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Sneak Peek

First Look at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront

Where: 1 Park Boulevard [map], San Diego, CA, United States, 92101

November 21, 2008 at 9:05 AM | 2 Comments

Despite a serious blast in May that disrupted construction, the Hilton San Diego Bayfront appears to have bounced back and will have a soft opening Dec. 3, just as scheduled. That’s soon, people! And lucky for all of us, a friendly insider has sent us some photos of the lobby and exterior.

First, the exterior: Designed by Portman & Associates, the shiny new glass high-rise punctuates the San Diego skyline with the look of, well, pretty much every other Hilton we’ve ever seen, honestly.

But! The lobby is where it gets interesting. In addition to having a bunch of guest check-in counters for speedy service, hanging from the wall is a huge chandelier-like artwork made up of tiny links of stainless steel mesh. When the sea breeze swoops in, the piece “moves like waves in the ocean,” says our PR tipster. And it has various colors of changing lights that shine through the lobby at different parts of the day to reflect sunrise and sunset.

We can’t totally picture what they’re talking about with the lights, but it sounds sorta trippy in a fun way.