There is little need to write what a wonderful city San Francisco is, how much there is to do. On the day I arrived, I could have joined a ghost hunt, had a tour of a teddy bear factory, heard a lecture explaining how California once was an island, seen an exhibition of Japanese "shibori" fabrics at the airport museum, and attended any number of music, dance and theater performances. There are also many well-known hotels, but generally when I consider great hotels, I think of Europe with its centuries of quality and tradition or the Orient with its exotic images and dedicated service. Sometimes you will find a combination. Recently, after giving a lecture in Kobe, I stayed overnight at the Osaka Ritz-Carlton, surprised at the rich furnishings, the heavy silken draperies, the general sense of opulence that is rarely found in Japan. It even passed the ultimate test: In the lobby I met friends I hadn't seen for years who were making a nostalgic trip to Japan.

So when I had the chance, I selected the San Francisco Ritz-Carlton. The building, on prestigious Nob Hill, originally housed the Pacific Coast headquarters of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. It was built to replace their former site, which was destroyed in the 1906 earthquake, and its style is a confirmation of the neoclassical architecture with Ionic columns and rich filigree so popular then. Following additions, renovations and changes in occupants, the building, now far surpassing its original magnificence, reopened as the Ritz-Carlton in 1991.

Service at Ritz-Carlton hotels is hard to match. In Shanghai, a concierge will meet guests at the airport to ease any entry problems. There is already an Olympics Concierge in Australia prepared to assist those attending the September events, and there is a Technology Butler at all hotels and resorts worldwide to help with computer and technology problems.