More about U.S. Grant - A Wyndham Historic Hotel
Old City Hall 1874
by Yaqui
Built in 1874 with only two stories, the Old City Hall is of Florentine-Italianate style. Two more floors were added in 1887. Rooms are 16 feet high, 12 foot windows framed with brick arches. The interior has antique columns, ornate ceilings, a wrought-iron cage elevator, and a skylight on the fourth floor. Originally constructed to house the Consolidated National Bank, but when the top two floors were finished the Public Library moved in the third floor. The City purchased the building in 1891 from Ralph Granger. The San Diego City Government offices were moved into the building. Edwin Capp was the first Mayor to serve in this building, but unfortunately was involved in a scandal over profit-making on the purchase of a smallpox vaccine for the public.
Louis Wilde was another hoot of a Mayor in 1917 who donated the Horton Plaza fountain to the City. He had even renamed D Street to Broadway. He owned the U.S. Grant Hotel and it was where he lived. He hosted a debutante ball in 1920 for his daughter Lucille at the Hotel del Coronado where The Prince of Wales was a guest. Mayor Wilde used this gala to snubbed his political enemies by not inviting them to this event. This building was completely restore to its former glory in the 1980’s.
Jimmy Love's restaurant and bar
672 5th Ave, San Diego, CA 92101
(619) 595-0123
The third and fourth floors lofts.
Located 644 5th & G, SW Corner in Gas Lamp Quarters.
Almost perfect
by TripAdvisor Member lilimadsn
We stayed one night at the US Grant. Parking is challenging as
valet is on the side of the hotel on a busy street - and is quite expensive ($28/day). The hotel itself was really beautiful. We were upgraded to a junior suite on floor 10 and had a really beautiful room. We had requested a room with a tub; but were told there were only 5 in the whole place and were not available.
The elevator was classic and really small as it was quite old and when you stepped off on the floor you were engulfed in a really musty odor ... however, once you were in your room there was not a smell. The bed was heavenly and there was no outside noise. We were steps away from the Gaslamp district and dozens of restaurants and we visited a great wine bar near the hotel called The Cask room. Definately somewhere great to visit after a hectic day. Overall we were very pleased with the US grant and would stay there again.
Amazing
by TripAdvisor Member elainerizzo
I stayed at the US Grant for a conference and found it absolutely amazing. It's been beautifully redone and the service is fantastic. It's the nicest hotel I've stayed in in a long time & I can't wait to stay there again.
Nice Hotel, Great Location
by TripAdvisor Member Patrick121
We had no complaints after three nights at the US Grant. It's across from Horton Plaza (a glorified open air mall with your standard offerings), but more importantly, a block from 5th street, which is the heart of the Gas Lamp district. The staff was very accommodating, especially with initial contact emails before we arrived and they arranged for flowers to be delivered for our anniversary. I found the rooms to be a little small (even after an upgrade) but overall it is a nice hotel.
Beautiful place to stay, opulent, altho rooms a little small
by TripAdvisor Member mhb1954
The US Grant is really a very opulent hotel, especially the lobby. The rooms, however, are a bit small... so ask for a larger room and ask to look at the rooms if you can. Our first room we were offered was really a bit cramped for two people. We finally took another room that was sort of a suite with a separate sitting room with TV. The place is pretty imaculate and most of the staff were exceptionally skilled at customer service... rare nowadays. We had an issue with housekeeping and said, "hey, while they fix that, you don't suppose you'd treat us to a martini in the lobby, would you?" and lo and behold, not only did the front desk offer to treat, but she waited on us, too! One other issue arose with the concierge, and I can't say that he was such a great information source, but generally, I would highly recommend this place, and I normally don't recommend Westin. The place is really gorgeous... the lobby. I mean, I've seen more opulent lobbies in foreign hotels, but this isn't bad. The remodel really was nicely done. The location is great, you can walk everywhere, just valet your car and you don't need it until you leave. I would go back to the US Grant.
Like staying at a 5 star European Hotel
by TripAdvisor Member Gregory0024
The U.S. Grant was a much better experience than I thought it would be. I will begin with the only negative aspect of the room. Rather than have a small dresser with a mirror in the room, so that you have a place to put your clothes, they have elected to put a large freestanding mirror on the wall that could easily accommodate a very necessary dresser. All though the room is a little smaller (not much) than most other hotels in this category the other pluses far out way the somewhat smaller room. The hotel is very reminiscent of a five star hotel in Europe (but at a substantially less cost). The bed is first class, very comfortable and high quality bedding. The television is a flat panel, with a sleep timer, which you don’t find in very many other high-end hotels. When we checked in the staff was extremely courteous. When my wife pulled back the sheets she noticed a very small (size of a pencil eraser) spot on the bottom sheet, she called down to housekeeping and two housekeepers were in the room changing the linen within a few minutes. The bellman advised us that if we took an item from the minibar and did not return it within 20 seconds the sensor would activate and we would be charged for the item even if we had decided not to use it. I thought that was very considerate of him. He also let us know that if we wanted a mini refrigerator for the room, to call housekeeping and they would bring one up for no charge. We elected to have the mini refrigerator brought to the room; it was done within 10 minutes. The bathroom is five stars. Along with your other towels, they supply you with two very large bath sheet size towels, and are more than happy to supply you with additional bath sheet size towels. The shower is lined with travertine and has a rain head shower. The bathroom sink is very modern and aesthetically pleasing I also appreciated that they have installed the TOTO brand toilet with the seat that has a built in pneumatic lowering arm so the seat doesn’t slam down when you lower it. You simply can’t beat the location of the hotel. Right across the street is Horton Plaza, a great outdoor shopping mall. A fifteen minute walk and you are at the harbor where you can ride the ferry to Coronado for $6.00 round trip. 5-6 minutes and you are in the Gaslamp district, with every conceivable type of restaurant at your beck and call. There is no question that I would return to this hotel whenever I stayed in San Diego. It is old world charming in is presence, service and comfort. And one last thing, you know those annoying bottles of water that they leave in your room with a price tag of anywhere from $4-9, well there is no charge for the bottled water in your room and if you want more bottled water there is still no charge.
Fantabulous!
by TripAdvisor Member MyDime
Wow! Considering I was staying there for only $200 a night (through a flight and hotel package with Expedia), I was treated like royalty. I think the hotel's normal rate is $500-600 a night according to the posting in the closet of my room. After a full day of flight cancellations and delays and losing my luggage, I arrived late on Thursday night and the bed was already turned down, with a robe laid out for me and mints on the pillow. My first room was facing a really noisy street, so I asked them if they had another room and they immediately sent someone up to move me. The mattress was a tad firm for my taste, but the pillows and comforter were so plush I forgot all about it!
My luggage still hadn't arrived the next morning, so I asked for whatever toiletries the hotel might have and they sent up everything I needed: deoderant, comb, toothbrush, toothpaste, even a curling iron. Basically they accomodated me in everyway I asked. I've never experienced such excellent service. I particularly appreciated their health conscious effort to have a variety of apples in the lobby instead of cookies for snacking on.
The location is just as fabulous. It's next to the Gaslamp Quarters, Horton Plaza, and the trolley line. I don't know if I was overly appreciative of the US Grant because of all the headaches from my flight, but I loved it!
A great hotel
by TripAdvisor Member davidbruce
I stayed at the US Grant for two nights for business in July 2007, and I was very impressed. The hotel has been beautifully restored, and no detail was overlooked. The lobby is stunning, and my room was just as nice: clean, quiet, wonderful bed linens, flat screen TV. The hotel is in a great downtown location, within walking distance of almost everything. The hotel gym is quite small and stuck down in a far-off corner of the basement, but still better than nothing. And I was disappointed that the hotel charged extra for Internet access; it's a big peeve of mine that so many hotels still do this, especially when you're paying the kind of rates that the US Grant charges.
A tip: If you're sensitive to noise, be sure to ask for an inside room, as I did. Broadway can be noisy, so I'd imagine that the rooms facing that street would be quite noisy.
Photos
US Grant Hotel SD
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