St. Francis Hotel

Originally opened in 1904, and then repaired and reopened a year after the Great Quake of 1906, the St. Francis Hotel is a 1,200-room luxury hotel located in Union Square, San Francisco. It has hosted actors, artists, writers, generals, presidents, and monarchs. Its famous lobby bar, the "Clock Bar," is named for the Magneta Grandfather Clock, a time piece built in Vienna in 1856 and transported by steamer ship around Cape Horn to San Francisco. The Magneta now operates as the hotel's "master clock."

Since 1938, St. Francis has offered "coin washing" as one of its many guest services. The custom got its start when the hotel's general manager insisted that all silver coins be cleaned to keep female guests' white gloves from getting dirty. Daily, coins are collected by the front desk staff and washed in an automatic shaker, to be used for change when guests pay cash.

In 1973, the St. Francis hosted Westercon, the West Coast's premier sci-fi and fantasy convention.