Location, Location, Location!
Written: Mar 29 '05
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Fantastic location, access to Petco Park, nice furnishings, quiet rooms, quick check in, friendly staff
Cons: Small beds, pricey (see details in review)
The Bottom Line: Families might find the rooms expensive and the beds small. Couples would find this hotel to be perfect.
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| heckonwheels's Full Review: Omni Hotel San Diego |
The Omni Hotel in San Diego is exceptionally located. The only thing separating it from the waterfront of San Diego harbor is the convention center, which sits across the street. If you want to fly or take a train into San Diego, you can easily catch a trolley on the light rail system that will drop you off at the hotel’s front door. If you’re driving, a low cost ($7-10 depending on events) indoor parking structure also sits across the street. The city’s famous Gaslamp Quarter…with all kinds of restaurants, shops, theaters,nightclubs, and other watering holes…starts at the hotel. Baseball fans coming to see the Padres play at Petco Park can stroll right into the stadium via the hotel’s exclusive skybridge that connects the Omni to the stadium.
Yep, there is hardly a better place to be when visiting the city. Of course, such a prime location comes at a price. The normal range for a room here runs from the AAA discounted price of $250 to over $600. Fortunately, Travelzoo ran a special for Easter weekend for $99 (keep these prices in mind when looking at the price paid box below). Seemed like a good time to check out this spiffy hotel that we’d seen from Petco Park last year.
Architecturally, the 21 story hotel is a stunner. A graceful curve covered with pale green glass fronts the harborside of the hotel. The first 6 stories are open and airy with lots of glass and views.
We arrived at 2:00pm the day before Easter. Valet parking runs $22 per day but from our last trip here to Petco Park, we remembered that there was cheap parking across the street. Directly across from the front door is the Parkade at 6th & K which charged $7 per day.
This is where we parked and it was a very short walk over to the hotel. There is also a 10 minute parking zone adjacent to the valet parking where you can unload before parking the car somewhere else.
A uniformed doorman greeted us as he held the door open and we sauntered up to the hotel registration. I gave the lady at the counter our name, she imprinted our credit card, and issued us keys. No more than three minutes at the counter and we were off to our room. Probably the fastest check-in I’ve ever encountered.
Our 6th floor room had a view overlooking the convention center and the western end of the Gaslamp Quarter. It was a very nice view, especially at night when the downtown area and buildings were illuminated.
The room featured a large closet (not walk in) with plenty of hangars, a small safe, 27” web enabled TV, DVD player, honor bar, ice bucket with real wine glasses (plus corkscrew), climate control, ironing board & iron, hair dryer, and two robes. The Omni also features high speed wireless Internet access at no charge.
The furnishings were quite nice and slightly modern looking. It was not a large room but was roomy enough. The bathroom (with a bathtub) was also perfectly adequate although it had a sliding door that did not completely close and did not lock.
The very quiet room had two beds, each full sized. I find it too small for two people (my wife and son were with me) and think hotels at this level should definitely spend whatever extra it might cost to provide at least queen sized beds.
That said, the beds were quite comfortable (at least for one person) and had thick, plush comforters. There was also an alarm clock that also provided soothing sounds, such as ocean waves, to fall asleep with.
Outside of the room, the hotel had a pool & spa, a nicely equipped fitness center, and a world-class collection of baseball memorabilia sprinkled along the hallways. Some of the items included the baseball bat Pete Rose tied Ty Cobb’s hit record with and a baseball bat used by Willie Mays.
Off of the lobby, McCormick & Schmick’s provides the restaurant and bar facilities. It is an expensive restaurant, with the average price of entres running $25-35 (not including soup, salad, or desert), but is less than most of the other upscale eateries in the adjacent area. Of course, room service is always available.
What I liked about the hotel was, first and foremost, the quiet room. I didn’t find out until the next morning that we had a family with noisy kids staying next door to us. That is quiet!
Next, the location is perfect. We didn’t need the car at all except to drive over to the zoo the next day. Everything we needed or wanted was within a few blocks or a short trolley ride away. You could take an exciting side trip to Mexico by simply stepping outside and taking the trolley straight to the border.
We didn’t have time to get a workout in, but we did take a look at the fitness center. It was state of the art with treadmills, recumbent bikes, stair climbers, and various weight machines and free weights. Plasma TV’s on the wall help pass the time.
There is a very nice grassy terrace by the pool on the 6th floor where you can slip away for a bottle of wine with your significant other. If I were here during baseball season, the hotel’s dedicated access to Petco Park would sure be appreciated.
What kept this hotel from being perfect was the small beds and the haphazard housekeeping. The room was clean but not fully stocked. While a bottle of conditioner and a bar of soap were on the sink, missing was shampoo. Although there was a coffeemaker (with a sign for complimentary coffee), coffee and fixings were missing. Of course, nothing was missing from the mini bar. A call to the front desk corrected this but a hotel at this level should have a better system of ensuring the room is restocked. I’m willing to give the benefit of the doubt here that this was an isolated incident.
It’s close…if the room had bigger beds I’d give it five stars but I’ll have to settle for a high four. If you’re a couple or don’t mind smaller beds, this would be a fantastic hotel for you to see San Diego from.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
heckonwheels
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Location: Los Angeles, CA USA
Reviews written: 77
Trusted by: 14 members
About Me:
Southern California native who travels around the country a lot.
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