<p>I’ll be at a convention in mid-May and need suggestions for good places to stay that give quick access to the convention center as well as being OK places if my two college students decide to come down from LA to spend some time in San Diego while I’m busy attending the convention. Any thoughts or suggestions? I’d like to keep costs reasonable and am highly allergic to smoke.
Thanks!</p>
<p>Marriot is nicely situated and Hyatt is nearby as well. Walking distance to Gaslight district and shopping at Horton plaza but expensive (like maybe $200+/night or more convention price). Hotels “downtown” and gaslight are cheaper, and walking distance for young people, but a little inconvenient for 8 AM meetings at the Convention center, or if you want to stop by your room between meetings.</p>
<p>I should also mention I once stayed at the Marriott Residence Inn when I couldn’t get all the nights I wanted at the Marriott Marina and Spa ( I’ve done many SD conferences ). They gave me transportation between, but a train runs behind the Residence Inn and it kept me up. No where NEAR as nice, and didn’t seem cheap enough to justify it. I’ve never stayed downtown, and maybe once I did gaslamp, but if your a morning person, a fast walker, or don’t have early meetings, I think you should consider it. Also, if you care enough, check out chowhound for restaurant recs; the touristy recommendations aren’t as good. Cafe Chloe is often reccommended.</p>
<p>OK–I would like to easily walk between convention center & my hotel. There will probably be some shuttle service, but don’t have the details yet. Appreciate your thoughts.</p>
<p>The Marriott Hotel and Marina at 333 West Harbor Drive is adjacent to the convention center and almost no walk between the two. Just the other side of the hotel is Seaport Village which has lots of shops and some restaurants in a beautiful harbor-front setting. </p>
<p>Another big one within walking distance but on the other side of the Marriott is the Manchester Grand Hyatt. </p>
<p>The walks to these hotels is very nice because you can walk right along where all the boats are. </p>
<p>Across the street from the convention center is the Omni San Diego Hotel.</p>
<p>And there are other big towering hotels. None of them will be inexpensive. There are lots of other smaller hotels as well. </p>
<p>Within walking distance to all of this is Seaport Village, the gaslamp quarter with lots of trendy restaurants and night spots, the USS Midway aircraft carrier that’s now a museum, the San Diego harbor tour boats, etc. The zoo and other Balboa Park attractions and Old Town (with some great Mexican restaurants) are pretty close and you should be able to take the San Diego trolley and other public transportation to these places.</p>
<p>“The Marriott Hotel and Marina at 333 West Harbor Drive is adjacent to the convention center and almost no walk between the two.”</p>
<p>Technically true, but they are both HUGE! Takes me at least I5 mins from hotel room to meeting room, and I’m a New York walker.</p>
<p>Thanks–I have heard that the SD Conference Center itself is HUGE! I and some of those who will be with me do sometimes have limited stamina due to health issues, so am HOPING to get close to where we need to be. Will have to see how things work out. Will definitely dress comfortably.</p>
<p>
Probably but it’s such a ‘nice’ walk it doesn’t seem so long!</p>
<p>The walks along the water are especially nice, but I have also learned not to underestimate it when you really have to be someplace on time!</p>
<p>The Marriott Marina has two wings. I believe its the rooms in the South Tower are quite a bit closer to the convention center.</p>
<p>Shrinkrap:</p>
<p>Although I’ve been to these places I’ve never stayed there since I live here. When I last went to the convention center a month or so ago I ended up parking in shared Convention Center/Marriott parking. It looked to me like it might be possible to walk from the Marriott to the convention center without actually having to go outside - i.e. that there’s some internal corridor between the two. I’m almost certain one can do this via the under-building parking since there are elevators from it to both the convention center and the Marriott. </p>
<p>Did you discover an internal path between the two? It’s not as nice as a walk outside but might be convenient and shorter.</p>
<p>I usually take the elevator near the star bucks in the North Tower, down to the lowest level. There’s a business center and some meeting rooms, and I do see parking there. I usually pass through it to go outside, then up some stairs, and along the front of the convention center. I do pass some elevators in front of the convention center, but I’ve never tried them. Perhaps they go to some subterranean parking area that connects with the south tower. I always seem to end up in the north tower.</p>
<p>Here’s a link to the Marriott floor plan.Too small for these old eyes.
Floor Plans
[San</a> Diego Marriott Hotel & Marina: Hotel deals, rates and availability in San Diego](<a href=“http://www.marriott.com/hotels/event-planning/floor-plans/sandt-san-diego-marriott-hotel-and-marina/]San”>http://www.marriott.com/hotels/event-planning/floor-plans/sandt-san-diego-marriott-hotel-and-marina/)</p>
<p>Thanks, but the floor plan is too small for my eyes as well. I don’t know whether I’ll have a car or not, so parking may or may not be a factor. Also don’t know whom (if anyone) is accompanying me for this trip–whether husband or a collegue, which may also affect lodging options.</p>
<p>I am intimated by huge hotels and have been happier in the smaller boutique places, where there aren’t so many places to get lost. Appreciate the thoughts & insights tho and will continue to give the matter more thought.</p>
<p>Usually, at the convention I attend, the Marriotts & other convention hotels are sold out to the organizers and sponsors, leaving the rest of us to figure out where to stay among the remaining options available.</p>
<p>Embassy Suites is also walking distance to the Convention Center though not a short walk. It is across from Seaport Village. Also, it gives you the extra space that you may need for additional guests. </p>
<p>The Marriott is very nice with great service, but it is huge though the rooms are not. South Tower is closest to the Convention Center but most rooms there do not have balconies. North Tower is further away but most rooms (if not all) have balconies, and some have refrigerators. Ask for a Bay view or Marina view room because with the City view you will hear the trains that go by at night. The Marriott also has a great Fusion restaurant, Roy’s, with an excellent prix fixe lunch. It also has Pizza Hut room delivery. It has an amazing pool (though unheated) and health tub (A/K/A hot tub). Parking is also available but is not cheap.</p>
<p>San Diego is absolutely beautiful, and there are numerous amazing restaurants within walking distance of the Convention Center. Cafe 222 is super for breakfast and has won numerous awards.</p>
<p>Roys originated in HI–we have enjoyed his 1st restaurant every time we’ve been there. We also tried his Anaheim one in December & found it just as good (tho the waiters didn’t really know the ingredients they were describing–amusing).</p>
<p>We are TRYING to be economical so we won’t spend ALL our funds on lodging & we’re a poor non-profit to being with. Ah well, it is lovely, but wish it wasn’t quite so pricey!</p>
<p>I’m supposed to list 1st, 2nd & 3rd choice. If I want quiet (as little train or traffic sounds as possible) & as close as possible to the convention center, suggestions? The convention rates are roughly comparable for all the hotels. Their list includes the following hotels that are said to be 1-4 blocks from the convention center (longest walk according to the brochure of these is about 15-20 minutes to the convention center):
Hard Rock Hotel San Diego,
Hilton San Diego Bayfront,
Hotel Solamar,
Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego
Omni San Diego Hotel
San Diego Marriott Gaslamp Quarter
San Diego Marriott Hotel & Marina (incidate City View or Bay View)</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>If it were me (and cost wasn’t a factor) - </p>
<ol>
<li>Marriott Hotel & Marina - Bay View. (The city view will face some train tracks on the other side of the street. The bay view has nothing but the bay - not even a street). If you’re on the City side the higher up you are the better. Regardless, these modern fancy hotels usually have pretty good soundproofing with the windows closed so you’d probably be okay no matter what.</li>
<li><p>Reason - adjacent to the convention center, on the bay side of the street, don’t need to cross the street from the hotel to the CC, next to Seaport Village (shopping/restaurants), looks very nice (but I haven’t actually stayed there).</p></li>
<li><p>Manchester Grand Hyatt. Pick a room closer to the bay side than the city side but their rooms don’t directly face the street/tracks. </p></li>
<li><p>Reason - Close to the convention center (CC?), just the other side of the Marriott, don’t need to cross the street from the hotel to the CC, right next to Seaport Village, right on the bay.</p></li>
<li><p>I don’t know - maybe use [Web</a> browser and Live Maps are incompatible](<a href=“http://maps.live.com%5DWeb”>http://maps.live.com) to check them out.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>There are less expensive options if you really want them but less convenient. In addition to the other downtown hotels, an area with a lot of hotels, ‘hotel circle’, isn’t really that far away. You’d probably want to either drive or cab it to the CC from there and you wouldn’t have quite as ready access to the other stuff to do without making an effort to get there. However, I think you could take the San Diego Trolley (light rail) from hotel circle to Old Town and downtown and even close to the CC and manage without a car if you want. Another area that can be nice is Mission Bay which has a few nice hotels. It’s also not really far from the CC but you’d need to either drive or take a cab.</p>
<p>The hotels closest to the CC will be most convenient to the CC, the scenic bay, Seaport Village, the restaurants at the gaslamp quarter, etc. so I’d go for those if the cost isn’t a problem. Oh, and a non-enclosed shopping mall, Horton Plaza, is about 3 or 4 blocks away.</p>
<p>Another Q–fly into LAX & drive or just fly into SAN & not bother with a car? We will mostly be attending a medical conference, so other than getting from LA to SD, don’t really think we’ll need a car much.</p>
<p>I suggest flying directly into SD. Its easier to get in and out of their airport. LAX is a zoo - not to mention the traffic from there to SD. Its a short cab ride to downtown or your hotel may have a shuttle. If you need to rent a car for the day, try to rent downtown and avoid airport car rental fees and you’ll also avoid crazy parking fees (some $20/day) at the hotels!</p>
<p>Fly into SD, although around now, fog sometimes makes landing a little iffy! I went in November and ended up in Las Vegas!. I must have done this at least 10 times and I’ve never missed a car, even when I took my kids and they were small. My conferences( also medical ) tend to be pretty busy, though. I do recall beloved trips to Coronado though, so I guess I get a car sometimes.</p>
<p>OK–you’ve all convinced me & hubby agrees, no drive from LA to SD. Will only rent car for a short while if we need it to get around–may get SD friends to meet us/take us around with their cars instead. Seems like they have some transportation options in SD anyway.
Since I’ll be arriving in the early evening, I’ll just tell the fog to go elsewhere. :)</p>