Name of Hotel: Springhill Suites by Marriott San Diego Downtown/Bayfront
Type of Room: Two Queen Beds
Number of Nights You Stayed: 6
Year(s) You Stayed There: 2022
Hotel Review:
* Were there any dining options inside or near the hotel? Yes, the hotel had an outdoor/rooftop restaurant, but I never went there. The hotel did have a free breakfast buffet which was pretty extensive, although way too much white flour-based starch with not enough other stuff. For instance, they had bread/muffins/bagels and make your own waffles everyday. Then, in the hot section, there was one rotating starch but 5 of the 6 days I was there it was also a white flour starch (including waffles TWICE, in addition to the daily waffles they already have.) The other day, it was potatoes...it would have been nice to see potatoes more often. Then they had one meat item (rotating between bacon/ham and chicken/turkey/pork sausages), scrambled eggs and scrambled egg whites both made from pre-mix. One nice thing is that they actually had cold-brew coffee on the breakfast buffet (in addition to regular coffee and tea). I haven't seen that at any other free hotel breakfast.
* How was the hotel staff? Were they polite and courteous? Yes, the staff was excellent.
* Did you order room service? No
* Tell us about the hotel amenities, like the gym or pool. Did you use any of them? They had a gym and an outdoor pool, but I didn't use them.
* Were you and your roommates able to sleep and move around in the room comfortably? Do you think the room is smaller or larger than the same type of room in other, comparable hotels? The room was very nice and up to date, although not technically a suite since there was not a separate room (it just had a floor-to-ceiling desk between the beds and the living room). I wouldn't say the room was huge, but it was definitely bigger and airier than the MGH. The queen beds are actually queen beds too, unlike MGH where they were more like twin beds.
* If you drove and parked your car at the hotel, how much was the parking rate per day for overnight stays? I didn't, but I saw they had both self-park and valet options and I want to say they were around $35-50-ish
* How long did it take you to travel to and from your hotel by shuttle, trolley, or on foot? By trolley, a ~7 minute walk to the Santa Fe Station trolley + 5 minute ride. It would be shorter if there weren't barriers. By foot, just under 30 minutes.
* Are the walls of the room thin? What are the noise levels in your room from outside sources (hallway or next door)? No issues with noise.
* Does the hotel have free WiFi for guests? Yes
* Are you a member of the hotel's rewards program? What level do you have, and what kind of perks did you get? I am a silver member and to my knowledge there were no extra perks. Although, we did ask for a late checkout (normally at 11) and they extended it 1 hour, until Noon although I am not sure if they would have turned down my request if I were not a rewards member.
* Is there anything else you like to mention about the hotel (i.e., celebrity sightings) or your room that isn't mentioned above? They put up Star Wars decorations in the lobby. It shares a building with the Residence Inn. The bathroom is the sliding door type which doesn't really close, which is a little awkward if you're sharing a room.
What did you like about staying at this hotel? Pretty much everything. I thought it was much nicer than the MGH and the Hampton, which are the two we've stayed in before. The rooms were comfortable, the view was great (we had a view of the harbor, based on the layout most rooms probably did as well) and the cold-brew coffee for breakfast was a nice touch.
Finally, what didn't you like about staying at this hotel? No real complaints. I would have said that I want it to be closer, but it really was a nice walk along the waterfront to the convention (and on preview night, it was fun to stop by Hess Brewing and have a beer overlooking the harbor), and it was also nice to be a block away from Stone w00t X.
