I chose the Gaslamp Marriott for it's proximity to a training class I was taking. On a previous trip to SD, I stayed at the downtown Courtyard and was very impressed by the property and service. While this was an excellent stay, it did not clear the bar set by the Courtyard.
The hotel is adjacent to Petco Park (behind left field). After a delayed flight, I was arriving at the same time as a Padres game was starting. To my surprise, traffic was not terrible and the valet parking was a breeze (although for $30 a day, it should be). Check in was simple and easy.
I had a standard "city view" room with a great view of the ballpark. I wasn't high enough to see any game action, but I could see an exterior scoreboard to know the score. The rooftop bar offers a pretty good view of the outfield. My room was very nice and easily surpassed my expectations.
On my first morning, I ate at the Soleli@K restaurant. Their breakfast buffet was not worth $18, and I was told to order anything "custom" (eggs, waffles, etc) from my waiter. I did so, but it took 20 minutes to make a waffle, and my waiter did feel the need to check in. I ate the rest of my meals off site as there are lots of good places in the Gaslamp area.
The rooftop bar was very nice and it had a good mix of young professionals and "beautiful people". It was especially crowded during and after a game. There are cheaper places to get a drink in the Gaslamp area. I did not use the workout facility (also on the rooftop).
I did have some issues with the hotel: there is no free internet access in the rooms. Internet access is $10 per 24 hour block. There was free internet in the business center, but I did not want to lead a webinar from the business center, so I had to pay. When one-star motels regularly have free internet, I expect it from a Marriott.
When I checked in, I was instructed to call down for my car before I left my room instead of waiting at the valet station. The two times I did this, the message was not relayed from the person who answered the phone to the valet station, so I ended up waiting longer. The valet guys were very friendly and helpful. I never attempted to find my own parking, as the daily rates in the surrounding garages went up when the Padres were playing.
I would definitely stay at this hotel again, but I did feel nickel & dimed by my experiences with internet, parking, and the restaurant.







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