- The Hard Rock Hotel San Diego (619.702.3000; www.hardrockhotelsd.com) is under construction and set to open later this fall in the Gaslamp Quarter. The property will be the city’s first branded condo-hotel, offering 420 luxury rooms and suites with amenities that include cantilevered “floating” furniture, martini bars, halo-illuminated beds, bathrooms with ceiling-mounted rain showers, and home theater entertainment centers with LCD televisions.
The hotel will also offer 40,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor function space, in addition to a variety of other unique facilities, including a hip lounge, a signature restaurant operated by Japanese chef Nobu Matsuhisa, a spa, a concert venue, and a rooftop pool deck with cabanas.
- The 23-story Diegan Hotel (619.702.6666; www.diegan.com) is slated to open in December next to the House of Blues. The 161-unit condo-hotel will feature accommodations appointed with marble, exotic woods and Italian furnishings. Amenities will include a 145-seat restaurant, lobby bar, full-service spa, 24-hour business center, 30-seat private screening room, professional recording studio, and pool deck with private cabanas. Function space will include a ballroom and eight meeting rooms.
- The 1,190-room Hilton San Diego Convention Center Hotel (800.HILTONS; www.hilton.com) is on track for a late 2008 opening on a site adjacent to the San Diego Convention Center and across from PETCO Park.
The $335 million property will have 165,000 square feet of meeting space, a 7,300-square-foot health club and spa, 3,000 square feet of retail space, and a 2,400-square-foot business center. The development will also include a 4.3-acre waterfront park featuring $2 million worth of public art.
- The Ivy Hotel (619.814.1000; www.ivyhotel.com) recently opened adjacent to the Gaslamp Quarter. The 159-room luxury boutique hotel features a rooftop pool deck and 10,000 square feet of meeting space. Other amenities include Envy, a four-level nightclub, and Quarter Kitchen, a street-level restaurant seating 180 guests.
- The Keating Hotel (619.814.5700; www.thekeating.com) opened at the end of last year in the Gaslamp Quarter in a restored 1890 building. The 35-room luxury boutique hotel offers accommodations with vaulted ceilings, espresso machines, high-definition televisions, and down bedding.
- The 270-room US Grant Hotel (619.232.3121; www.usgranthotel.net) emerged last fall from a two-year, $52 million renovation that was designed to highlight its 1910 origins while applying sophisticated upgrades. Work on the hotel, part of Starwood’s Luxury Collection, included the restoration of the property’s original grand entrance and the addition of wrought iron light fixtures and a roof garden. The property’s 35,000 square feet of meeting space received technological upgrades.
- Following a $16 million renovation, the former Pickwick Hotel reopened as the Sofia Hotel (619.234.9200; www.thesofiahotel.com) in January. Built in 1926, the 212-room hotel retains its Gothic architecture and offers amenities such as a business center with conference space for up to 88 people and a 24-hour fitness center with an on-call personal trainer and yoga studio.
The property’s guest rooms feature high-speed Internet access, flat-screen TVs and refreshment centers with coffeemakers and refrigerators.
- The former Wyndham San Diego was reflagged the Westin San Diego Emerald Plaza (619.239.4500; www.westin.com). The property recently completed a $10 million renovation of all 436 guest rooms and 22,000 square feet of meeting space.
- The Holiday Inn on the Bay (619.232.3861; www.holiday-inn.com) recently finished a $6 million renovation of its guest rooms and meeting facilities, including the addition of new soft goods in the guest rooms. The hotel also added a prefunction area to the Pacific Ballroom and unveiled a new boardroom outfitted with ergonomic chairs.
Mission Bay
- Formerly known as the Hyatt Regency Islandia, the Hyatt Regency Mission Bay Spa and Marina (619.224.1234; www.hyatt.com) plans to wrap up a $60 million renovation this month. The property features 430 newly appointed guest rooms, a new pool deck with three pools and multiple waterslides, a new waterfront restaurant, and a new health club.
- The Inn at Mission Bay (858.483.4222; www.inatmissionbay.com) recently completed a renovation of all of its guest rooms, which included new bedding and high-speed Internet access.
Mission Valley/Old Town
- Town and Country Resort and Convention Center (619.291.7131; www.towncountry.com) unveiled the 41,000-square-foot Grand Exhibit Hall and completed a renovation of its 1,000 guest rooms and suites in February. The new exhibit hall brings the property’s total square footage of meeting space to 230,000.
- Following a $7 million renovation, the former Red Lion Hanalei became the Crowne Plaza San Diego (619.297.1101; www.crowneplaza.com) in May. The renovation of the 416-room hotel included the conversion of the 4,000-square-foot Peacock Restaurant into meeting space. The hotel is planning to open a new 8,000-square-foot ballroom next year.
Coronado
- The Hotel del Coronado (619.435.6611; www.hoteldel.com) recently completed an expansion that included the Beach Village, encompassing 78 beachfront suites offering two to three bedrooms along with living rooms and gourmet kitchens. The units also feature fireplaces, spa tubs, flat-screen TVs, and balconies, some of which have private hot tubs.
The addition of the Beach Village guest units follows the opening of the hotel’s new spa, which includes 21 treatment rooms and a private terrace with an infinity-edge swimming pool.
- Located next to the Hotel del Coronado, Miguelito’s Sala de Artes y Comer (619.437.8578; www.brigantine.com) is a new complex devoted to the arts and cuisine of Mexico. The space includes a gallery, gift boutique and private dining room accommodating up to 50 people.
- Loews Coronado Bay Resort and Spa (619.424.4000; www.loewshotels.com) recently finished a $7 million renovation of its 440 guest rooms, suites and bayside villas.
La Jolla
- A $3.5 million historic restoration project of the eight-suite Little Hotel by the Sea and the 10-suite Garden Terraces, both adjacent to The Grande Colonial (858.454.2181; www.thegrandecolonial.com) in La Jolla, was completed last year. The two properties still maintain their individual names, but became part of The Grande Colonial hotel.
- The former Radisson Hotel La Jolla was reflagged the Sheraton La Jolla (858.453.5500; www.sheraton/lajolla.com) earlier this year. The 252-room property underwent a $5.5 million renovation that included the remodeling of the guest rooms, public areas and meeting space.
- The Lodge at Torrey Pines (858.453.4420; www.lodgetorreypines.com) recently made additions to its menu of spa treatments.
Chula Vista
- Pending local approvals, Gaylord Entertainment (615.316.6000; www.gaylordentertainment.com) plans to break ground next year on a 1,500- to 2,000-room waterfront hotel with up to 500,000 square feet of meeting space. Gaylord recently partnered with the San Diego Convention Center Corp. on a bid to host the annual PCMA convention in San Diego in 2010.
North San Diego County
- The Grand Del Mar Resort (619.858.7600; www.thegranddelmar.com) is slated to debut this fall in Del Mar. The luxury property will offer 261 guest rooms, a full-service spa and a Tom Fazio-designed golf course. The resort will also feature a Mediterranean architectural style and 20,000 square feet of meeting space, including a 10,000-square-foot ballroom.
- Scheduled to open in October adjacent to Legoland California in Carlsbad, the Sheraton Carlsbad (760.827.2440; www.grandpacificresorts.com) will offer 250 guest rooms, 13 suites, 25,000 square feet of meeting space, tennis courts, an Olympic-size swimming pool, and a restaurant with an ocean view. The property will be located across from an 18-hole championship golf course that is also scheduled to open this fall.
- La Costa Resort and Spa (760.438.9111; www.lacosta.com) in Carlsbad converted its theater to an Executive Learning Center earlier this year. Accommodating up to 84 people, the center was designed to meet criteria set by the IACC and offers tiered seating with chair-side voting capability and other high-tech features. Also new at La Costa is Splash Landing, a complex offering three swimming pools, waterslides and a poolside bar and cafe.
- The Rancho Bernardo Inn (858.675.8500; www.ranchobernardoinn.com) in Rancho Bernardo recently completed a $25 million renovation that included the addition of a 27,000-square-foot conference center with a 15,000-square-foot ballroom capable of handling trade shows and large-scale productions.
The renovation also included the addition of a swimming pool and cabanas and the refurbishment of all 287 guest rooms as well as the spa.
- Maderas Golf Club (858.451.8100; www.maderasgolf.com) in Poway recently unveiled its new Del Lago Garden and adjacent 3,790-square-foot Del Lago Ballroom. The ballroom can accommodate up to 310 guests, while the garden and outdoor terraces can accommodate up to 200 people.