Conferences for up to 322 people theatre style, banquets for 150, rooftop receptions for 222 and weddings can be organised at the Beacon Grand, a 21-story hotel on Powell Street at Union Square in San Francisco. The hotel offers about 17,000 square feet of event space spread over the lower lobby, the mezzanine, the second floor and the 21st floor.
Seminars and company events
The second floor works as a self-contained conference level. The Grand Ballroom covers 3,081 square feet and seats 322 theatre style or 124 classroom style. Around it sit Powell A and B, which combine into a room for 120, Presidio for 84, Union for 48, the Sutter rooms for up to 60 when joined, and Nob Hill for 33. A Grand Foyer and a prefunction area serve registration and coffee breaks. On the mezzanine, Beacon Hall takes 200 for a reception or 150 theatre style, and Beacon West suits a breakout of 40 to 50. Groups that book room blocks can add in-house audiovisual services.
Weddings and receptions
The hotel markets weddings and celebrations and publishes wedding packages. The Grand Ballroom seats 150 for a banquet, Beacon Hall 120, and the Starlite on the 21st floor holds up to 222 guests with views over the city. Menus are tailored to each event by the catering team.
Rooms and capacities
The largest room is the Grand Ballroom at 322. Beacon Hall follows at 200, the Starlite at 222, and Powell A/B at 120. Mid-size options include Presidio at 84 and The Salon in the lower lobby at 80. The smallest rooms, Union, Sutter A or B and Nob Hill, take 33 to 62 people and work for board meetings or breakouts. Ceiling heights run from about 8 feet in the Sutter rooms to 21 feet on the mezzanine.
Accommodation
Guests stay in the 21-story tower above the meeting floors, which keeps conference attendees and wedding parties under one roof. The hotel offers group terms for blocks of 25 room nights or more. The total number of guest rooms is not given on the official site.
Catering
Catering is in-house, with menus built around each event. The Post Room, a café, bar and brasserie off the lobby, covers breakfast and informal meetings, and the Starlite serves as the rooftop bar.
History and setting
The hotel opened in 1928 as the Sir Francis Drake Hotel, with interiors by the San Francisco firm Weeks and Day. In the 1940s the private apartments on the roof became a nightclub with views across the city, later linked to the impresario Harry Denton. After a renovation the building reopened in 2022 as the Beacon Grand.
Getting there
The address is 450 Powell Street, at the corner of Union Square. The Powell Street cable car lines pass the door, Powell Street BART station is a few blocks south, and San Francisco International Airport is reachable by BART without changing trains.
