- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina
Rating Details »
1380 Harbor Island Dr
San Diego, CA 92101
(619) 291-2900
San Diego, CA 92101
(619) 291-2900
Biggest Year End Sale Book by 11-10
Visit http://www.starwoodhot... to enjoy more vacation…
Announced 4 days agoMore »
- Price Range:
-
$$
53 reviews for Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina
Booking a hotel is an adventure in itself, at least for me it is. I do my research as if its my homework and that i will get a grade for it, I yelped, I googled, I yahoo-ed, I travel-advisored...i read reviews until my eyes begged for a rest.
Then....I wanted to try something different, wanted to get out of my "hotel ritual" routine. I did what I would probably never do again...I Hotwired! Yes, I let Hotwire picked my hotel without knowing the name of the hotel or the exact location, just know that its in the Harbor/Downtown area. It was scary but exciting at the same time! Now knowing what or where I got myself into. My heart was beating when I pressed the "confirm" button and closed my eyes and hope for a hotel that I was hoping for. Then...I slowly opened my eyes and saw that Hotwire booked us at the Sheraton Hotel and Marina, I thought to myself..."well, i've been to a Sheraton in Florida once before and it wasn't too bad. I continued my research on Sheraton to see what to expect upon arrival.
Upon arrival I was surprised at how close it was to the airport! The last time my boyfriend and I stayed in SD was in downtown so I figured this was a change....so that was fine. We stayed in the Bay tower and did not get a high floor like i was hoping we'll get. Instead we got the 1st floor. But it wasn't too bad, we had a balcony that overlooks the bay and downtown SD which was beautiful. I don't know why people are complaining on yelp about the Bay tower....I can care less for the Marina Tower since its actuallie closer to the Airport so more noise and it does not have a direct view of the Bay, just a view of the small Marina in the back. I can care less for the amenities they have in the Marina tower, we go out to eat anyways.
I actuallie like the Bay tower way better. The sunset view from our room was fabulous and waking up to the view of the water is just too awesome. Our room was right next to the pool area and the Garden Walk, the garden walk was just beautiful! They kept it well maintained.
On the down side, I did not like the room too much. They had a nautical theme because of the bay and marina, i just did not like the colors: red and blue....it hurts my eyes. The bed was not all that comfy...I am used to Marriott beds since i am a loyal Marriott fan and mostly only stays at Marriott as my first choice (this is because I used to work for Marriotts and I've loved them since then)
We did not have a Directory in our room and when I called housekeeping to bring one I was very disappointed in the Directory that we gave us....it looked like a bunch of papers stapled together with hotel information, looks cheap and anything but attractive. On a worst note I found a stain on the blanket but since we were only there for one night I did not bother ask for another one since the stain was all the way at the bottom of the blanket. The pillows aren't made properly, the housekeeper did not tuck the pillow case in all the way and it just looks messy and not neat like it should be.
I could not sleep that night because of how uncomfortable the bed was, I actuallie woke up with back and neck pain. Overall I think this hotel is okay, they can do better. I thought it was relaxing but I still like Marriotts over Sheraton.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
Ok, here is the deal...there is no reason to stay here unless you are there for a confrence(me) or own a boat docked here(def. NOT me). It is by nothing, and I mean the popular Gaslamp Quarter, which is a 15 dollar cab ride...there is no where cool around here to walk to.
Now...I was ready to give this 3 stars, but shit, I have experienced WAY better and there is no way , if I were returning to San Diego, I would stay here over something closer to Gaslamp or another nice area.
Ok...this hotel is also one used for cancelled flights...my first room had one of the ocean views and was ok...however...when I found myself here again another nite they put me in some far off area of the hotel that wasn't in the main hotel-but the lenai area....well my room was a long ass walk to the lobby and viewed the airport...traveling alone as a woman I did not want to be walking outside late at nite or early in the am to catch my flight home. I called the desk and they accommodated my request for a room change....
BUT....I was put back in the main area...but I was in the tower that didn't face the ocean and I was on the ground level(as in below the lobby) the room had a weird smell to it and it was VERY clear these were the shit rooms they gave for airport stragglers....there was a stain on the ceiling and last but not least....a HAIRBALL by the door stop...disgusting! I would have changed rooms again if I wasn't going to be in the room for more than 6 hours like I was. It was just so much grosser compared to my other room...hence the 2 stars.
Believe me, the pics online are deceiving...
OK, priceline finally let me down. It was fairly last minute, decided we would overnight in San Diego since we scored tickets to the football game
Booked it Sunday night. Took a bid of $180 a nite, which is more than I have spent for 4 stars in Manhattan on short notice.
Anyway, if the place had been great, it would have been worthwhile.
So we show up to check in around 2pm. There are 3 people in line and 2 people assisting. 20 minutes later...yes, 20! we finally make it up to check in. Meanwhile, folks with Sheraton Name Tags are coming up to us and asking how our day is going. "It was going great until we got here and spent all this time in line"
Anyway, we get checked in. Asked for a room not to far from the lobby. Were told, no problem. Then upon trying to find the room, it is in a different building...5 minute walk perhaps..still, not to bad.
Get to the room, no wireless access available in that area for emails etc.
Ordered a snack around 11pm..it showed up at midnight.
Following morning, head out at 7:30 am to a breakfast meeting and find out we need a room key to re-access the main hotel! Seriously?
Didn't need it when we left last night. Luckily I dug around and found mine, but normally I leave it in the room when I check out.
Overall just understaffed, economy must be hitting them pretty hard, but no excuse for just bad service.
Try the Hyatt or even the W...
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
After 3 visits, I can say there are 3 reasons someone would stay here:
-Conference, seminar, wedding, or similar event
-Need to be near the airport
-Got a great deal on Priceline, you're using Starwood points or have a corp rate/mandate to stay here
If none of these reasons apply, but you enjoy staying at large, average, over-priced-for-what it-is Sheratons with mediocre rooms and service, you're at the right hotel.
People thought this was:
- Useful (2)
- Funny (2)
- Cool (2)
I stayed here for two weeks, a great place and great rates. I found the best deals on http://MilitaryTravelZ... a small website that caters to the military. It http://MilitaryTravelZ... and they have hotel rebates as well. But you need to check for details, they also have an 800 number, it's 800-853-0510
good luck
I thought this place was supposed to be nice? We got bumped to the 'smaller' tower where the pool was dinky, there was no internet and no gym. What's up with that Sheraton!? The room had no hooks to hang up your towels and our floor was pretty dirty. I guess it was pretty cool they had free starbucks instant coffee in the room but we got yelled at when we tried to take more from the cleaning maid!
They get saved because of their great location on the harbor water. Take your camera out to the water and shoot pictures of the downtown skyline at nighttime or in the morning. You can also see the bridge to Coronado Island from the harbor waters. I also appreciated the hotel room's swanky and modern design. There were blue and white stripes on the wall with an all white bed, wicker chairs and a nice wooden office desk. A very sailor-ed theme.
Sheraton only gets two stars cuz I'm bitter that we were pushed to the secondary tower. I would only come back if we got to stay in the main one!
People thought this was:
- Funny (1)
My husband had a military ball here. His unit paid full price (no military discount??) for two rooms on the 12th floor labeled VIP suite. First they took our car valet. $28 for overnight parking. They were very nice taking our bags but took about 30 mins to even get to our room.
The décor in the hotel is cute- east coast beach themed I guess. Get to our room, the décor is not so cute. Two rooms connected by a door in the center. One room is the palor and the bed folds away into an armoire (I can't imagine that mattress to be comfy). The other room is a plain bedroom. The palor had a huge balcony. Beautiful view! Absolutely ugly balcony. Only two chairs on this huge concrete Slab. No plants, no little fire place. It should have it's own jacuzzi for being a VIP suite!
Worst part: old ass TVs. Even Holiday Inns have nice flat screens these days. They had like a 30" 1990s tv with bad coloring. And it was the first weekend of big football games! What the hell? And no iPod docking station. I asked the front desk if they had a radio and they rudely said no. Very disappointing.
Front desk was always rude by the way.
And the AC in our room was broken. It would not shut off of high! It was blowing cold air in and extremely noisy!! Luckily the nice repair man came in and quickly fixed it.
And get this. I live in San Diego and NEVER have allergies. I was sneezing all evening there. Runny eyes in my beauitful dress. That building must be so dusty an old and gross.
Overall, good view, mediocre rooms, comfy beds and pillows, and ok customer service.
People thought this was:
- Useful (2)
- Cool (1)
I stayed here for work last week. It was nice place. My room was decent. I was bummed that a nice place like this and as much money as you spend to stay here that you have to pay for internet. Bummed me out. It is right across for the airport which is nice...
Marina Tower is the way to go here. Given that it's an airport hotel, I didn't think this Sheraton would be very nice. Given that it's a Sheraton, I didn't think this Sheraton would be very nice.
But it was A-OK. The room was clean, fine and comfortable. The food was better than expected, and the location is indeed convenient. And the best aspect of this hotel is its employees, who I found to be universally accommodating, service-oriented, and friendly.
Look, this is not a Four Seasons. So don't go in with Four Seasons expectations. But as a very reasonably priced hotel, this one delivers.
People thought this was:
- Useful (2)
Unless you get the Marina Tower - don't even think about it.
You want coffee? Marina Tower has a Starbucks. Bay Tower has ... make your own god damn coffee in your room you slacker.
You want computers? Marina Tower has a whole bank of them, wired and ready to go. Bay Tower has ... one. And you better only enjoy browsing and printing airline boarding pass sites son.
You want a concierge and service? Marina Tower has a nice concierge desk and is teeming with employees. Bay Tower? We asked where a good Chinese restaurant was. The "concierge/bell hop/handyman" handed us two CARRYOUT MENUS and said take your pick. WTF?!?! Terrible.
Bay Tower has exciting first floor dungeon rooms, replete with sealed patio doors so you can't enjoy the beautiful San Diego weather. Smart. The $20 parking fee is a nice touch too!
Icing on the cake is the lecture I got for the comped roll-away bed, which of course they billed me for until I argued with the ONE guy on duty during checkout.
But of course, I understood I'm a buffoon and I should know that the previous employee who checked me in said it would be comped, you don't actually HAVE to honor that. Just like you didn't want to honor our reservation for the Marina Tower that we made weeks ago, but somehow got bumped to the Bay Horror side.
Only props I give is to the dedicated cleaning crew. At least they did their job well. I will skip, skip, skip - plenty of better hotels in San Diego to chose from!
People thought this was:
- Useful (2)
- Funny (2)
- Cool (2)
Pretty good view of the marina, service wasn't bad, but omg the elevator on the east side are reeeeediculously old/slow.
Gob-voice, I mean, COME ON!
Had a fabulous stay here on my honeymoon so I decided to try it again this past weekend. Very convenient location from the airport, traveling from here to the rest of the city is very easy.
I stayed in the Bay tower. It was great for what I needed it for... a place to sleep. There aren't very amenities in this tower compared to the Marina tower, but who really hangs out at the hotel during a vacation? The hotel overall was clean and the sliding doors to the balcony made for very relaxing evenings.
The $23 for nightly parking is a little ridiculous, but what can you do? Got a good deal on our room here and I look forward to staying here again in the future.
I was in San Diego for an HR business seminar for work and wanted to save the company money so I booked my hotel through http://priceline.com and saved a ton of money for the cost of the hotel. I checked in on a Wednesday evening and was given a room at the Bay Tower which was a 7 minute walk from their main tower. Their lobby looks newer than the rest of the building and includes a flat screen tv, free use of computers and printers! Woohooo! I don't know where the last time I was able to get free internet use and printer at a hotel. They usually charge me loads of cash for internet so this was a huge plus!
I had a great view of the Marina from my room. The bed was comfortable and everything I needed for my stay was A OK. So why am I giving them only 3 stars? I would have probably have bumped it up if I had stayed in their cozier main building and didn't have to walk a mere 7 minutes to my room from the bar or lobby.
Next time, I'm in SD I think I'll stay in the downtown area.
People thought this was:
- Useful (4)
- Funny (4)
- Cool (5)
We have hosted 3 large parties at this venue.
They have a fabulous chef that prepared some remarkable food for us.
The service was excellent. During one party we had 10 extra guests show up at the last minute (literally, came during cocktails) But the hotel didn't hesitate to take care of the situation. They rolled in another table and brought in everything necessary to give everyone a great party, I still am amazed how they were able to find the extra lamb and fish so quickly. And the food was prepared perfectly.
The views from our party room was incredible. We even had a very large enclosed and privat patio so that the children could go outside and play and still be safe when they had enough of the adult time.
I have never stayed at this hotel and can't comment on the quality of the rooms.
BTW, this property is not owned by Sheraton, it was purchased by Marriott but retained the Sheraton name.
Given the nature of this hotel as a gargantuan behemoth parked directly across from the airport, I did not have the greatest of hopes. Plus, we were staying there on New Years Eve, while the hotel was hosting a massive party sponsored by 91X, so I was concerned about noise, disruption, and other shenanigans.
But lo, was I surprised. The lobby is open and elegant. The staff was great. The room itself was top notch (not perfect) and the view of downtown at night was beautiful, and the view of the marina in the morning was also a treat.
Parking was a bit of a nightmare due to the special event, but the hotel was well staffed to deal with it. And once that crowd was gone, it was easy as pie. When we departed, the concierge was terrific and offered a great suggestion for a late brunch (it was 2pm).
Tip: I booked the room on hotwire, so I did score a slightly discounted rate. Try them and look for a 3.5 star hotel in the marina. It's a deal.
People thought this was:
- Useful (3)
- Funny (1)
- Cool (3)
This Sheraton is old, but they have done a nice job of sprucing it up. The great thing about this hotel is the location...right on the bay overlooking the water on one side, the boat harbor on the other side, and the City Skyline and a view of the Coronado bridge.
It has 2 towers, both about 12 stories. The main tower, called the Marina Tower, is the main entrance. But about 200 yards away down the harbor, is the second tower, called the Bay Tower. Both have restaurants, parking, and valet services. There is a large fountain in front of the Marina tower, nicely landscaped with tall lighted Palm Trees and accented with Bird of Paradise plants. The landscaping is well maintained. In the lobby with marble flooring, is a HUGE salt water fish tank. The decor is nautically themed, and materials are mostly blue with yellow accented carpets and yellow wall paper. The rooms are similarly themed, with red accents, too.
The room's in the Bay Tower are pretty good sized, mine had the old school Mini-Bar, comfortable love seat and chair seating area with light wooded furniture, a large, darker wooded desk, ample clost space, a typical bathroom, and a 27 inch TV (no LCDTV yet). The king size bed is diagonally set, with two built in side tables. Every room in the Bay Tower has full width balconies, with 2 chairs and a table, with a great sea breeze and the smell of the ocean waters wafting into your respiratory system.
The Marina Tower has a large squiglly Y shaped pool, with 2 seahorse sculptures shooting water a rock water fall. In the same area in the rear, which overlooks the Boat Harbor, is a large fountain with a Humpback Whale sculpture about to flap its tail. There is a Starbucks in house here, and a nice Microsoft sponsored lounge behind the lobby with 5 PC workstations. The Fitness center is in this building and decent size.
My company has hosted a small conference here, and the service and attention to detail was super. They have post card photos of the "Comfort Specialist" for your room on your desk to insure your satisfaction. I have stayed in 50 plus hotels in the past year and a half, and I must say that the Starwood Chain, lead by Shearton's early standard, has the most comfortable beds in the business. Hilton is next, and Marriott's next after that.
There is a compimentary shuttle to the airport (just half a mile away) and you are not too far from downtown, the Gas Lamp, and other sites. This is a solid choice for San Diego. Prices are usually around $200, although you can get group rates for about $150, sometimes less, depending on season, availability and size of your group. I have seen it as low as $100 in off times.
People thought this was:
- Useful (10)
- Funny (4)
- Cool (6)
Maybe it's not fair to review Big Night San Diego on here, but it doesn't look it can go anywhere else.
I'm really glad a friend of mine gave us free tickets to this thing, because we definitely got what we paid for. The parking sucked, the line to get into the place took forever. Anything worth being there for was reserved for "VIP" tickets, which I guessed entailed a fold out metal table draped with a cloth? The "meal service" looked like some microwave egg rolls and Tyson BBQ wings. Classy.
We just ended up leaving 30 minutes before midnight so we wouldn't have to spend it waiting in line to get into a stupid tent. :(
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
- Funny (2)
- Cool (2)
Um. Hello?? Zombies run this place.
They put us in a room with a JACKHAMMER in the wall BEHIND OUR HEADS where the bed is against the wall. I honestly do not exaggerate when I say the sound was 120+ decibels starting at 8:34am. I have a headache just thinking back on it. We are not early risers and being awakened by that jackhammer had me so stressed out I was literally in tears. And it did not stop. Continuous jackhammer. I kept going down to the lobby, in my pajamas, tears in my eyes, to beg they move us. (Telephone not an option under these conditions). They said OK, they'll call when another room is ready. We would not have been able to hear even the loudest phone ring in that room. It was seriously unbelievable, the noise. I've never even heard noise that loud, and I used to play drums in an ensemble of 50 drummers.
Anyway, we wait and wait. I go down to the front desk multiple times. Finally, on my third or fourth trip down, they say "Oh! Your room's been ready for a while!" Thanks for alerting us. And thanks for telling me the other two or three times I came down in my pajamas to ask. It's not like we've had a jackhammer at our heads throughout the 45 minute wait or anything.
The hotel is huge, how'z 'bout you geniuses don't use the rooms where the jackhammers are, just for one night. We were so exhausted we ended up sleeping half the day and missing out on half our time in San Diego.
---
Even if you don't have your skull split by one of their jackhammers, note that if you're making a reservation over the internet, "full harbor view" only means that the hotel is on a small 'island', and you're really getting a full view of the parking lot. But there is a harbor out there, way out there, it looks like another parking lot (for boats).
People thought this was:
- Useful (4)
- Funny (3)
- Cool (3)
Stayed here for a weekend mini-trip. The view from our room was nice. It overlooked a bay, where sailboats cruised around and it was close enough to downtown, the zoo, and all the regular spots. The rooms were nice and clean, the bathrooms nice and small, and the walls nice and thin.
I could hear the room next to me as if there wasn't even a wall. I swear to god I heard them dial numbers on the phone, the walls are that thin. Unfortunately the room next to us didn't have sex.. I could have got into that.. no, they just coughed and watched tv. The people above us must have had wood floors, or they were doing construction because it seemed like a tap dancing competition was going on.. and when all was silent inside the hotel, you had the airports (yes plural) all around you to fill in the silence with jet planes. Also there is a real annoying sound of a lighthouse or something near by that would make a noise every min or so.. real hard to hear, but you will tune in to it after awhile.
So yeah, not a great hotel for peace and quiet.
The room was clean like I said, but there were some hairs in the bathtub that creeped my girlfriend out. The restaurant at the hotel was uhhh... well we walked in and couldnt figure out how to sit down.. no host or hostess, it seemed just like a bar that served food, so we declined and walked back out.
The staff was nice, the parking was $20/a day and when we were leaving I noticed a sign that said "NO SMOKING IN ROOM OR PATIO, $200 FINE"... Woah... PATIO no smoking?? UH OH... If I get charged $200 for smoking a few cigarettes on the patio, I will go crazy.. (crosses fingers)
So overall, nice hotel for the view and location, but some stars off for noise.. just an average place to stay. Be prepared to drive alot (starbucks, food, etc..).
People thought this was:
- Useful (2)
- Funny (2)
- Cool (2)
I spent the last moments of 2008 here and they were not fond memories.
Big Night San Diego. Big Freaking let down : ( And I'll admit I might have had high expectations for this event since I have very fond, very drunken memories from last years Big Night San Diego. It was very fun and me and the bf didn't think twice about getting tickets for this year.
However most of my evening was spent waiting to go to the bathroom. We spent most of the night in the "Pavilion" outside. It was a big tent and it was packed. There were 7 portapotties for that area. The wait for the bathroom was horrific! Once we went inside after midnight it wasn't much better. The wait to go to the real bathrooms was about a 30 minutes. When you have hundreds of drunk people bathrooms are very important...when you drink you have to pee...just the way it is.
The free drinks included were horrible and I watched several bartenders serve me Gin when I clearly asked for Vodka. Did they think I'd be too drunk to notice?!?
Also the free shuttle that should have taken us home didn't so we had the pleasure of walking home. Yay. Nothing to start 2009 then a 3 mile walk home!
Next year we'll be finding somewhere else to spend our New Years Eve!!!
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
- Cool (1)
I stayed a Saturday and Sunday night for a festival on the adjacent fair grounds. All weekend long, I was thinking the food is great (although pricey), love the marina view, the pool is tranquil, 2 pool tables in their sports bar, attentive bartenders, convenient location, easy pickup from the airport, the staff keeps asking what they can do me and the bed is super comfortable bed. LOVE THIS PLACE!!!!
So why 1 star, two reasons...
When I went to check out, the hotel rate was $30 higher than my confirmation. It should have been no problem for the front desk person to say "Sorry, I will fix that". Instead he said, "Well that part of the hotel is nicer." I explained that no one mentioned an upgrade and I did not agree to a higher price. His response "Well we have a lot of room rates from $199." Still wrong answer. Should I have been happy that they didn't charge me $199? However, I had a plane to catch. So I paid. I got home and called. No answer on 3 different calls, so I called Starwood. They confirmed that my quoted and confirmed price was $109. They told me to call the hotel. I called the hotel again and asked for a manager, who corrected the price. She said it was an error. If the front desk person had fixed the charge immediately, I would have given the hotel 4 stars. However, this is the second time this type of issue has occurred at a Sheraton. I believe this issue is a lack of training for the front desk personnel. I also had an issue with the reservations desk getting the festival rate. That is too long a story.
I subtracted the second star because the hotel does not practice ENVIRONMENTAL FRIENDLY room service. Most hotels now have the option of reuse of your towels. My room did not have a towel rack although I hung my towel over shower curtain rod to show I did not need another bath towel, I received even more towels than came with the room originally. So minus another point. It would be a cost savings for Sheraton (they could use it to train the staff) and good for the environment for them to take up a ENVIRONMENTAL FRIENDLY TOWEL POLICY.
With all that said, I do plan to stay here next year for the same festival.. I will check my bill once a day so I do not get a nasty surprise at 4:30 a.m. on the day of checkout.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
- Funny (1)
- Cool (1)
Travel Agents Review:
Can you say BUG BITES! After reporting the bite problem, the staff didn't seem surprised or react in an urgent manner. Then we were moved to a room over the LOADING DOCKS, where we were awakened at least once an hour by trucks loading and unloading. Off to the front desk again, John was very helpful and moved us to a nice room. 4:30 am the FIRE ALARMS GO OFF AGAIN. This is a constant problem in this hotel. False alarm, after false alarm, after false alarm. I'm surprised they have not been sited by the Fire Dept. yet, as they must respond to each false alarm. I have been shocked by the number of up charges on can get at this hotel. $22.00 to park in a dirt parking lot. After 2 of or 10 day stay the car is filthy. I doubt they are going to offer to take it to the car wash. We didn't use the coffee in the room the first few days, but needed more while working in our room. They said that it would be $2.50 for the coffee. Internet connections are $16.00 to 18.95 per day in the room. Modernize people, if this happened in the Silicon Valley no one would stay. The food has been great, but costs a fortune! You won't get out of any dinning area for less than $30.00. Environmental saving option for towels. Use your towel again and save $5.00. If you don't really want to implement that program leave out the towel bars in the bathrooms. Guess what? There are no towel bars in the bathrooms. Big surprise at this point. We are locked into our reservation and still have 4 more nights. Ya hoo!
Okay it's the end of our 12 day stay. And I must say that the manager adjusted our bill enough that I can say thank you to him. He complained about being understaffed and under pressure from the corporate heads to cut corners. A word to corproate: if you cut much more you won't have repeat business. Your staff is run ragged already. Get a grip, this is a busy hotel. Oh and you should treat the two towers as different hotels. the smaller building is always lacking in service. And one bellman for both towers is crazy! they are a good block apart.
We loved our stay. We got a great rate for this hotel and stayed for 3 nights (August 9-12). We had a low floor room with a partial view of the pool. We initially started with a room facing the parking lot but after a quick stop at the desk, we were transferred on the other side with the pool view. The staff is friendly and courteous. Rooms were cleaned meticulously. Best thing about the hotel? Starbucks in the lobby (for sleepless parents like us). We had a great time lounging around in the pool. They also have a great fitness facility with lots of activities for families. They rent out bikes, lend out ping pong rackets, a tennis court and everything you could possibly think of. I was able to use their spa service and had an excellent massage. They offer facials too and all services priced reasonably. Their spa is not really the type of spa that you go in to relax but it has more of the fitness club feel with showers and sauna. Hopefully they have a real spa lined up in the future. The only thing I could complain about is the Harbor's edge restaurant, for some reason, someone overlooked the fact that there are no ramps to get to the dining area. This restaurant is off of the main lobby of the hotel and only has steps to lead down to the tables. The hotel must have been aware of this oversight because all the staff were always kind enough to offer to lift the stroller for you. They also forgot to put down a ramp to access the main pool on the marina tower so you have to go around and take the elevator down. Other than that, it was a great stay and we will definitely be back.
I stayed here this past weekend for Comic Con. There is nothing to write home about. The rooms are clean and old and needs remodeling. They need to throw out the towels and get new ones.
The best part about this hotel is the shuttle bus they provide to and from Comic Con. This is their own shuttle so it only stops at the Sheraton Marina which is great. No extra stops. Almost worth putting up with the subpar rooms.
People thought this was:
- Useful (2)
- Cool (1)
I stayed here for 3 days for a conference and it was just ok. The hotel layout is a little odd, and for business professionals who require access to the Internet, bring a WAN card as the internet here SUCKS.
Otherwise it is just your run of the mill Sheraton hotel. Its right across from the airport so that is nice if you are running late, otherwise you hear a lot of aircraft noise all day. The fact that it is so close to the water is nice considering we had a cruise scheduled as an event and the boat pulled right up to the hotel.
I dont know if I would pay to stay here on my own especially with the SLOW internet, but since I didnt pay for this, it wasnt all that bad.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
- Cool (2)
I like this place. Beautiful setting. Their breakfast buffet is the best. About 24.00, all you can eat, very high quality ingredients, very fresh. A fantastic spread.
alright, i have been at this hotel for 5 days now doing a casting call for a game show so i think i have a good idea of the hotel.
everyone on the staff here is great.
i had to bring my dog with me and i snuck her in. she barked while i was out and someone complained. the lady at the front desk was super nice and moved me to another part of the hotel where i wouldnt have someone next to me and where the balcony faced the ocean so lexi dog could hang outside while i was gone.
i will say that them not having wirless internet in the rooms is a drag, but its free in the lobby. there was free wirless that i could connect to from my room pinging off someone elses wireless so it worked out for me.
its right by the airport but honestly you could barely hear the airplanes taking off and landing.
i have no clue prices cause the company put me up here, it seems that the only people that stay here are flight attendants.
This place was miserable. I got it on a low bid on Priceline. I was in town for a conference. It is right across the street from the airport. I figured, no problem, I'll just run the fan on high. I wish. The fan is set up to click off after about 10 minutes. The noise thing was such an issue. Once the planes stopped around midnight, a few hours later I was awoken from my sleep by the sounds of some couple noisily getting lucky on a balcony outside.
Plus, my room smelled like body odor that was not my own.
People thought this was:
- Useful (3)
I've stayed here a few times and it's only when I try to book a Four Star hotel on Priceline. It seems the money I saved on the hotel slowly gets gobbled up taking a cab to the Gaslamp and back. I hate regulating my alcohol intake so I won't drive to the clubs.
The hotel's okay. I like to stay at the main tower because the pool and gym are there. The room is nice but nothing spectacular. The view is great.
You have to park your car outside which is a bummer; especially, when the seagulls say hi.
People thought this was:
- Funny (1)
I stayed here for 4 nights (Mon - Fri) during the last week of July.
Hotwire had it ranked as a 4 star hotel. Oh no, hotwire.
At first glance, it might look like a 4 star hotel. It has a nice lobby, the lobby leads out to a lagoon pool, there's a decent poolside bar and there are some cool firepits by the water.
But this pretty boy is all show and no substance.
I've stayed in many different types of lodgings, from top hotels to crap motels. I don't need slippers by my bed, but I do have some bottom-line expectations from a 4 star hotel.
At the Sheraton Marina, however, expect the following:
-the room is a step up from a clean motel 8
-the internet is slow and not free
-room service is slow
-room service food sucks
-restaurant food sucks
-pool side bar and cafe closes early
-hot tub is lukewarm
-desk personnel are slow and they hate you
-a cheesy dinner for hotel convention guests will be held, unannounced, 2 feet away from your first floor sliding glass door.
Caveat -- we stayed in a lanai room, marina tower b/c of the dog.
That's the only bonus here. The hotel allows dogs up to 60 pounds.
And in and out self-parking helps ($20/day).
People thought this was:
- Funny (1)
This hotel wasn't just pet friendly, it was down right pet loving.
It's extra special when every front desk person, valet, maintenance guy and any other random hotel employee runs to be in the elevator with you to give you an ear scratch or sneak a treat to you from his pocket-- Not to mention all the attention I got from the hotel guests as well. My tail was sore from all the wagging after that weekend! All that petting and extra treats alone would have almost been enough for the 5 paws up...
All that aside, this is simply a pleasant place to rest your paws. I could watch the ducks in the marina from my room out on the little balcony and stroll the walkway along the waterfront. Exquisite. The hotel is right on a narrow strip of road in between the marina and the boat harbor making it a prime place to watch birds and fish. The rooms were so comfy and neatly decorated, too. I felt like I was a captain's dog on a luxury yacht.
I hope my experience is as perfect the second time around.
It will be tough to beat. I highly recommend all my four legged friends howl and scratch their way into the car to tag along with the owners when ever they get a chance to go here. Love it!
p.s. check out my photos of this place!
FIVE PAWS UP (and a special woof to my valet buddies)
People thought this was:
- Useful (5)
- Funny (2)
- Cool (2)
I stayed here while on a business trip for 5 days. I was put into the tower that my conference was NOT being held in therefore requiring a 5-7 minute walk (each way) everytime I wanted/needed to run back to my room for something. In heels or inclement weather, it sucks.
Being across the bay from the San Diego International Airport was no treat either, weather I was being awakened by jets coming in or out or trying to relax by the pool, wondering how much jet fuel I was inhaling.
My heater didn't work for the first 2 days which meant meaintenance men in and out of my room. They lent me a space heater to compensate, but it was still weak they didn't offer to move me. Only after kvetching did they comp me $50 on my room. but when you are paying $250+ a night or paying $35+ for an average room service breakfast, $50 doesn't go too far.
I certainly wouldn't go here for personal travel. It was far from everything (old town, gaslamp district, etc.). Every cab ride I took to get somewhere was at least $25 one way.
Lastly, for those of you who like to work out while on travel . . . forget it! Unless you want to work out at night. the gym was PACKED in the morning. And I went down there at 5:45A and again at 6:30A. Ridiculous. And the one time I went in the evening it was a teenage boy escape where they sat on the weight bench, mouth agape, watching TV (occassionally lifting a barbell). Again, ridiculous.
The only perk was finding a gull on my balcony every morning when i woke up. He was cool :)
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
- Cool (2)
Awesome fitness center for a hotel. New equipments, weight machines, bosu ball, hula hoop, complimentary ear phones and more.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
- Funny (3)
- Cool (2)
3-star but 4-star potential by 2009.
why? they are renovating their rooms.
my room was 90% done and very comfy.
but due to the inconvenience of blocked
hallways and workers running around,
my stay was less than restful ...
the view of the marina and close location
to ocean and airport is unbeatable though!
i paid $230/nt and that included self parking.
People thought this was:
- Useful (6)
- Funny (4)
- Cool (6)
This is one of my favorite places to stay in San Diego. It's close to the airport, so it's super convenient. This is NOT a 24 hour airport, so it's not really noisy. You're right on the water. The rooms are all a decent size, the beds are super comfy, and the staff is nice. The parking is relatively plentiful.
FYI - There are two towers. Depending on the nature of your stay, you may prefer the more isolated tower to the main building.
People thought this was:
- Useful (2)
- Cool (3)
This is basically the equivalent of the Chicago Hilton. It's really freakin' big, and it has some really solid employees. The staff keep the place fairly clean. Beware the phony wifi offered by HarborNet. It doesn't really work reliably, but they WILL give you your money back if they mess it up.
The pros: Club Floor breakfast is clean and hot. Harbor's Edge restaurant is pretty good and the gym is solid.
The cons: The location sucks - 4-5 miles from everything - Club Floor breakfast is basically just a continental breakfast, in-room wifi doesn't really work.
People thought this was:
- Useful (2)
- Cool (1)
Can I give a zero rating? Or negative 5.
My family and my brother's family stayed here over the new years 2008. It was absolutely the worst hotel stay I've ever had in my life. It was so bad that I subsequently wrote a 5 page complaint documenting everything that went wrong and all the problems I found.
My frustration didnt end as the complaint was not taken seriously. I spent time writing the complaint to bring some kinds of closure to the aweful experience, and so they can fix the problems and noone else will have to suffer the way we did. I found out they do not honor their own customer satisfaction policies as stated on their public web site. All they will tell you is how they've already closed the case and please stop bugging them. I stopped talking to them even though I was offered some points and upgrades. I decided I will avoid all Sheratons in the future based on this hotel and the aweful customer service.
In any case, this is not a 3 star of 4 star hotel. My biggest problem is the misrepresentation of the quality and grade of this hotel. Everything I've experienced tells me this is 1 star tops.
I hope this review will prevent someone from making the same mistake that I did. If you're interested in more details, I will gladly email you the complaint I wrote to them.
Gorgeous location across the street from the ocean, nice views from most rooms plus private little balconies with chairs, and a pretty decent pool. Also, you're steps away from great places to run or walk along the water.
This is a fantastic place to stay once you get over the fact you're paying $250+/night for a basic room that is NOT that nice or clean. The light switches are kind of grimy. There's no mini-fridge. There are some places where wall paper is starting to peel. While my room was vacuumed and the beds were made, it just felt unclean.
Another negative is that there's no Starbucks in sight or within walking distance.
Best to stay at this hotel on your company's dime.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
- Cool (1)
I stayed here in April, and wrote up the review at the bottom of this note. but in my utter brilliance, i attached the review to the incorrect hotel. I want to note that I loved staying at this hotel, as the review below states. however, I just received an additional charge on my credit card of $40. I called their finance department this morning, and they couldn't quite tell me why. I have to speak w/ someone tomorrow.
but, uh, s'cuse me, but if you're gonna charge someone over three months after their stay, methinks you have some serious problems. at that point, you should probably consider eating it. and you should DEFINITELY contact the person via phone or mail or internet (all methods of contact that they had and FAILED to send me an additional invoice) before charging the card and making me think it was stolen. I'm peeved.
Original Review from April 28, 2008:
If I could give 3.5 stars, I would....
Never ever take a first floor room. The windows do not open, and why would anyone want to go to a hotel on the coast for closed windows? After initially accepting this disappointing room, I was eventually given a room on the 7th floor overlooking the marina. Freaking awesome. I loved watching the sailboats come in Sunday evening, and i even enjoyed the occasional clanging of the rigging.
Everyone in my conference group begged for the rooms on the other side. I bet they were a little disappointed when they realized they didn't get to see a sunset over the water (check a map, folks!). From my room, I could catch the sunset over the mountains and get to enjoy the marina view.
The rooms were spacious, comfortable and decorated in a nautical theme. Even the hallways went along with it: very dark and somewhat foreboding. but it worked. The bed was extremely comfortable, and in the King bed room, there was a spacious sitting area in addition to the patio with table and chairs. Heaven! I only wish I had more time to hang out in the room while I was there. VERY relaxing.
I give the rooms 4 stars, and the desk staff 5 stars (they were were totally nice with all the room swapping my group put them through.) Plus, free wi-fi in the lobby.
I was there for a conference, and that's where things were a little more interesting. the food was pretty typical conference food. Nothing overly spectacular (unless you like butternut squash soup... yum!) And as another yelper pointed out, no directions to the various conference rooms. Slightly on the confusing side.
And while I would recommend the facility for conferences (nice enough staff, beautiful views from conference rooms, and uncomfortable chairs that do their job of keeping attendees awake) keep your max number at 200. Our group was around 300, and the poor waiters tripped over our bags in the banquet halls at plated meals. I know it wasn't their fault. but rather, the lack of adequate isle space. some near misses made for entertainment, but so unfair at someone else's expense. While this could have been due to the conference organizers, there were not enough chairs in many of the break-out meeting rooms. and the Marriott staff didn't bring more when they realized the inconvenience. Coulda been due to fire code and all that jazz... like I said, keep your group number smaller, and these problems should go bu-bye.
People thought this was:
- Useful (2)
- Cool (1)
i booked this hotel on hotwire and got it for $100 a nite...so worth it. we stayed there for two nights. the rooms usually go for $200+ a night.
we read up on the hotel on http://tripadvisor.com before we booked and realized that we had to call and request the Marina Tower a couple days before our arrival, best thing I ever did. we got the 9th floor, huge room w/ two beds and 36" flat panel. one of the most comfy bed I have been on w/ tons of pillows on each bed. much needed as we just got off a 12 hr flight from Paris.
it's right next to the airport and the San Diego Harbor.
we were lucky to be there on a sunny wknd as we were able to walk around the hotel inside and outside/the surrounding area & bay. then, we hit the pool. got myself a tan :)
then off to Starbucks within the hotel for an ice tea to cool me off.
then we were able to drive about 5mins to little Italy for lunch & some frozen yogurt.
Nautica theme is from the lobby to your room...awesome.
be aware, it's expensive to eat in the hotel. $21 for breakfast buffet, that's per person. $28 to valet your car overnight.
I think all was worth it as i got an awesome scenery and a beautiful hotel w/ awesome service.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
- Funny (1)
- Cool (1)
