In 1966, Benjamin Swig, a former owner of the Fairmont, moved in and stayed until 1980. It wasn’t until 1981 that the Penthouse Suite was opened to the public, and it has earned the reputation of being the best, most luxurious hotel suite west of the Mississippi.

Today, the Penthouse Suite offers 3 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, a living room, a formal dining, a kitchen, a library, a billiards room, and an outdoor terrace with skyline and Bay views, plus tons of tucked away spaces for the Fairmont team to stage dinners and tend to event guests unnoticed.

The sheer scale of the Penthouse Suite makes it feel a little like stepping into a real-life game of Clue. There are secret passageways to discover, like the hidden door in the library that leads to the rooftop or back stairs for staff to quickly come and go, and even a hidden bathroom door in one of the bedrooms that blends seamlessly into the map-patterned wallpaper.

It’s the kind of detail that makes you do a double take, half expecting Professor Plum to pop out with a candlestick. Or, in this case, perhaps a giant crystal.

The Fairmont has played host to many real-life characters, including President John F. Kennedy, King Charles III, Mikhail Gorbachev, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands as well as Mick Jagger, Elton John, Tony Bennett, Nat King Cole, and Marlene Dietrich are just a few of the suite’s famous guests.

Movies like Always Be My Maybe, featuring Ally Wong and Keanu Reeves, have been filmed here, adding to the lore and stories I know these walls would tell if they could talk.

And now, it can be your turn. Whether you’re booking it for a once-in-a-lifetime stay or hosting an unforgettable event, the Fairmont Penthouse Suite offers a chance to step into history and live like San Francisco royalty, if only for a little while.