HotelChatter

Free WiFi / San Diego Hotels / Hilton Hotels / → All Tags

Could This Be, Free Internet at the Hilton San Diego Gaslamp Quarter?

Where: 401 K Street [map], San Diego, CA, United States, 92101

The other day when we were investigating some hotel options in San Diego, we came across this interesting bit of info at the Hilton San Diego Gaslamp Quarter--complimentary internet.

That's a highly unusual service at a Hilton hotel since it's pretty much a brand standard to charge for internet so we had to call the hotel to double-check. And indeed the internet is gloriously free!

However, there is a little caveat. While the internet is free wireless in the lobby, upstairs in the guestrooms, it's wired. So if you had hopes of working from bed, be sure to bring an extra long ethernet cable with you.

Still, with the good news from earlier today that Bryant Park Hotel has gone the way of free WiFi, could 2012 really be THE year that hotels finally listen to our "Free WiFi For All" chants? We know it's premature to be thinking like this, after all it's only the second day of the new year but we just can't help ourselves.

Know of a hotel that once charged for internet but is now offering it gratis? Let us know!

Celebrity Scoop / Hotel Hell The Show / Hotel News / Gordon Ramsay / TV Set Hotels / Reality TV Hotels / → All Tags

Gordon Ramsay Makes Over The Keating Hotel in San Diego for 'Hotel Hell'

Where: 432 F St [map], San Diego, CA, United States, 92101

The other day when we heard that chef Gordon Ramsay stayed at the Hard Rock San Diego while filming episodes for his new reality show, Hotel Hell, we were dying to know which hotels or B&Bs he was tasked with making over. As it turns out, we didn't have to wait too long to find out.

Ramsay was working his magic at The Keating Hotel on F Street. The hotel has only been open for about four years but the slick Italian Pininfarina interiors (the same designers behind Maserati and Ferrari) received so-so reviews from the LA Times as well as one of our own HotelChatter Mavens, Mari, who could hardly sleep thanks to all the nightclub noise next door.

Enter Chef Ramsay.

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Royal Hotels / Andaz Hotels / Prince Harry / San Diego Hotels / → All Tags

Naughty Ginger: Prince Harry Parties at The Ivy at Andaz San Diego

Where: 600 F St [map], San Diego, CA, United States, 92101

Wills who? The royal prince we really have the um, red hots for is Prince Harry and we're kicking ourselves for not having been at the Andaz San Diego over the weekend when Harry decided to let loose from his Apache military helicopter training.

Us Magazine reports that the Prince hit up the hotel's Ivy rooftop bar (Ivy is a nod to the hotel's former name) with 20 of his friends and started guzzling Absolut Vodka, Red Bull and beer. Then they moved to the hotel's outdoor pool deck where they watched a rugby match in a private cabana.

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Hotel Rebrandings / San Diego Hotels / Kimpton Hotels / Hotel News / Hotel Cocktails / → All Tags

The Se San Diego is Now Kimpton's Hotel Palomar San Diego

Where: 1047 5th Avenue [map], San Diego, CA, United States, 92101

The long and winding road for the troubled Se San Diego has come to an...on-ramp to a very happy future with Kimpton Hotels.

The hotel has been rebranded as The Palomar San Diego, making it the second Kimpton property in town (after the Solamar.) Exactly a year ago, the Se was accused of operating illegally and before that, one of our own ran into some issues at check-in. And we can't forget about the kerfuffle over the hotel's intended name--Setai, no relation to the one in Miami.

But now the spot is a full-on Kimpton hotel complete with free WiFi for InTouch members and an evening wine hour. Rooms still look the same (although we bet the minibars will get some new goodies) and the hotel has retained the Se spa and the rooftop bar and lounge as well.

However, what is new is the hotel's restaurant, Saltbox, led by chef Simon Dolinky (who came from Palomar in LA).

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Hotel Emergencies / San Diego Hotels / Westin Hotels / Hotel News / → All Tags

The Westin San Diego Experiences a Different Kind of Blackout Date

Where: 400 W Broadway [map], San Diego, CA, United States, 92101

Yesterday we were giddy that one of our trusted FOHCs (Friend of HotelChatter) would be spending the night in the newly renovated guestrooms at the Westin San Diego . Except not long after he arrived there, a massive power outage struck, affecting huge swaths of Southern California from San Diego to Orange County to Riverside and the Palm Spring area. (Supposedly, a clumsy utility worker in Arizona is to blame.)

As of 10:30pm PST last night, the hotel still had no power and our friend was powering up his car to charge his cellphone but at the same time, trying to conserve gas as gas stations were closed. He was also navigating his hotel room by flashlight, courtesy of the hotel. Yowza. This gives new meaning to hotel's Blackout Dates, huh? The hotel also gave guests glowsticks in addition to flashlights and had a Make Your Own Sandwich Bar, free, in the lobby for guests. Sadly, there was no raiding of the in -room minibars.

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Hotel Design / Hotel Beds / San Diego Hotels / → All Tags

Giant, Tufted Headboards in Hotel Rooms: Trendy or Fugly?

Where: 1047 5th Avenue [map], San Diego, CA, United States, 92101

Let's talk hotel room design for a moment. Exaggerated tall headboards: in or out?

After not encountering the behemoths for so long we'd practically forgotten about the trend, we checked into the Se San Diego recently and there it was: a towering white leather focal point that took us back to the time when people still bought DVDs and thought coconut water was gross.

The style, like a tufted Chesterfield sofa but applied to the wall, began around the time when hotels were upping the trendy factor and going from staid traditional to a more "imperial New York" look. Slowly but surely, the overstuffed side chairs of yore are being replaced by what we'd now call a "Muji-chic" look, best exemplified in the simple luxury of hotels like the Park Hyatt Tokyo. And yet, we're still running into attention hogs like this wall in properties that pretend to be pretty hip to interior design.

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Celebrity Scoop / Zac Efron / Hard Rock Hotels / San Diego Hotels / → All Tags

Zac Efron Shows He's More Than Just a Pretty Face at the Hard Rock San Diego

Where: 207 Fifth Ave. [map], San Diego, CA, United States, 92101

With so much news of guests mistreating hotel help, especially housekeepers, it's refreshing to hear an instance where someone recognizes the hardworking employees. So kudos to big spender Zac Efron for leaving a 40 percent tip at a hotel bar.

The High School Musical star stopped by the Hard Rock San Diego to party at Float and get drunk, according to TMZ.

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Hotel Renovations / Westin Hotels / Starwood Hotels / San Diego Hotels / → All Tags

San Diego's Westin Gaslamp Stays Classy with New Rooms

Where: 910 Broadway Circle [map], San Diego , CA, United States, 92101

We told you about the Westin overhauling its classic rooms. Now, the first of those newly designed rooms has been unveiled at the Westin Gaslamp Quarter in San Diego.

The rooms got a summer makeover that goes with the brand's new slogan "A Better You." What does a better hotel room look like? For Westin, it's more space, neutral decor, sustainable materials and some cool multi-use furniture.

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Celebrity Scoop / Amazing Race / San Diego Hotels / Hard Rock Hotels / → All Tags

'Amazing Race' Winners Start Their Newlywed Journey at the Hard Rock San Diego

Where: 207 Fifth Ave. [map], San Diego, CA, United States, 92101

While the Hard Rock San Diego is readying to become a meat market, or um, party central for Memorial Day Weekend, the venue was recently the host of another kind of party. Amazing Race season 15 champs Meghan Rickey and Cheyne Whitney recently got hitched at the hotel, according to People.

The couple, who hail from San Diego, said their I-dos at the Hard Rock's Woodstock outdoor deck, which offers a nice view of downtown. If you were staying in one of the suites—specifically the Woodstock, Rock Star Gold, Rock Star Diamond or the Black Eyed Peas suites—you would have been able to see it all go down, since their floor-to-ceiling windows look out on the terrace.

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Baseball Hotels / Hotel Lounges / Hotel Indigo / San Diego Hotels / → All Tags

How to Watch a Padres Game in San Diego Without Going to Petco Park

Where: 509 Ninth Ave. [map], San Diego, CA, United States, 92101

We've told you before Hotel Indigo San Diego's Parlor Suites, which give you a sweet view of Petco Park. But if you end up in a room that doesn't face the Padres action, or aren't staying at the hotel at all, you can still watch some ball.

For Wednesday's Padres vs. Braves game, we hung out at the hotel's Level 9 lounge, which, not coincidentally, is on the ninth floor. The outdoor lounge, which also contains a grassy area for pets and a reflective pool, has a prime spot facing the ball park.

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HotelChatter Reviews / Hotwire / Hotel Video Tours / Hyatt Hotels / San Diego Hotels / → All Tags

For Hotwire Customers, The Manchester Grand Hyatt Is Not Very Grand

Where: One Market Place [map], San Diego, CA, United States, 92101

Ok, so we know that if we get excited about a hotel before we stay there, it’s going to have a job to live up to expectations. And we know that the very first time we visited San Diego, we saw the Manchester Grand Hyatt plonked right on the water and said “next time, we’re staying there.” Actually, it took our fifth visit to San Diego to stay there, so the expectation was even higher.

So the fact that we were disappointed by our stay once we finally got there is to be expected. But then, when you’re faced with hideosities like this patterned luggage rack that even grandma would think was too twee, or the terrible, cheap pictures on the wall (see the gallery), it’s hard not to be disappointed. And combined with a room that’s just dull, dull dull, it’s even harder.

We snagged a room on Hotwire for $106, when booking through the hotel would have set us back $240. What a bargain, we thought, as we walked through from the self park to the lobby with its sky high roof, murals on the walls and scent of the high life heavy in the air.

And then we got to the front desk, told the guy how excited we were to be there and he just stared at us and said “credit card and ID please”. And when we handed them over, he said in a rather condescending tone, “Ah, you booked on Hotwire.” Squashed.

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Hotel Bathrooms / San Diego Hotel Scene / San Diego Hotels / → All Tags

Do Unisex Hotel Bathrooms Stink?

Where: 1047 Fifth Ave. [map], San Diego, CA, United States, 92101

When you step inside the bathroom at the Sè San Diego, you might panic when you see a member of the opposite sex, thinking you accidentally went into the wrong bathroom. Don't worry, no one will think you're a perv; the San Diego hotel has a unisex bathroom.

The striking coed washroom—with its walls, ceiling and floor covered in rolled granite inlaid with Lucite and waterfall sinks—has its pluses and minuses.

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