San Diego & Orange County Hotels

The new swish Hard Rock Hotel in San Diego’s Gaslamp district is open to guests as of November 1 and they’re taking reservations now. Getting the Black Eyed Peas’ Suite with a private balcony that overlooks Woodstock Terrace, the pool and Rande Gerber’s Sweetwater Lounge is sure to impress clients if you’re in town for a convention. But don’t worry the basic studio room is enough to get the bragging rights of saying you’ve stayed there.
-Jen Leo, L.A. Times Travel Deal Blogger (Oct. 1, 2007)

It's been billed as a parable of successful urban revitalization, a testament to the strength of branding and a pretty groovy place to crash.

The Hard Rock Hotel San Diego is all those things, to a point. It's a modern hotel steps from Petco Park and the San Diego Convention Center that has translated an overplayed concept into an appealing, kinda hip spot.

But like a DJ sampling favorite tracks, the Hard Rock hasn't really written an original song; it's more like a hot playlist of hotel hits. Lay down a beat of dark, architectural furniture, add mood lighting, young staffers in black, a rooftop pool, then blast to a hopping bar scene.
-Valli Herman, L.A. Times Staff Writer (Mar. 25, 2008)

Follow the link to see our hotel critic Valli Herman's full Hard Rock Hotel San Diego review.

- Frommer's