More about Hilton San Diego Bayfront
Nice view from the 29th floor,but....
by TripAdvisor Member nbtk7m3
We just visited this hotel. The location is good, but is more than "the few steps" to the trolley stop, as advertised. The view of the harbor from our room was magnificent. The hotel is across the street from Petco Park. Due to road construction you must walk several blocks up the street before crossing over to it. This is also true of the Gaslamp Quarter. The hotel is directly adjacent to the SD Convention Center.
We had several issues with the physical infrastructure. This was likely due to the hotel recently opening. There is currently no gift/sundries shop. The first Concierge we spoke with did not tell us that the front desk had some emergency supplies available for purchase (i.e. Tylenol, toothpaste, etc.).
The "Executive floor" did not have a breakfast room nor did they have the advertised managers reception any eveing we were there. (5-night stay.)
When we looked at the amenities available for the site it showed a courtesy shuttle from the airport. When we called to set this up a week before departure, we found out this was not the case. We ended up paying for a cab and a super shuttle adding to the overall cost of our vacation. They have no courtesy shuttle at all. It would have been nice to have had this to get to/from the trolley stop (1/4 mile away).
The Fox Sports Bar Grill is not open and looks to be 3-6 months away from opening. It was advertised as open now. There was no access from inside of the hotel to the Starbucks located on site. You will have to go outside and around 1/4 to 1/2 of the building to get access to either of these businesses.
There are no pedestrian crosswalks between the hotel and the convention center. The first couple of days there was nothing going on at the convention center. Traffic was a minor concern along Park Blvd. Once traffic started picking up with the 2009 car show, getting across the street became an issue.
The main access to the hotel is up a multi-story ramp which has no sidewalk. If you leave the building on foot to get to the trolley you had to leave by the back part of the building. After walking around the San Diego attractions you still had to walk around the building to get access to the hotel.
The breakfast buffet was comparable to what you would get on a major cruise ship. Excellent variety of foods from cereals to made-to-order omelettes.
The room we were in had a significant "sewer smell" coming from the bathroom. When you came into the room, it was almost overwhelming. Our travel companion did not have this issue, despite being just across the hallway. When we mentioned this upon checkout the staff indicated they were aware of "some rooms" having this problem.
In the future, this could be a fine place to stay. I would wait until next autumn (Labor Day or later) before booking a room there. That should allow all of the advertised benefits to be operational and to have the "bugs" worked out.
Great Views, Clean
by TripAdvisor Member EyeDoc98
My family and I stayed at the Hiton San Diego Bayfront on a recent trip. We have stayed at many Hilton properties before and we were very impressed with this one. Obviously, because it was new (four weeks) it was clean. Everyone was very helpful from the front desk staff to the bell service. Every staff member greeted us with a "hello" or a "welcome".
The rooms were very modern looking with very comfortable beds. I don't agree that the rooms were too small, they seem comparable to most highrise hotel rooms. The room had a large, flat screen television and the bathrooms were brightly lit.
We were lucky enough to get a room on a high floor. We awoke to a beautiful view of the San Diego bay and waterfront on oneside and Petco Park on the other.
My only gripe would be that they seem to overcharge for nightly parking.
Clean - almost sterile hotel
by TripAdvisor Member ADKtraveller
I stayed at this hotel on a business trip - and for what I expected the hotel delivered. I found the hotel to be 'nice' and it is what you would expect from a new Hilton Hotel.
The rooms were of normal size, the beds comfortable and the bathroom a decent size. I saw nothing that made this place "pop" for me. If you like to watch TV then you will appreciate the large flat screen TV. But nowadays is a flat screen TV really unusual? My view from the 14th floor was of the harbor and that was nice.
The hotel overall is clean, the staff friendly, eager to help. The hotel restaurants seem very basic and lacking any real character. The lobby is large and stark. Not impressive to me - but then I do not stay in the lobby. The hotel is obviously not yet finished - there is a new restaurant (sports bar) set to open in March 2009. Oddly enough this hotel has a 13th floor - not too often you see that.
The hotel is quite close to the Gaslamp area - plenty of shopping and restaurants there. It also next door to the convention center.
A Big Maybe With Some Time
by TripAdvisor Member askmr_c
Stayed at the Hilton Bayfront in mid-January with my parents and girlfriend. Our overall stay was fine but there was some areas the Hilton needs to address. One of my gripes is the location and the second is the food. Yes, it's located on the water. But to me, it's such an industrial feel. One one side, it's the Convention Center, which is beneficial if you're attending a convention. The other side, well, I wouldn't walk too far in that direction at night. You know what I mean?
Anyway, the service was great. Everyone was helpful and greeted us with a smile. We ordered room service one night. My girlfriend was extremely happy when we received extra ketchup (we asked and we received). As far as the restaurant, the food at Vela was overpriced, but then hotel food usually is. But come on, a $24 buffet for a typical breakfast is a rip off. I recently stayed at the Crowne Plaza in Redondo Beach, CA and their breakfast buffet is $18 if I remember right. For a $24 breakfast buffet, I expect a crepe station, shrimp omelette, signature sausage such as apple sausage, fresh strawberry juice, acai bowls ,or wheatgrass shots. In other words, something unique and exciting. Instead, I payed for an abundance of precooked eggs, bacon and bagels. As for upstairs, the Odysea bar is more like night of the living dead. Where's the vip cabana or bottle service? A lot of hotels have a night scene of DJ's, or club action inside their hotel. Has anyone been to J6, Ivy, W, or HardRock in the Gaslamp? Let's step it up Hilton. Speaking on behalf of the ladies (mother and g/f), they found the wine menu difficult to decipher. To be honest, my party had one round then left for the gaslamp area.
Overall, the hotel stings you with a million extra charges (internet, taxi because they don't offer an in-house shuttle service, $24 breakfast buffet which should be a $10 buffet, and the spa and gym fee).
Maybe with time this hotel will mature and find its' niche.
Nothing special..
by TripAdvisor Member fafafooey
Had a holiday party at the hotel and stayed the night. The hotel is new so the rooms and facility are nice and clean. The room was just average with a good view. When outside on the balcony at the event I could smell kerosene now and then. I suspect it's from the ship yard next to the hotel.
Dissapointed
by TripAdvisor Member spurs33
I went to the Hilton for a business convention and extended my stay for a couple of days. When I checked in they told me that the two nights my company wasn't paying for would be at $180. Upon checkout they charged a different price on my last night of $249! I am still trying to resolve this...the Front Desk Manager was rude and didn't seem to know what he was doing. It was really apparent that the staff was inexperienced and didn't know how to make a decision or do what was right for a customer. During my convention, we were served cold/lukewarm/tasteless food for breakfast/lunch/dinner. This hotel charges for every little item that is not your bed. There was no fridge and they charged $15 to have one put in your room. They charged $12.95 for internet access and most hotels give this for free. $20 to use the gym. $26 for turkey panini via room service, when you can buy better for a 1/4 of the price on 5th Ave. There was also no complimentary breakfast, unlike most hotel chains. Our room was located on the industrial side where we had the charming slamming of containers on a ship the entire night long. Nothing extraordinary about this place. The rooms are small for the price and I've seen better at 2 star hotels. There was a sewer smell some days when you walked outside. The Fox Sports Grill was still not opened, even though it was advertised as such. We were treated like folks off the street when we happened to walk through the Odyssey and a hostess was very loud and rude asking us if she could help us. We were just trying to find the Starbucks that was not easily located. We will not be back. Price gouging at its finest and poor location.
Just a room thats it
by TripAdvisor Member hittman2005
I accompanied my wife on her business trip to San Diego. I must say I have to agree with most of the previous reviewers . While the room was nice and the bed was soft and comfy. All you got for the price was a televison toilet shower and bed , I was affraid to even take the USA today from in front of my door for fear of another $20.00 charge. The first morning I went to the GYM and was told it was a $10.00 per person PER DAY after paying $780.00 for the three night stay , I would recomend Stair well 1 from the 5th to the 30th floor it is free and most likely a better work out. Also if you are thinking of having a late night snack you have to walk about 3/4 of a mile to a mini mart , the hotel has no covience center for any kind of cheap snacks. On the positive side the location was great our view from the 26th floor over looking the bay and downtown was better than watching TV. In fact as I am sitting here banging away on this key board I am watching a nearly full moon set over Point Loma backed by a purple sky , quite beautiful.
Should have stayed elsewhere!
by TripAdvisor Member Benny_AU
We travelled down to San Diego for the Rugby World Sevens tournament at Petco Park. Firstly, the claim that the hotel is "across the street" from Petco Park is misleading... The hotel is physically close but you have to walk up around the train station and down about 2 blocks to get to the park.
We checked-in later in the evening to find that the room was not clean (noting that a number of other reviewers on Tripadvisor have also mentioned this about the hotel!). I called up to get it cleaned and then went down to speak to the Hotel Manager - Thomas. He offered us a free breakfast the next morning and said he'd put vouchers in the room. We returned to the room later that evening to find that he hadn't bothered to send them. We were also a little annoyed to find there was no 24 hour room service - The front desk suggested a pizza place down the street - This is poor form for a so-called 5-star Hilton.
The next morning we went down to breakfast with 20 mins to go before the advertised closing time. The host at the door told us breakfast was no longer available - I wasn't happy - After a brief discussion he managed to find us a table. I have to say the food was absolutely terrible - for $25 per person you're way better to find somewhere else. The food was cold and horrible - I'm very happy that I didn't have to pay for it.
In all the hotel is terrible - I highly recommend you find somewhere else to stay while in San Diego - It's such a shame because the city is fantastic and a great place to visit.
This Place Needs Some Help
by TripAdvisor Member IrishFan
Should it take 3 phone calls over a period of 4 hours to get maintenance to a guest room? I think not, but that's what it took at this property to fix a broken toilet in my room! Called at 8:30 to report the problem, went out to breakfast and was amazed that it wasn't fixed yet on returning at 11:00. So called again...and a third time 40 minutes later!
In fairness, they did remove the $21 parking charge from my bill as a consolation prize. But it just points to another example of an untrained (or uncaring?) staff at this property.
At check-in, they ran out of certs for HHonors members that are used for a Starbucks freebie. Promised to deliver them to my room, but of course that didn't happen. I had to go down and wait in line in the morning at reception to get them. Which gave me another chance to interact with another front desk employee with no eye contact and the appearance of zero interest in guests.
The Starbucks? Good luck finding it, it's not "in" the hotel. But of course it makes no sense for hotel staff to actually tell you this when they mention the free "breakfast" or when they give you the certs. You can also use the certs to "ugrade" to the full breakfast buffet in the restaurant. At $15 each for breakfast it's not that much of a "freebie", so we passed.
The pluses? The room had a fantastic view, comfortable beds, decent shower (no bath tub).
The room was far from spacious, but it was adequate.
The location is "just OK", a bit isolated from everything except the convention center.
I'd chose another Hilton (Gaslamp Hilton looked nice) or another property in San Diego before I'd give this place another chance. And bring some "Depends" in case you have to wait four hours for a working commode!
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