Holiday-Inn National City, San Diego
(no longer a Holiday Inn)
After being 24 hours in planes, we decided to take a hotel in San Diego for our first night, which should be located near the airport and should be affordable. Since San Diego is not really a cheap place to stay, especially as a convention was in town and therefore room rates were high.
The Holiday Inn National City is a not in downtown San Diego and therefore sometimes not that expensive and cheaper rates are available for a longer time than in my favorite San Diego Holiday Inn (the Holiday Inn Bayside).
So we decided to book a room at this hotel, though reviews were not that good about this property.
The hotel is sixth miles south of the airport and offers a complimentary shuttle to San Diego Lindberg Field and the area around the hotel for free. If you drive by car you reach the hotel from the rental car area at SAN in around 15 minutes.
The hotel has nine floors and 180 rooms (73 single bedded and 107 double bedded rooms) of which are 129 smoking free. Behind the hotel is a parking garage with direct access to the hotel.
If you enter the hotel through the main entrance, you are right in front of check-In. The restaurant is right hand side. Two elevators are on the opposite side to reach room and garage levels.
You reach the rooms on exterior corridors. This means everybody could look into you room who is passing it (but there are curtains to close).
An outdoor pool and a gym are available. We did not check-it out, though at least the gym was open 24 hours.
The hotel offers free Wi-Fi throughout the whole hotel.
Parking is free and a stop of the San Diego Trolley is only two blocks away.
3 Meeting rooms were available.
Stay: 21 May 2007
visited on Pazifikhopping 2007
Arrival Date: 21 May 2007
Departure Date: 22 May 2007
Room type booked: Standard
Rate Plan: 21 Day Advance Booking
Room Number: 801
Room Rate: 84.96 USD (excl. taxes)
Status of Guest Program: Platinum
We arrived at the hotel around midnight and entered the hotel through the parking garage as construction work was done in front of the hotel and one could not use the main entrance if one arrives by car. I had booked an Advanced Purchase Rate for two persons. I have looked later the rates have increased and the hotel was fully booked.
Check-In was fast, as we were the only guests at this time. Everything was prepared and service was very friendly. We got a small pack with some candies as Platinum amenity which I have not expected. We were also told to get a room on the ocean side, which does not mean ocean view but view on the Navy Base near the hotel. Unfortunately this means also view of the Interstate I-5 and therefore especially in the morning some noise from the street.
The room was a typical Holiday Inn room. You enter the room and step right into the floor, no separate entrance area. Right at the entrance door in front of the window were a sitting table with two chairs. The room had two King Size beds with a bedside table and reading lamps between the two beds. Opposite the beds is the television.
The bed was from my point too soft, so I did not sleep well although I was really tired.
The furniture was okay, some scratches and some stains on the carpet and wall, but nothing unusual for a hotel room.
The separate Bathroom with toilet and tube was on the inner wall of the room with the sunk being located in the room like in many US-American hotel rooms.
Coffee facilities were placed beside the sunk and the hairdryer was one of the cheap products.
Check-Out was okay and service again very friendly.
The hotel is not my first choice for San Diego but depending on the rates I might stay there again. If you are on a budget or have a car, this hotel might be worth consideration, since the San Diego trolley stop is near the hotel and therefore access to downtown San Diego is quite easy.
