San Francisco’s CLIFT Hotel welcomes spring with a series of fresh, colorful events and seasonal offerings. New and returning features for the season include an expanded bee sanctuary, a cocktail herb garden and a spring-themed Decompression Hour menu.
Last year the hotel introduced rooftop hives adjacent to newly added suites, bringing 10 queen bees and roughly 100,000 honeybees to CLIFT. General Manager Michael Pace arranged the box hives to echo the grid of downtown San Francisco, even incorporating small architectural elements that suggest the city’s skyline.
This spring the CLIFT honeybee population is projected to increase substantially, with estimates near 800,000 bees and anticipated summer yields of up to 70 pounds of local honey per hive. Executive Chef Thomas Weibull plans to integrate that honey across the hotel’s food and beverage offerings — from dishes in the Redwood Room to in-room dining and banquet menus. The hotel also intends to include the honey in curated gifts and to donate portions of the harvest to local medical centers in need.
The hotel’s dedicated cocktail herb garden returns as well. Tucked into the second-floor courtyard, the organic garden is planted with herbs and citrus trees grown without fertilizers or pesticides. CLIFT’s mixologist Tony Kim and the Redwood Room team use these homegrown herbs, flowers, lemons and limes to infuse local spirits and craft seasonal cocktails.
Guests can taste CLIFT’s herbs and honey during Decompression Hour, the hotel’s seasonal take on happy hour, when select beers, wines and signature cocktails are priced between $6 and $8 and small plates start at $6. The Redwood Room’s spring menu highlights the fresh, hotel-grown ingredients and seasonal flavors.
Located near Union Square, the century-old CLIFT San Francisco combines historic luxury with modern amenities. The property offers a 24-hour fitness center, multiple dining choices and nine meeting spaces, all within easy reach of downtown attractions.