So we found the
Hotel Drisco up in Pacific Heights. This neighbourhood is where many of the zillionaires live ... tranquil, mostly tourist-free. The sort of area where you might see kids selling lemonade from a stall in their front garden, and people walking dogs. Wonderful restaurants not too far away too,
Hotel Drisco is below the "luxury" standards of most chain hotels covered in this forum - it's more like an independent mid-priced European hotel - but we found the service to be kind, personal and thoughtful; the rooms are comfortable; and there are little touches like wine or tea in the lounge in the afternoons. We loved it and have been back for both business and personal trips.
My mother used to stay several times per year at the Drisco up until 2012 when she--or rather I, on her behalf--decided that it isn't worth upwards of $400 per night (tax included) for an entry-level room.
While it's true that service is indeed kind, personal and thoughtful, some of the rooms are tiny and all have old(er) radiator heating that makes enough noise when cycling off and on to wake one up.
Having said that, they do offer a car service to Union Square and the Financial District on weekday mornings (only during certain times), and I love the location as well, although be warned that if you want to walk to the close-by restaurants you'll need to walk up a very steep hill on the way back.