NIFTY NEW CLIFT
Schrager and Starck give San Francisco a treat.

Hip hotelier Ian Schrager has brought a Starck change to San Francisco’s historic Clift Hotel. He and celebrated designer Philippe Starck have teamed up to reopen the stately hotel. The lobby, redone in cool, pale gray, now boasts a metal concierge desk designed by Jean Nouvel and a bronze coffee table by Salvador Dali. Guest rooms feature soaring ceilings and custom furniture, (think wooden chairs that resemble wheelbarrows) by Starck himself. Amenities remain five-star. So too does the food, which is highlighted by Asia de Cuba, an alluring Asian-Latin fusion restaurant on the first floor. Rooms from $325. (800) 652-5438, www.clifthotel.com