Courtyard by Marriott San Diego Downtown

The historic bank turned hotel is beautiful inside. I loved the interiors and all the little corners, and the location puts you right in downtown. We could enjoy quiet walks during the day and find parties in the evening. Max and Josue deserve a special thank you. They made us comfortable and memorable guests through their great hospitality, and took extra care since we had our two-year-old with us.

The lobby is beautiful, with hand-painted ceiling tiles, and gives the place an upscale feel. If there aren’t meetings or events, you can visit the safety deposit floor to see the vault. The mezzanine has a window that opens onto the lobby, with a great view for photos. The staff we met were courteous, professional, and knew the hotel and area well. Parking is something to plan for. There’s no affiliated self-parking, and they recommend valet at the front, which costs $65 a day. We stayed for three nights the week before Christmas. It was one of the mid-priced options available, and we were generally pleased. Our queen room had a couch and table and decent space, but the mattress was extremely firm, almost like concrete, and not to my taste. Water pressure was a little low, as can happen in older hotels. There were also small annoyances: just one room trash can, plus a small one in the bathroom, so disposing of a pizza box we brought back was a hassle. The sink vanity was small too, with limited counter space. It’s about a 10-15-minute walk to the restaurants and bars in the Gaslamp area, rather than being right there. With a car, the zoo is about a 15-minute drive. We didn’t use public transport. There can be a lot of homeless people around. If that bothers you, it may be an issue, though usually they won’t speak to you if you don’t engage. I did have one bad encounter around 4 pm at the 7-11 behind the hotel, where a man was performing an act on himself in the doorway. For another visit, I’d prefer to stay by the harbor or in the Gas Lamp area. Still, for a first visit and a reasonably priced hotel with character, this could be a good option.

The neighborhood is quite walkable, with public transport close by. I took the trolley to the UCSD La Jolla campus in under an hour. Staff were extremely nice and helpful, especially the valet team, and I’d stay here again. The historic building has been converted well, and the lobby is amazing. Our room and bathroom were a nice size. The neighborhood was good too.

I’m giving it two stars, and that feels generous. The historic architecture is really cool, and they did a great job preserving the building. The rest of the stay was a letdown. There’s nowhere else to park, so you have to use paid valet. Getting the car took 20-30 minutes, time you need to factor into your plans. The hotel also seemed severely understaffed everywhere, which made service terrible. Only one person was checking people in when we arrived, and breakfast took 45 minutes even though just three tables had ordered. There was no hot water from the shower head, although the sink and tub had hot water. Skip this place. Downtown San Diego has plenty of better hotels. I was very disappointed in this Marriott property and expected better.