Situated at the intersection of Fourth and Mission Streets, across from the Metreon and Moscone Convention Center, the building is recognizable by the distinctive postmodern appearance of its high-rise tower.

The hotel was at the heart of the city of San Francisco's development of the central blocks in the South of Market area during the late 1970s and early 1980s.

[4] The Marriott Marquis opened on October 17, 1989, the day of the Loma Prieta earthquake.

[7] On November 24, 2024, about 500 employees at the San Francisco Marriot Marquis, who are also members of UNITE HERE's Local 2 chapter, went on strike.

[8][9] Local newspaper columnist Herb Caen complained that reflections from the hotel's windows blinded him in his office at the nearby Chronicle building, and compared its shape to that of a jukebox.