Hilton Garden Inn San Diego Old Town/SeaWorld Area in San Diego, CA

Wow I highly recommend this place. The customer service while staying there was amazing. I really felt cared for. They texted me while there, asking if I was enjoying my stay and if I needed anything. Wow! They had a smart TV that had Netflix, & a few other streaming apps u sign into your account to use. Then it automatically signs you out of all apps when you check out. Wow! They had while I was there an automatic 12 noon check out, and at 11:30. I asked if I could check out at 12:30 for no charge and they said yes.. Wow! They have free (I think free) washer & dryer for customers to wash their own clothes. Wow! The hotel was beautiful with no interesting views from rooms, BUT, it is right across the street from my favorite area of San Diego (I lived there 43 years), Old Town. Wow! Walking distance from the best Mexican food u can imagine. I highly recommend Casa Guadalajara. Best food, best margaritas, best atmosphere you can imagine. Be sure & sit outside on the umbrella patio with trees & water fountains. The service was amazing with free extra shot for my already very strong margarita. I do not recommend Casa de Reyes. It used to be my favorite place (Casa de Pico) with so many memories, before they were priced out & the replacement, Casa de Reyes, is a very sad replacement. Margaritas are horrible & very cheaply poured. $20 margarita had no tequila in it. It seemed like a virgin drink. Service made me feel unwelcome. Casa de Pico had been there for decades & I am very disappointed that San Diego didn’t keep this absolute jewel. But Old Town has not only great eating, it is an incredible shopping & cultural & historical experience. Beautiful Spanish courtyards with gardens & you won’t believe the Old Town-themed shops & historical buildings . The hotel is 12 min drive to airport, & 10 min drive to the world renowned Chinese acupuncture school where u can get acupuncture for $37. I would move to San Diego just for that This hotel is the only place I want to stay from now on!

The hotel is clean and comfortable. It's within walking distance of a few (Mexican) restaurants, and also the Bazzar del Mundo, a fun shopping experience. I felt safe in the hotel area; and observed quite a few people out walking or jogging.

Slept here for around six nights. The staff of the checking was helpfully. We got breakfast included. 15 USD or 24 USD (cold vs hot&cold(. The buffet is okay, Better than average. Price of the hotel was decent for us. The rooms are clean and well maintained. Little more spacious than a regular hotel. AC makes a lot of noise, i turned it off overnight. Keurig coffee machine, plenty of towels. They also have a training center with weights, bike sitting and spinning (the latter missed the know to raise the saddle though, a pity I could nog use it). Two cross trainers (with TV( and two treadmills. And all-in one multi purpose training stand. It was missing some items as it looked like. Outside was a pool I did not use it. One night my in room door was locked with the hold-back lock. I tried the do not disturb card but it did not work. Eventually a technician came with a more stronger card and he succeeded. WiFi is decent. Could be better. There is a small shop where you can buy things, but really only the essentials. The hotel is close too old town, just a walk away. Parking your car is 25 USD a night. Take notice of that! Keurig coffee machine in the room. Anyways, a good play to stay. Good value for money.

I recently stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn for a two-night weekend stay (Friday/Saturday) while visiting San Diego for a business trip to Marina Village. This was my second visit to San Diego after my first visit in July on vacation. Unlike most San Diego hotels, this one is only about seven years old. You can see on Google Street View how it replaced an old motel. The general rule of thumb is that hotels need to be renovated about every ten years, but this one is in good shape and can probably go another five years before it needs a full renovation. I enjoyed the hotel's lovely Mission Revival architecture and landscaping, which is appropriate for its location near Old Town. I requested a quiet room and was given one facing towards the Caltrans campus to the southwest. Not much of a view. But it was very quiet and I was happy about that. The room was in excellent shape, with no unusual sounds, smells, or sights noted. The furniture was excellent for a room at a hotel of this class, with a large desk, a comfortable chair, a sofa, and a large ottoman in the center that was big enough to accommodate my large carry-on with the two halves laid out completely flat. The thermostat was responsive and accurate. The hotel is conveniently located near Old Town Transit Center. When the free Airport Flyer Shuttle bus is running, one can use the shuttle bus to go back and forth between the hotel and the airport. Now, the downsides, which is what we all read TripAdvisor for. The hotel uses a open atrium design in the lobby area to try to make the lobby seem slightly bigger and more airy, with a staircase up to the second level. Unfortunately, this means that if you have a room on the second floor facing that atrium area with the lobby below, you can hear kids running around and making noise in the lobby. Fortunately, the lobby is relatively quiet at night. The pool is supposedly heated according to the hotel web site. It seems to be warm enough during daylight hours. But that does not appear to continue after dusk. They need to post a sign warning of that. If I had known that, I would have booked a different hotel or rushed into the pool ASAP to swim while it was still light outside! I managed to get my laps done in the evening as planned, but the pool was freezing. The pool also did not have enough pool towels nearby for pool users; I got the last one. The heater was noisy whenever it first came on. Many hotels have quiet heaters nowadays. It was irritating to have to mentally tune out that noise. The hotel is too close to Interstate 8 but gets little benefit from that location because of the lack of direct ramps. Run requests for driving directions through Google Maps, and you will soon realize that getting on or off the freeways in almost any direction requires all kinds of bizarre contortions. The only two locations for which the hotel is a convenient straight shot from point A to point B are Old Town San Diego and the University of San Diego. Overall, I decided that I got my money's worth, but I also decided that this hotel is just not quite good enough to rate it as a five.

**Overall Impression:** - The establishment is average at best and does not justify the nightly rate charged. **Positives:** - **Accurate Photos:** The photos of the exterior and various interior spaces are accurate and visually appealing. Some areas appear to have been remodeled. - **Staff:** The staff is nice. - **Location:** The location is good, with many dining and shopping options within walking distance. - **Safety:** The area feels safe. **Negatives:** - **Cleanliness:** Found dark hairs of various sizes on the top sheet, raising concerns about whether the sheets were changed or if the hair was from housekeeping. - **Parking:** Parking spaces are extremely small, making it difficult for anything other than compact cars to fit. Additionally, there is a $25 per night parking fee. - **Outdated Furniture:** The furniture in the room, including the dresser, is outdated. - **Electrical Issues:** USB plugs did not work, and the outlets were loose, causing chargers to fall out. - **Elevators:** Only one of the two elevators was operable at a time, it seemed that if one was in use, the other could not be used. - **Breakfast:** Despite being promised free breakfast with each night's stay, only received passes for two out of four nights. Breakfast for me was buffet with the standard eggs, bacon, bread, yogurt, etc.. - **Comfort:** My colleague found both beds in her room uncomfortable, although my bed was comfortable. - **Restaurant:** The restaurant menu is lacking, and the food quality is mediocre. - **Key Card Issues:** The key card worked inconsistently for accessing the elevator, room, and outside doors. **Conclusion:** - Given the issues encountered, the price paid does not seem justified. There are likely less expensive options available. I am undecided about staying here again unless a lower rate is offered. ---