Andaz San Diego Assessment: Rooms, Rooftop, Privé Advantages

Andaz San Diego, a Idea by Hyatt, is a way of life boutique resort on the northern fringe of the Gaslamp Quarter, set within the historic 1913 Sefton Resort at 600 F Avenue. This Andaz San Diego evaluate relies on a latest in a single day in an Andaz Suite (upgraded from a Deluxe King) after our month-to-month journey advisor and provider assembly on the property.

I guide Andaz for shoppers and readers via Hyatt Privé, the model’s preferred-advisor program, which you’ll be able to entry via me. I’m additionally a Globalist, so I’ll stroll you thru how the 2 applications stack up, together with every part else value realizing, earlier than you guide.

The 1913 Sefton Resort Constructing

You’re staying in actual San Diego historical past right here, which feels genuinely surprising. The Andaz model reads trendy lifestyle-boutique, so strolling right into a 1913 constructing catches you off guard. The mishmash of historic bones and modern boutique design works. San Diego architect William Hebbard designed the constructing for banker Joseph W. Sefton, Jr., and it opened two years earlier than the 1915 Panama-California Exposition. It grew to become the Maryland Resort in 1916, ran beneath a handful of names after that, and reopened as Andaz in 2010.

The property right this moment has 159 rooms throughout six flooring, a 4,500-square-foot rooftop that Hyatt payments as the most important within the Gaslamp Quarter, and STK Steakhouse adjoining to the foyer.

Test-in and the Foyer

Valet is the one on-site parking, pulled in entrance of the F Avenue entrance. The arrival strip is brief, so throughout a convention or recreation night time you could must circle the block as soon as. A handful of paid tons are scattered close by if you wish to try self-parking.

The entrance desk crew is genuinely heat. I used to be thanked for my Globalist standing (the highest tier of World of Hyatt) and handed an data card outlining the property’s facilities, together with a small Path-brand refillable water bottle that was each complimentary and mine to maintain.

A guest-use station close to the giraffes has a water dispenser, microwave, and plastic cups. Simply previous the foyer on the left, a small market shares snacks, chilly drinks, and native beer.

The data card mentions a complimentary beer and wine tasting within the foyer from 5 to eight p.m. nightly. I regarded and didn’t see it arrange, so you could must ask the entrance desk to level you to it. The foyer espresso station goes out within the morning with particular person creamers and oranges for grab-and-go. I took a morning stroll via East Village and grabbed some for the highway. The espresso was good.

My Andaz Suite, Room 639

I’m scripting this from Suite 639 on the sixth flooring, with two layers of glass between me and seventh Avenue. The view onto seventh Avenue and some neighboring rooftops isn’t the spotlight, and that’s tremendous, as a result of the double-pane home windows and the angle of this aspect of the constructing saved the suite genuinely quiet for a downtown property.

If you need a view out of your room, ask a few higher-floor exterior-facing possibility over busier F Avenue at reserving. The very best vantage factors at this resort are from the rooftop although, and any visitor can take them in.

My suite was comfy however does present some age across the wooden finishes, and the furnishings reads extra lived-in than new. The present configuration opened in 2010 and was final refreshed in 2017.

I do know what comparable downtown lodging value, and the worth is sweet for what you’re paying, particularly as a Hyatt Privé visitor.

Different rooms differ, although. Rooms nearer to the rooftop catch noise on occasion nights, and decrease flooring nearer to the road choose up extra ambient downtown sound. If quiet issues to you, flag it in your reservation (or inform me) properly upfront so the crew can place you accordingly.

This suite has an open format. There’s no full wall between the residing space and the bed room, and you may stroll an entire circle across the desk. A barn-style sliding door closes off the toilet from the bed room. The residing space has a snug couch with a pull-out, barely IKEA in really feel.

Two flat-screen televisions, one in the lounge and one within the bed room. The desk is beneficiant. Keurig-style espresso maker, robes, a steamer, an iron, and an ironing board are normal. The closet has shelving and drawers.

Within the bed room, an indented alcove suits an open carry-on neatly. I’m choosy about beds and bedding and I slept very well on this one. A noise machine sits on the nightstand, which feels just like the property quietly acknowledging that downtown noise is a part of the deal (it’s).

Lather facilities come full-size within the bathe with a small bottle of lotion on the sink. No cotton swabs or the opposite small luxury-hotel extras you is perhaps used to, although the hair dryer was fairly efficient.

The bathe is handheld solely, with good stress however no rainhead. An arm cutout within the wall permits you to flip the water on with out soaking your sleeve, which is a pleasant contact.

Which Room or Suite to Guide

Andaz San Diego has rooms from a 315-square-foot Queen as much as the 1,275-square-foot Star Suite. Views break up between interior-facing (trying right into a plain inside mild properly, quieter, much less pure mild) and exterior-facing (avenue views, extra downtown avenue noise).

How World of Hyatt standing impacts your room:

• Globalists. Suite improve as much as the Andaz Suite at check-in, usually confirmed within the Hyatt app the morning of arrival.
• Explorist and Discoverist. Can request an improve at check-in, nevertheless it normally gained’t embrace suites.
• No Hyatt standing, no advisor. You get the room class you guide.
• Anybody reserving via Hyatt Privé (standing or no standing). Can have the suite improve locked in on the time of reserving. See the Globalist and Privé part under.

Andaz Queen and Andaz King. Entry-level choices, smaller in footprint, and the suitable alternative if you’d like a downtown Gaslamp keep on the lowest fee. Normal award redemptions normally land right here.

Andaz Deluxe King. That is the room with the glass-walled bathe between the bed room and toilet. There’s a curtain you possibly can pull from the bed room aspect, much like sure Pendry rooms. Most {couples} discover the format tremendous as soon as they know concerning the curtain. If you happen to’re reserving via Hyatt Privé, that is the room class that issues most.

Andaz Suite. That is the room I stayed in, with a separate residing space, a king bed room, and a barn door for the toilet. It’s additionally the everyday vacation spot for Globalist suite upgrades (at check-in) and Privé Deluxe King upgrades (locked in at reserving), each topic to availability.

Bigger suites. The Andaz Additional Giant Loft (680 sq. ft) has a separate lounge and a eating desk for 4. The Cabana Suite (750 sq. ft) has a non-public spiral staircase to a poolside cabana on the rooftop. The Candy Suite (800 sq. ft) is a top-floor possibility with a sectional couch, a eating desk for eight, and two loos.

The Star Suite. The property’s signature room at 1,275 sq. ft on the highest flooring, with king bunk beds in a second bed room. Bachelorette events, milestone birthdays, and group journeys guide this one. There’s nothing else prefer it in San Diego.

Connecting and adjoining rooms. Roughly 44 of the 159 rooms supply connecting or adjoining choices for households and teams.

The Rooftop, Pool, and Z Bar

The rooftop is the principle draw at this resort. At 4,500 sq. ft, it’s the most important rooftop within the Gaslamp Quarter in line with Hyatt, and it’s what units Andaz aside from different downtown choices. The bar and restaurant are open to walk-ins. The pool is for resort visitors solely.

While you step off the rooftop elevator, the format splits in two. Instantly forward is a lounge with a big hearth pit (ANDAZ SAN DIEGO branded throughout the middle) and loads of seating, excellent at comfortable hour. To the left, is the pool deck with a heated rectangular pool lined with lounge chairs and a number of other outsized, television-equipped personal cabanas for lease. Z Bar serves the pool and lounge space. On the opposite aspect, The Rooftop by STK serves meals and doubles because the rooftop’s breakfast venue for resort visitors, with a completely retractable roof that is useful on cooler mornings.

The pool is small however larger than on-line images recommend. It’s measurement for a rooftop pool, not a vacation spot pool, and probably not a lap pool. Quick laps work. The cabanas really feel extra like rooftop residing rooms than pool cabanas. Lounge chairs refill on weekends.

Views from the rooftop are the panoramic ones the rooms don’t ship: a slice of Petco Park, the conference heart, and a layer of downtown skyline. No bay views from up right here, however the metropolis stretch is satisfying sufficient that I’d suggest going up even when you’re not planning to make use of the pool. Wind picks up at sure occasions of day, which will get apparent quick when you’re attempting to maintain a hat on or a menu nonetheless.

The health heart is on the rooftop stage. I didn’t use it however noticed the setup: normal cardio plus weights, sufficient to maintain a routine going.

The rooftop runs a seasonal occasions calendar that features DJs and ticketed events open to the general public on sure weekend nights. If you happen to’re a light-weight sleeper or planning a quiet keep, ask the entrance desk what’s on the calendar in your dates earlier than requesting a high-floor room.

Eating: STK and The Rooftop by STK

There are two STK eating places on the property, and the excellence issues as a result of their menus and venues differ. STK Steakhouse is the dinner restaurant on the foyer stage. The Rooftop by STK is the rooftop venue. The Rooftop by STK handles breakfast for resort visitors within the morning and a lighter rooftop menu via the day and night.

I had breakfast at The Rooftop by STK, in basically the identical house the place our advisor assembly had been the day earlier than. Midweek and never significantly busy, the house felt personal. I ordered the Andaz breakfast and requested to swap the potatoes for fruit which was no downside.

The eggs had been cooked properly, which is at all times a helpful inform at a resort. The avocado toast regarded nice when it landed at a close-by desk. The Cafe Moto espresso was the standout. Breakfast got here to about $44, typical resort pricing and affordable for the parts that arrived.

For dinner, I went to STK. Pleased hour was a nice shock: $3 oysters and a menu of small plates within the $8 to $9 vary. I additionally ordered the STK and fries (slices of high-quality filet over good French fries with a hollandaise drizzle) and the tuna tacos (tuna tartare on a skinny, crisp shell).

The group was a mixture of locals after work, enterprise vacationers, and vacationers, with martinis on a significant share of tables. STK has been at this property lengthy sufficient to be a reliable Gaslamp eating possibility, resort visitor or not.

In-room eating is ordered via a QR code within the room.

What Globalists and Privé Friends Get

For World of Hyatt Globalists, Andaz San Diego is best worth than the bigger downtown Hyatts. The property is a Class 5 in World of Hyatt, with normal award nights working 17,000 to 23,000 factors relying on demand. The data card I obtained at check-in laid out the Globalist advantages at this property:

• Complimentary breakfast for as much as two adults and two kids per registered visitor, protecting one entrée, one juice, and one espresso per individual. Overages cost to the room. Breakfast is served at The Rooftop by STK and could be eaten there or ordered to the room.
• Waived vacation spot charge.
• Complimentary parking on factors or free-night certificates.
• 4 p.m. departure at resort discretion.
• Complimentary Andaz Suite improve primarily based on availability at check-in, from any normal room class (Queen, King, or Deluxe King).

Breakfast is the standout profit. At about $44 per individual on my receipt, two registered visitors throughout two nights are taking a look at roughly $176 of included meals and beverage worth. That units Andaz aside from the bigger conference-style Hyatts downtown, the place Globalist breakfast is usually a buffet fairly than à la carte at a property restaurant.

The suite improve is the wild card. Typically accessible at check-in, generally not. That’s the place Hyatt Privé is available in.

Privé is Hyatt’s preferred-advisor program, and anybody can guide via a Privé advisor (together with me). You don’t should be a Hyatt loyalty member to entry it. The advantages stack with World of Hyatt standing, so a Globalist who books via Privé will get each units of advantages. At Andaz San Diego, Privé provides a $100 property credit score utilized to your resort invoice and a confirmed Andaz Suite improve on the time of reserving once you guide the Deluxe King class. The suite improve confirms when your reservation does, not at check-in.

If suite certainty issues, guide Privé Deluxe King to lock the improve and the $100 credit score. If you happen to’re tremendous with Globalist availability taking part in out, guide straight or on factors.

Andaz vs. Pendry San Diego

The most typical comparability I get for downtown San Diego is Andaz vs. Pendry San Diego, and actually, it’s apples to oranges. I like each for various causes.

They share the Gaslamp Quarter location and the boutique resort class. The overlap just about ends there. Pendry is the posh possibility within the neighborhood, with a full spa, extra refined service, and better charges. Andaz is the lifestyle-boutique possibility constructed across the rooftop pool and STK Steakhouse, with charges which are noticeably decrease.

We guide each properties for shoppers frequently. Andaz tends to draw {couples} and teams of their 20s and 30s, with a wider midweek combine that features households, airline crew, and enterprise vacationers. Pendry attracts solo vacationers, {couples}, and the occasional household who particularly need a luxurious Gaslamp keep.

Location and Walkability

Andaz San Diego sits on the northern fringe of the Gaslamp Quarter, at 600 F Avenue, placing most of downtown inside a simple stroll. The conference heart is roughly 10 to fifteen minutes straight down sixth Avenue. Petco Park is nearer, just some blocks away. The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park is walkable for anybody prepared to clock an extended stretch.

The fast neighborhood is traditional mixed-use Gaslamp: high-end eating places and boutique resorts alongside pawn retailers, smoke retailers, tattoo parlors, and the touristy stretches the world has at all times been identified for. Coin-Op, a 21+ arcade bar with old-school video games, sits throughout the road from Andaz and is value a cease. The Gaslamp’s Victorian structure is denser than folks anticipate for downtown San Diego, which in any other case seems like a comparatively new metropolis.

You’ll see homeless folks within the space. That’s true of most American downtown cores, and it’s true right here. Strolling fifth and sixth Streets between Andaz and Petco Park or the conference heart is ok. I by no means felt unsafe throughout my keep. The vitality isn’t completely different from strolling via Soho in New York. Vacationers aware of main American downtowns will know what to anticipate. These much less acquainted could wish to give it some thought earlier than selecting a downtown keep over La Jolla or Coronado.

East Village Strolling Information

Stroll east from Andaz and the character shifts inside just a few blocks. Take sixth Avenue to Market and switch left to route via the cleaner stretches and keep away from the fast block to the left of the resort the place the homeless inhabitants generally concentrates. East Village leans residential, with high-rise residences, juice bars, natural markets, and eating places that serve the individuals who stay there.

Value strolling to: Fault Line Park, which has each a playground (nice when you’re with children) and the spheres that measure fault-line shifts; the Central Library; Asa Bakery, my favourite Japanese bakery in San Diego; and the cluster of breweries, together with Quartyard, East Village Tavern, and Bowl.

For extra on this neighborhood, see my information to issues to do in East Village San Diego.

Is Andaz San Diego Household-Pleasant?

Andaz isn’t positioned as a household resort, however households do keep right here, particularly midweek. The Star Suite with king bunk beds can be enjoyable for teenagers and adults sharing, and the connecting rooms work for teams touring collectively.

That stated, there’s no children’ membership, no kids’s pool, and no programming geared toward households. The rooftop pool is shallow all through (workable for teenagers who can stand), and lounge chairs fill on weekends. If you happen to’re planning a real household journey in San Diego, Park Hyatt Aviara up the coast or the bigger Manchester Grand Hyatt downtown each match higher.

Earlier than You Guide

Just a few sensible issues to know:

• The resort is cashless. The entrance desk doesn’t hold money available, so you possibly can’t break a $20 there for tipping. Convey tipping money for housekeeping and valet earlier than you arrive.
• Test-out at 11 a.m. is sooner than the midday default at many Hyatts. Globalists can request a 4 p.m. departure on the resort’s discretion (mine was granted).
• No spa on web site, however Pendry’s spa is walkable, and a number of other smaller day spas function inside just a few blocks.
• No turn-down service.
• Andaz is pet-friendly. See the resort web site for present charges and insurance policies.
• There’s no QR code for tipping housekeeping or valet. Convey actual money, because the entrance desk additionally doesn’t have change.

Who Andaz San Diego Is For

Downtown San Diego has a resort for each sort of traveler, and Andaz fills two particular spots. The primary is World of Hyatt loyalists who wish to stroll to Petco Park, the conference heart, or the Rady Shell with out paying Pendry charges.

The second is nightlife seekers — the rooftop runs DJ occasions and ticketed events on sure weekend nights, and the Gaslamp’s bars and eating places are proper exterior the door. If both is your journey, you’re going to love it right here.

The Globalist breakfast at The Rooftop by STK is genuinely good, the rooftop pool delivers, and the advantages stack when you additionally guide via Hyatt Privé (most Globalists I work with do, to lock the Andaz Suite at reserving and the $100 credit score).

Simply know what you’re getting. It’s an city property, comfy and well-maintained, with a genuinely pleasant workers, an important location, and a value that displays what’s on supply. I had an important keep and suggest it to these I do know it’ll match.

For extra downtown San Diego resorts value evaluating, see my finest downtown San Diego resorts roundup.