Downtown San Diego Hotels

One of the few hotels directly on the bayfront, Holiday Inn San Diego-On The Bay rises 14 floors above the surrounding carparks and promenades, for spectacular views of the city, the cruise ship terminal and across the bay to the Cabrillo Peninsula. The international airport is 2 miles north, served by the hotel's complimentary shuttle which also reaches nearby area attractions like San Diego Zoo. With 600 rooms & suites, most with a private balcony, the Holiday Inn is also one of the largest hotels in town, and contains all necessary facilities - a bar and 3 restaurants, outdoor pool & fitness center, convenience store & gift shop, and 22,000 sq ft of meetings/events space. One service not offered is free parking, however. 2007 saw completion of a full renovation of the guest rooms and meeting space.

The 16 floor Holiday Inn San Diego-Downtown has a distinctive design - an elegant, circular tower, making it easy to recognize when approaching from I-5 which runs by just to the north. The inn is located at 1617 First Ave, next to exit 17 of the interstate, on the edge of San Diego's downtown within a mile of most of the major buildings & attractions, and one block away from the nearest trolley stop. Most of the 220 rooms enjoy far reaching views across the city, San Diego Bay and Balboa Park. Although there are many restaurants close by, all day dining is available at the Holiday Inn's restaurant/bar, Hazelwoods Bistro Cafe, plus room service until 10 pm. The other main services are an outdoor pool, gift shop, fitness center, complimentary airport shuttle and 1,500 sq ft of meeting space.

Located two blocks from the Gaslamp Quarter on the corner of 9th Avenue and Island Avenue, the trendy Hotel Indigo makes an ideal base from which to explore this most vibrant area of downtown San Diego. The newly built hotel (open summer 2009) features stylish decor, high quality furnishings, attentive customer service and very comfortable rooms - 210 of them, on 12 floors, so many have far reaching views across the city and San Diego Bay. Special amenities include a reflective pool and fire pits on the 9th floor terrace, an open air streetside bar/bistro, and a floor to ceiling water wall in the lobby. Pets are welcome, for no extra fee. Also available are a fitness center, business center and meeting/event space.

On the corner of Ash St and 7th Ave towards the northeast edge of San Diego's downtown area, the Holiday Inn Express is a very well regarded hotel on account of its convenient location, good facilities, clean rooms, and reasonable rates. Sites within a mile include the bayfront promenade, Horton Plaza, the Gaslamp Quarter and Balboa Park; for those not walking there is a trolley stop two blocks west. The hotel has 136 rooms, on just 3 floors though as it is built on a hill many of the rooms have views across town towards the bay. Features include a rooftop swimming pool, beauty salon, complimentary airport/train station shuttle, and free continental breakfast.

With a privileged location right on the edge of San Diego Bay overlooking the marina, and a spectacular design featuring twin semi-circular 25 storey towers, the Marriott Marina San Diego is one of the most distinctive hotels in the city. It is also the largest, containing 1,362 luxurious rooms & suites - amongst the top ten biggest Marriott hotels in the USA. The property sits between Harbor Drive and the waterfront; adjacent to both the Convention Center and Seaport Village, a few blocks from the Gaslamp Quarter and 3 miles from San Diego International Airport (no shuttle service, however). Highlights of the Marriott include two concierge levels, four dining outlets, 60 meeting rooms (maximum seating capacity 4,000), a huge pool/garden complex, several shops, and the marina - a center for water sports and boat rentals.

The smaller of two luxury Marriott hotels in downtown San Diego is situated just a few blocks east of its larger sister property, along K St between 5th and 6th Avenues - adjacent to PETCO Park and right at the edge of the historic Gaslamp Quarter. The hotel rises 22 storeys above the busy city streets, so most of the 306 rooms and suites have wonderful views across San Diego and the Bay. There are several restaurants on site, most spectacular being ALTITUDE Sky Lounge on the 22nd floor, open for dinner and cocktails. Meetings and events are catered for by ten rooms totaling 8,375 sq ft of space. The hotel also has a concierge level, business center, gift shop and fitness center, though no pool. Like most city center hotels, the Marriott has valet-only parking.

Occupying an elegant, 1920s building (formerly the San Diego Trust & Savings Bank, and retaining many of the original fixtures), the full service Courtyard San Diego Downtown is one of the more distinctive hotels in the city, and has a very central location on the corner of Broadway and 6th Avenue, right at the edge of the Gaslamp Quarter and two blocks from Horton Plaza. It is also a large hotel, containing 245 rooms & suites on 15 floors, a restaurant/bar (Lincoln's - open for breakfast & dinner), 24 hour food market, modern fitness center, and 4,500 sq ft of meeting space. One of the event rooms is in the original bank vault, surely one of the most unusual locations to hold a business meeting.

Towards the northwest edge of downtown San Diego at 1747 Pacific Highway (one mile from the Gaslamp Quarter), the Residence Inn is one of the best places in the city for long stay accommodation, containing 121 spacious, modern suites in a handsome 4 floor building just one block from the waterfront; some of the rooms have views over San Diego Bay. A complimentary shuttle is provided to the nearest bus station and to the international airport, which is just 1.8 miles away. The suites have a full kitchen, a separate living area, extra sofa bed, and either one or two bedrooms, while the other main amenities at the hotel are free hot breakfast, free evening reception (Mon-Thu), guest laundry, fitness center, hot tub and outdoor heated pool.

Near the very center of downtown San Diego, Best Western Bayside Inn is a compact 14 floor building of 122 rooms, many with a private balcony affording views over the bay (just 4 blocks west), the city, and east towards Balboa Park, home of San Diego Zoo. This is not the most luxurious hotel in town but service and amenities are perfectly adequate, with free continental breakfast, a restaurant on site, a smallish outdoor pool and a free shuttle to/from the airport. The hotel is located on the corner of Ash & Columbia streets, a 0.6 mile walk from the many restaurants, shops and bars of the Gaslamp Quarter.

In contrast to the large, concrete facades of most other hotels in downtown San Diego, the Best Western Cabrillo Garden Inn is a charming, 2 floor, Spanish style lodge lined by palm trees and decorated with many flowers. The inn is small, with just 31 rooms, and is dwarfed by many of the surrounding skyscraper buildings, but it offers clean, comfortable, homely accommodation with attentive service and rather lower rates than the bigger places with more facilities. Complimentary full breakfast is served and there are plenty of restaurants within a few blocks. The location is 840 A St, on the corner of 8th Ave - a mile or less from most of the major sites in San Diego downtown.

Rodeway Inn Downtown (once a Comfort Inn) occupies the south side of Ash Street between 7th & 8th Avenues - ten blocks or less from most of the major sites in the center of San Diego. This is a medium sized, 2 floor motel of 67 rooms, built around 4 sides of a secure central parking area, and offers limited amenities of free continental breakfast and free airport shuttle. Rooms are available with microwave & refrigerator; all are generally clean, and the place is a suitable choice for the budget traveler.

The Comfort Inn hotel in downtown San Diego is a square, 4 storey building of 114 small to medium sized rooms all with microwave & refrigerator, and provides some of the closest lodging to the Gaslamp Quarter, which begins just one block west. Horton Plaza, Petco Park and the San Diego Convention Center are all less than half a mile away. Free continental breakfast is served and there are dozens of restaurants close by. A complimentary airport shuttle is also available.