Disclaimer: My review is based on comparing this hotel to others in it's price/star range.

First and foremost, it's important that you know what you're getting when you book a stay at a W hotel. This is not the Hyatt Regency. If you are looking for quiet, dimly lit oak bars, antique looking room furnishings or for anything conservative, you should look elsewhere. The W is all about being trendy from the lobby bar to the rooms to the staff. You're going to get bright, vibrant colors (in the San Diego W, it's a blue and yellow color scheme). If you have a problem with techno music, rock music or rap music, look elsewhere. If seeing people consume alcohol is an issue for you, look elsewhere. The W caters to a mostly hip, upscale crowd, business travelers and the like.

Hotel: Many have said they had trouble with parking here but I had no issues. Hotel is all valet (maybe it wasn't in the past). You drive up, you get out, you hand the guy your keys, he hands you a ticket and you're done. Easy. Took me 30 seconds from driving up to having my bags out of the car and on my way. Decour is ultra-modern. Bright colors. Trendy lounge/bar on the first floor that shares space with the lobby. On weekend nights it will be crowded with well dressed hipsters drinking martinis. Gym and small pool on the 2nd floor. A few free weights but mostly cardio machines. The tredmills, bikes and elipticals all had in-console TVs and radios (and some of them even worked).

Staff: If the cool college kids who live down the street bother you, so will the staff. I found them all nice and very helpful. When I called down for my car it never took more than 15 minutes for it to arrive. Room service was fast and polite. After being on the road for business for nearly two months straight, I didn't feel like leaving the room one night and the room servince menu didn't have what I wanted, so I called Whatever/Whenever and had them go pick me up some Thai food from a place a few blocks away. Had my food in 40 minutes (shorter than the room service wait on a Friday night) for a couple of extra bucks.

Room: Great. A little small but that's typical with W rooms. Well decorated in bright blues and yellows. 36" flat panel TV. DVD player in room if you brought movies with you or you can check them out from the hotel library. Excellent toiletries. Cant beat the lemon/sage body wash and lotion.

Restaraunt/Bar: Three, three, three bars! Lounge bar is attached to the lobby and has a few stools and lots of couch/lounge space with games like chess, checkers, etc. This place is pretty popular and expensive. Magnet bar is down the hall and worth checking out. Beach bar is up from the pool on the 2nd floor past the pool and has a sand floor, fire pit, hanging chairs, and palm trees. It is usually packed in good weather. Was little chilly during my stay and I found the beach bar to have the funnest people and best bartenders in the hotel.

Other: The W is not cheap. I travel for work, so I don't care because it all gets expensed. You are going to get hit up for everything here. Bottle of Voss water? Paying. Parking? 25 bucks a night. Internet access? 12 bucks a day. Pack of M&Ms from the mini-bar? 4 bucks. Be smart. Clean everything out of the mini-bar, stack it on top, and fill it with your own snacks and drinks. When you leave, put their stuff back in. Problem solved.

This is a great hotel. The room we had was a deluxe suite and it was tastefully decorated and had great views. The hotel is situated in downtown San Diego and parking is a bit difficult. But that was the only drawback. If you want a classy, hip hotel, this one is it. Would
definately recommend for young, upscale adults. There is a bar in the lobby that is very popular with the locals (again, think upscale youthful yuppies, post-modern hipsters). But if you stay in the hotel, you skip the line for the bar and get free entrance. There is nothing bad to say about this place. Great view, beautiful room, clean. Pleasant stay. Classy. A+ experience.

We stayed here for 3 nights (2/22-2/25). The location was not the best, the room was one of the smallest we've had, and housekeeping failed to clean our room the 2nd day. The 3rd day was the clinker though. Since arriving, we'd always entered the hotel through the more convenient side door, always a doorman there to hold the door open & welcome us. This particular evening, I opened it myself only to have "Norm" jump in my way, physically blocking my entry. He said we'd have to enter through the main door to get our ID's checked (it was Saturday night & the lobby bar was hopping). When we responded that we were hotel guests (we are in our mid 40's & had our 13-year-old daughter in tow, clearly not barhopping), he rudely replied that it didn't matter & we had to abide by the rules. His aggressive behavior and words frightened our daughter, so we stopped at the front desk to complain (after entering through the main door as forced, of course). The clerk said that the W had no rules preventing us from entering through the side door as usual, and that Norm's behavior was inappropriate. At our request, she promised to have the hotel manager call us. Days later and still no word. Unacceptable for this property. Needless to say, we checked out and spent our next 3 nights at the Westin Horton Plaza. The staff there was wonderful, our room was larger and the location was better overall. We won't be going back to the W.

(The W Hotel's rooftop bar)

I went here with my uncle and his date after dinner back in early 2002. We arrived fairly early, and we were able to get prime seating directly in front of their fire pit. The drinks were pricey but strong. The sand was a nice touch, and the background music was decent. As the night progressed, the place became crowded, seemingly beyond capacity. People practically fought for seating near the fire pit as the temperature dropped. I'd recommend this as a great place for after-dinner cocktails, but if crowds aren't your thing, then avoid the Beach Bar for late weekend evenings.

Cons: Noisy, crowded, cold if you're not near the fire pit.
Overall user rating: Recommended