San ‘The City by the Bay’ Francisco is at the forefront of energy independence initiatives and green building trends in the United States. The city has made the best use of its compactness, building an excellent mass transit system and reducing traffic-based carbon emissions. There are not only green and sustainable things to do and attractions, but even your stay in the city can be eco-friendly in the form of green hotels. By 2017, 27% of San Francisco’s Bay area hotels were already eco-friendly and part of TripAdvisor’s GreenLeaders program, which showcases hotels with green practices. Read on to know the top green hotels in San Francisco, California, today.
We handpicked these listings carefully, considering (wherever possible) recent guest reviews, location, accommodation type, prices, availability of dates, decor, and the property's commitment towards eco-conscious practices. The image galleries get refreshed with the latest updates regularly. They were last updated on April 08, 2024.
1. Orchard Garden Hotel (from USD 159)
The ‘eco-friendly boutique hotel’ of Orchid Garden is San Francisco’s very first LEED-certified hotel. The hotel’s minimalistic-looking regal building is designed in a way to reduce heat, water, and energy waste. Orchard Garden features environmentally responsible practices in almost every area of operation. Not only do they use Energy Star appliances, but they also feature carpets made of recycled material, organic cleaning products, low-flow faucets and toilets to conserve water as much as possible, as well as energy-efficient lighting. What’s more, they even have a feature where the guests can 'turn off’ the entire room when they leave for saving energy.
Orchard Garden Hotel
Address: 466 Bush Street
367 meters (0.3 ft) from Union Square
2. Hotel Zelos San Francisco (from USD 169)
With a ‘Silver Level’ position on TripAdvisor’s prestigious Greenleaders program, the urban, sophisticated sanctuary that is Hotel Zelos is a combination of a luxury and boutique hotel. The hotel is centrally located in San Francisco’s SoMa district and within walking distance of Union Square, the Financial District, and Chinatown. Zelos’ energy-saving initiatives including occupancy sensors, energy-efficient lighting, incentive plans for employees to use mass transport and/or carpool, and even biodegradable cleaning products. What’s more, the bathrooms feature eco-friendly Roil bath amenities.
Hotel Zelos San Francisco
Address: 12 Fourth Street
335 meters (0.3 ft) from Union Square
3. Argonaut Hotel, a Noble House Hotel (from USD 219)
The award-winning Argonaut in Fisherman’s Wharf is one of San Francisco’s most celebrated green hotels, having earned four ‘Green Keys’ from the Green Key Eco-Rating Program. The historic hotel is leading the 'going green’ change in San Francisco, having implemented green practices such as LED lighting, using environmentally-friendly cleaning products, recycling garbage, using refillable bathroom amenities and employing water-saving systems. Even all the signature dishes in the hotel’s famous restaurant, Blue Mermaid Restaurant & Bar, are all prepared according to sustainable fisheries guidelines in an 'Earth-friendly’ fashion. Even all the grease in the kitchen is recycled to create compost and biofuel!
Argonaut Hotel, a Noble House Hotel
Address: 495 Jefferson Street
2.47 km (1.6 mi) from Union Square
4. Harbor Court Hotel (from USD 299)
Reasonable pricing for a prime location near Embarcadero and Ferry Building.
Complimentary wine hour, bike rentals, and access to YMCA lap pool.
Conveniently situated near Chase Center and popular attractions, with easy access to transportation.
Limited but complimentary breakfast, with nearby dining options.
The historic landmark of Harbor Court hotel on downtown SFO’s scenic waterfront is eco-friendly in a way that it is not only surrounded by Silicon Valley’s tech giants, but is also within walking distance of the Exploratorium, the Ferry building, and the Embarcadero, as well as many popular boutique restaurants and local farmers’ markets. So, when you live at the Harbor Court, the carbon footprint for travellers is minimal. Not just this, but the non-smoking hotel even has a gourmet honour bar stocked with healthy, organic eats, ‘Tuch Tablet’ digital directories promoting a green environment, and no minibar or entertainment centre.
Harbor Court Hotel
Address: 165 Steuart Street
1.44 km (0.9 mi) from Union Square
5. Hotel Spero (from USD 127)
Be a part of something good when you stay at the restored landmark of Hotel Spero, which probably has one of the most extensive green, eco-friendly, and sustainable practices. When you check-in, you’re given a custom Hotel Spero reusable water bottle, in which you can fill up water from the many installed water stations. When it comes to the room, the hotel provides skin and eco-friendly products from BeeKind, a part of whose sales support honey bees and sustainable pollination research. The hotel also donates soaps, shampoo and conditioner bottles to ‘Clean the World’, an initiative which distributes these products recycled to lesser-developed countries. Hotel Spero features low-flow showerheads, toilets, and faucets, sustainable cleaning products, and composts leftover food.
Hotel Spero
Address: 405 Taylor Street
399 meters (0.3 ft) from Union Square
6. Hotel Focus SFO (from USD 89)
Reasonable rates with free airport shuttle, but parking is an additional fee.
Spacious rooms with Keurig coffee machine, free airport shuttle, and computer for guest use.
Conveniently near the airport with easy access to car rental and dining options.
Self-served breakfast with a variety of options, but some guests found it minimal.
The completely non-smoking Hotel Focus SFO is a not only a mere 10-minute drive from San Francisco International Airport but is also an excellent eco-friendly, green establishment, complete with electric vehicle charging stations for guests and unique low-water-use landscaping. The large, airy lobby is eco-friendly to the boot as well. However, it’s the eco-friendly ‘Desert Bloom’ drought-tolerant courtyard that is the most impressive of all, featuring fire pits, Nantucket tables and chairs, and beautiful, water-efficient xeriscape landscaping.
Hotel Focus SFO
Address: 111 Mitchell Avenue
15.4 km (9.6 mi) from Union Square
7. W San Francisco (from USD 279)
You’ll definitely feel good about staying at the W San Francisco, which has a ‘Platinum’ LEED-EB certified building along with a stunning, gorgeous interior. The chic boutique hotel, which is located in the heart of downtown, features completely energy-efficient lighting, low-watt cooling/heating towers and systems designed to reduce energy waste, motion sensors in all guest rooms to preserve energy and keeping systems from running when the room is unoccupied, and public computers which switch off after 15 minutes of no use.
W San Francisco
Address: 181 Third Street
703 meters (0.5 ft) from Union Square
8. The Marker San Francisco
There’s so much more to The Marker, San Francisco than the fact that it has a fantastic location - just steps from Union Square in the heart of downtown San Francisco. The hotel, housed in a turn-of-the-century building, keeps a green, pristine environment while meeting safety, health, safety, and cost-effectiveness goals. The hotel features an on-site generating system for disinfecting and cleaning products known as PathoSans. It has lessened the hotel’s carbon footprint by eliminating shipping, storing and disposal of the usual cleaning chemicals, which are generally not environment-friendly. The hotel uses the PathoCide and Pathoclean, both green cleaning disinfectants and cleaners which leave surfaces spotlessly clean without any smell or residue.
The Marker San Francisco
Address: 501 Geary Street
398 meters (0.3 ft) from Union Square
9. Hotel Del Sol, a Joie de Vivre Hotel (from USD 149)
When the Marina-based Hotel Del Sol earned its green certification, it was the only Marina hotel to be certified so. A Joie de Vivre hospitality property, the charming, colourful hotel sources products from local, eco-friendly vendors as much as possible. For instance, their laundry and cleaning products are purchased from the acclaimed Vaska, a leading producer of truly green products. The hotel also has a waste reduction program with the philosophy of ‘reuse and recycle’, including all their office supplies. They also water their gardens manually, and have fill valves, new toilet flappers and sink aerators for reducing water wastage. They not only sell bus passes to their guests but also offer their staff shower rooms and bike storage!
Hotel Del Sol
Address: 3100 Webster Street
2.66 km (1.7 mi) from Union Square
10. Good Hotel (from USD 205)
The Good Hotel is a unique eco-friendly hotel in San Francisco, featuring one-of-a-kind spins on green practices. This hotel features furnishings from almost exclusively reclaimed and recycled and reclaimed materials, including bedding which has developed using recycled soda containers and chic bed frames made from reclaimed wood. The toiletries are eco-friendly and bathrooms have shower-mounted shampoo dispensers and water-conserving toilet-top sinks. Not only do the rooms feature fun chalkboard walls for saving paper, but the hotel serves organic food as well. They even try to lessen the carbon footprint by offering complimentary bicycles and free parking for hybrid cars!
Good Hotel
Address: 112 Seventh Street
1.06 km (0.7 mi) from Union Square
Eco-friendly hotels in San Francisco
On your next trip to the beautiful City by the Bay, go eco-friendly by staying at one of these lovely, green, and sustainable hotels which are contributing and doing their bit to bettering earth every day. With our list above, you have enough options of luxurious green hotels in San Francisco.
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