Looked for a place to stay in San Diego. Our room was clean and the carpet looked new. Attentive Service with outstanding location We could see the harbor from our window.

Would I return back to the hotel? With so many other hotels in the area at a better value, it's a maybe. My friend had a corporate rate, and we were driving for the weekend from LA. We knew we wanted to stay at the Gaslamp area. The valet parking overnight was $27, and it is very close to the Horton Plaza Mall. It was a short walk from most of the restaurants and bars on Gaslamp. Even though it was in the middle of the night on Saturday, we were wondering the streets and it was very safe. I did not see any homeless people or anything negative in the area. The hotel was giving out free bottled water and green apples to the guests, so we would grab one as we ventured up to our room. Accommodations were nice, and rooms were modern. Great view of the city and the water from our room on the 11th floor.

I recently attended a professional meeting that was held at the Westin Horton Plaza, so I was booked there without my choice. I was surprised to find that, despite the fact that it's a Westin, the place is a bit of a dump.

1. The elevators are old, jerky, and badly in need of renovation. You might not think that this is a big problem, but I had a room on the 8th floor, and on Friday night, I waited for 10 solid minutes for an elevator going down. No luck. 10 minutes is a long time when you are standing there staring at the elevator doors. I finally gave up and took the stairs. While I was standing there waiting, it gave me a chance to notice that the carpet around the elevator area is not very clean.

2. The hotel lacks amenities like checking out of the hotel via your television. You have to check out manually or via dropping off an envelope.

3. My wife ordered a salad from room service. The salad itself was $17, and she got an iced tea that was 5$ or so. Then, to my astonishment, on the bill, they had added a $6 "delivery surcharge." Isn't that what the tip is called? Apparently not, because they then added a "20% gratuity fee." And then, to top it off, then they charged sales tax on the total amount -- after "delivery surcharge" and built-in "gratuity fee." I don't even think that is legal -- to charge a sales tax on a gratuity fee. And whether it is legal or not, it is the worst possible idea, because with all of the fees and surcharges and taxes, my wife's $17 salad was $33! I have never seen such a cheap and sleazy way for a hotel to try to stuff more money into its pockets. Raise your rates if you are really that desperate for money, but don't grub money out of the gutter in this deceptive fashion. Very uncool.

4. The air conditioning unit was the worst of both worlds -- extremely loud, rumbling and rattling, and completely ineffective. It was obviously quite old. Sleeping with it going was like sleeping in a garage where someone idling an old Pontiac. I visited in March, so the outside temperature was not that warm -- I can't imagine what happens to these rooms in warmer weather.

5. The ambient air on the hotel floors is warm and stuffy -- clearly the rest of the hotel needs a ventilation upgrade as well.


My overall impression is that this place is run-down and needs to be renovated. I would not voluntarily stay again at this hotel.

This property is a Westin. It is nice, but it is a poor value.

The walls were very thin. VERY THIN!

I could hear the person in the room next to me throughout my stay.

The rooms are very small.

The price is North of $200 a night.

It is nice to have the mall right outside the door and I did take advantage of that.

However, it is easy to stay at one of the convention or Ball park hotels and get a better place for the $200 plus.

Enjoy.