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Holiday Inn San Diego-Downtown: Traveler Reviews


Holiday Inn San Diego-Downtown
Hotel class 3 of 5
Back to Holiday Inn San Diego-Downtown
1617 First Avenue, San Diego, CA 92101
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Traveler Reviews

66% Recommend
3.5 of 5 stars 60 reviews
Excellent
11
Very good
20
Average
9
Poor
4
Terrible
14
By trip type
All (60)
Business (7)
Couples (11)
Family (6)
Friends getaway (5)
Solo travel (4)
[ Date ] [ Rating ]
“Much better than expected - name is misleading though”

Holiday Inn San Diego-Downtown

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4 of 5 stars
mjs7777 41 contributions
Palo Alto, California
Jan 17, 2006
5/5 found this review helpful

We stayed for one weeknight at the end of a long road trip. We were flying back and wanted something downtown to enjoy the last evening of our trip. Got this hotel as a 2.5* bid on Priceline.

There are a lot of positive aspects to this property. Service was fast and skilled. Our room was nice and they were flexible about which to give us (sometimes an issue with Priceline). The place was quiet and shuttle service was great. My flight out was a 10pm and my girlfriend's was the next morning around 10am. We both got there promptly thanks to the pleasant driver.

The restaurant really is more of a coffee shop. They do their best and try very hard, and they do serve alcohol. We had lunch there and it was fine, but we went out for dinner in the Gaslamp District. It was an easy, brisk walk for us -- the front desk offered a walking map that also showed downtown bus lines.

While the hotel itself was quiet, we could hear some noise from the expressway, even though we were on a high floor. It didn't bother us but could be a concern if you must have an absolutely quiet environment.

One important note is that the hotel now bills itself as "Holiday Inn - Downtown" rather than "Holiday Inn - Harbor View", for good reason. There is now a giant apartment building right in the middle of the view of the harbor. Our room had a panoramic view -- on the far right we could see the expressway, then panning left a little of the harbor, then that giant building, then a little more of the harbor, then more buildings and a construction site. It just wasn't a very compelling view.

Overall, we liked the hotel quite a bit. It was clean and generally quiet, with a friendly staff. It was definitely the best choice available given the price we paid. Just don't expect a striking view of the harbor.

  • My ratings for this hotel
    • 5 of 5 stars Value
    • 4 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 5 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 4 of 5 stars Service
  • Date of stay January 2006
  • Member since July 27, 2005
  • I recommend this hotel for Young singles, Tourists
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
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Average price*: $142 (year-round)
Call now to book: 877-270-6397 from HolidayInn.com
“Good rooms, good value, well located”

Holiday Inn San Diego-Downtown

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4 of 5 stars
MXLondon 28 contributions
London
Dec 31, 2005 | Trip type: Business

Good value Holiday Inn close to Little Italy and an easy (10-minute) walk to Downtown. Clean, spacious, comfortable rooms. Shuttle bus available to and from airport, zoo etc. Friendly, courteous staff. Restaurant small and limited choice of food, but clean and comfortable.

  • My ratings for this hotel
    • 4 of 5 stars Value
    • 4 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 3 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 3 of 5 stars Service
  • Date of stay December 2005
  • Member since December 31, 2005
  • I recommend this hotel for Young singles, Families with teenagers
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
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Average price*: $142 (year-round)
Call now to book: 877-270-6397 from HolidayInn.com
“Basic Basic”

Holiday Inn San Diego-Downtown

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3 of 5 stars
MBNick 84 contributions
Oct 5, 2005

Just spent a week at this Holiday Inn. The bad things? Restaurant not up to size of hotel. More like a small coffee shop. No bar. Interent service in the lobby is the pits. No spa at pool. Little off the beaten path for walking to to things. Rooms not big, closet storage barely enough for one person for a week.
The good things? The staff are all helpful and responsive. The food is basic but good and they work hard with what they have. Place is fairly clean.
They will even try to shuttle you around when they are not on airport runs which is good since Yellow Cab does not bother to show up 1/2 the time.
If you are on business and need a place to sleep this is a good choice.
Ask for an upper floor with a view of the harbor.

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
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Average price*: $142 (year-round)
Call now to book: 877-270-6397 from HolidayInn.com
“There is a Reason it's Cheap!”

Holiday Inn San Diego-Downtown

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2 of 5 stars
NatTaggart 13 contributions
Golden, Colorado
Jul 17, 2005 | Trip type: Business
2/6 found this review helpful

Everyone calls this a great value, it is because they have been working on the elevators for several months. You will be forced to walk through a maze of utility rooms to access the freight elevator. With the elevators out of service they are always packed and sometimes you have to wait a few cycles, plan extra time. Furthermore, the hotel does not serve double Gin and Tonics. For a cheap place very close to downtown, it's one of the better ones. Just plan for some aggravation.

  • My ratings for this hotel
    • 3 of 5 stars Value
    • 2 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 2 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 2 of 5 stars Service
  • Date of stay May 2005
  • Member since July 15, 2005
  • I recommend this hotel for Young singles
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
Check Rates
Average price*: $142 (year-round)
Call now to book: 877-270-6397 from HolidayInn.com
“Great deal for the price!!”

Holiday Inn San Diego-Downtown

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4 of 5 stars
bebe624 186 contributions
Los Angeles, California
May 27, 2005
5/5 found this review helpful

I am giving this hotel 4 stars not for the accomodations but for the service. We booked our room on hotwire and got this room for a great price. My husband was not excited to find out we would be staying at the Holiday Inn but it was a done deal. When we got there they had upgraded our room so we got a nice big room with a nice view. They even had internet service in the room for FREE! That was an extra bonus. The shuttle driver was really cool and took us downtown and was super helpful.

It's not the Ritz, but for the price I would definitely stay here again.

  • My ratings for this hotel
    • 3 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 4 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
  • Date of stay March 2005
  • Member since May 24, 2005
  • I recommend this hotel for Families with teenagers
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
Check Rates
Average price*: $142 (year-round)
Call now to book: 877-270-6397 from HolidayInn.com
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Holiday Inn San Diego-Downtown Also Known As

Address: 1617 First Avenue, San Diego, CA 92101