Hip, historic & happy to welcome you: what’s in store for Simpleview Summit 2025 in San Francisco

Now that I have two annual conferences under my belt, it was extra exciting to do an on-site visit to visualize how Simpleview Summit 2025 will turn out in my home city of hip and historic San Francisco, California.

Here’s a sneak peek into what’s in store for you in the Golden Gate State.

The Hotel

Upon arrival, I was greeted with smiling faces at the Hilton Union Square San Francisco. After being ushered to the front desk and quickly given my room key — I made my way up to my room on the 27th floor, complete with stunning views of the city skyline.

The hotel has a rich history. Opened in 1964, the 1200-room original building was known as a "motel within a hotel,” allowing guests to park directly next to their upper-story rooms. A second 46-story tower was added in 1971, while a third smaller 23-story connecting tower was completed in 1987. Since its most recent renovation in 2017, it is now the largest hotel on the West Coast, boasting 1,921 rooms.

It was fun to see the hustle and bustle of the downtown I once worked in was still alive and well. Multiple conferences were being held at the hotel, and you could see big groups of attendees rush off to a new room during each break (that could be you soon!).

The Grand Ballroom has undergone a couple of audio-visual renovations that make it an innovative and interesting space to work with — from an event planner’s perspective; I’m excited for our attendees to see it.

The City

The hotel is located in Union Square, meaning it’s within walking distance from shopping, great restaurants, and the best part — the Powell Street cable cars. We’re just a few blocks from the cable car turnaround. Although you can catch a ride every couple of blocks on Powell Street, cable cars can't go in reverse, so they need to be turned around by hand. Drivers hop out of the car and turn these icons around to take another trip back to Fisherman’s Wharf. The cable cars are the only moving national landmark.

On my tour of the city, I met with San Francisco Travel to see off-site options for our closing party. It was fun to see the city from the perspective of a destination marketing organization (DMO). It reinvigorated my love for the destination and the many things attendees can do while they are in town. A couple of venues stood out to me — I won’t spoil the surprise but both options are fun — and you know we can’t help but throw a traditional Simpleview-style gathering!

Another favorite part about being in Union Square is that it is central to so many great neighborhoods in San Francisco. Even though there are tons of hills in the city, the entire city is only seven miles by seven miles — meaning nothing is ever really that far away.

• Fisherman’s Wharf is a cable car ride away
   
• Chinatown is within walking distance, and North Beach is just a bit further
   
• A less than 10-minute drive gets you to Japantown and Fillmore Street — an area known for its rich history of music, a place of rebuilding, and a settlement area for those displaced by other parts of the city
   
• A 15-minute drive reaches the Richmond district, an area known for its housing built for families, which has a diverse culinary scene that includes Burmese, Thai, Chinese, Italian, and Turkish foods

Let's Bridge the Gap

We had an open and honest conversation with the hotel manager about the pros and cons of hosting a large event in the city. It’s no secret that we all see “cons” in the media these days, however, we were assured that the San Francisco of today is not the San Francisco of the future.

Speaking of the pros … you will most likely get the opportunity to meet the famous San Francisco native, “Karl the Fog.” Though the fog might make it difficult to see further than a few feet from your face … you can be sure to see Karl in all his glory on his Instagram page.

I’m looking forward to bridging the gap between you and this one-of-a-kind destination. I think this will be our best Simpleview Summit yet!