Review: The Guild Hotel in San Diego
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I was looking for a destination with a direct flight from Montreal to spend the Victoria Day long weekend and use my Air Canada buddy pass. The Guild San Diego is a Marriott Bonvoy Tribute Portfolio hotel. An emblematic historic building of the armed services, it harmoniously combines historic charm and modernity.
The Guild Hotel – Booking
For this reservation, we booked a Cozy King room which we paid for in cash. The cost in points is 45,000 points per night, compared with 247 USD.
Please note that this hotel charges a resort fee of 35 USD per night.
These fees include :
- A $35 daily food and beverage credit. However, the credit is not cumulative, and if you don’t use it every day of your stay, it will be lost.
- Free admission to the San Diego Museum of Art for each person staying in the same room upon presentation of the room card.
- Coffee and tea available daily from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. in the lobby
- Access to hundreds of online magazines and newspapers via pressreader.com
- Rental bikes – On a first-come, first-served basis
- Access to the gym
- 2 bottles of water
Resort fees are often not really taken advantage of, and can be seen as a forced way of increasing the price of a night’s stay. I have to say that for this hotel, we didn’t feel that way, given that the amount of the credit corresponds to about 2 cocktails at the hotel bar (16 USD to 18 USD depending on the cocktails). So we took the opportunity to try different cocktails every evening after a good day’s sightseeing. We also visited the San Diego Museum of Art, located in the heart of Balboa Park (value: 20 USD per entry).
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- Our valuationMilesopedia first-year estimate First-year valueWelcome bonus$600Total$600$100 deferred bonus, excluded from the first-year estimate and not counted in this total.Rewards on your spending are not included. The calculator that adds them from your own profile is on the card's page.
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The Guild Hotel – At a glance
Here is some information about the hotel:
| Date of opening (or renovation) | 2019 | Number of rooms | 162 |
| Restaurants | Yes | USB sockets in the room | Yes |
| Accepts animals | Yes (USD 75 per stay) | Smart TV | Yes |
| Mobile card | No | Shower/Bath | Shower |
| Balcony | No | Accessible for people with reduced mobility | Common areas, some rooms |
| Parking | 35 USD/day | Lounge | No |
| Gym | Yes, 24/7 | Breakfast included | No |
| Pools and Spas | No | Room with kitchenette | No |
The Guild Hotel – Location
The hotel is located at 500 W Broadway, close to the Marina where you’ll find many tourist attractions such as the famous aircraft carrier USS Midway, as well as the pier for crossing the bay to Coronado Island. The Gaslamp restaurant district and Little Italy are just a 5-minute walk away.
You can easily reach the hotel from the airport in just 15 minutes by bus (line 992 – Broadway & Kettner Blvd stop) for USD 2.5. At the foot of the hotel, you can also take the streetcar to visit Old San Diego.
The Guild Hotel – Checking in
Reception is directly on the left as you enter the hotel. It’s not very big, but there are 2 desks available. It can sometimes get crowded at departure time (11 a.m.).
Teh process was quick, as we had already checked in in the app. We were given our coupons for the free breakfast we chose as a welcome gift thanks to our Titanium status.
If you’re like me and appreciate it when room service does your room every day, it’s important to make this clear when you check in. The hotel didn’t mention it, but we’d encountered this problem at the JW Marriott New Orleans a few months earlier, as we specified this time (unfortunately, the note was not added to our booking and we had the unpleasant surprise when we arrived in our room on the first day).
The Guild Hotel – Room
When we booked, we reserved a Cozy room with a double bed and were upgraded to a Corner Suite overlooking the bay.
The decor is contemporary and minimalist.
The suite is not very large but comfortable. There’s a small office overlooking the street and the pier.
The difference between suites and standard rooms is mainly the addition of a lounge area.
The bathroom has a sliding door for added privacy. We liked the Le Labo Santal 33 toiletries.
Please note that all rooms have showers only.
The Guild Hotel – Breakfast
Breakfast is served in the hotel bar/restaurant from 6:30am to 10:30am. You must place your order directly at the bar and pay, or put it on your room (a good way to use your food and beverage credit). A waiter will then bring your breakfast to the table.
The menu offers a wide variety of dishes, pastries, smoothies and açai bowls.
It’s advisable to arrive before 10 a.m., as unfortunately on our last day several options were missing from the menu.
The Guild Hotel – Other services
The Guild Hotel – Restaurant
The restaurant is open for lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and from 4:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. for dinner.
We were able to dine there when we arrived. The food was good but the menu was rather limited. Instead, I recommend dining in Little Italy.
The Guild Hotel – Gym
The fitness room is located in the basement. It is very well equipped with relatively new Life Fitness equipment. It’s open 24/7.
The Guild Hotel – My overall impression
We had a good stay at this hotel, which is close to San Diego ‘s various points of interest and to public transport for sightseeing. Its location is a real bonus.
The Guild, San Diego, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel offers a very nice recognition for elite members of the Marriott Bonvoy program by offering a generous breakfast. We’ll definitely be back next time we’re in San Diego.
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