Alma San Diego Downtown sits at 1047 Fifth Avenue with 211 rooms under Marriott's Tribute Portfolio. The building opened in December 2008 as Sè San Diego, went through bankruptcy in 2010, reopened in 2011 as Kimpton's Hotel Palomar, was renamed Kimpton Alma, and now carries a Marriott sign. Four names in eighteen years.
Two things to know first. One, the shower has no door, which is invisible in all fifty-eight official photographs and shows up only in a picture one advisor uploaded herself. Two, the rooftop restaurant Leave of Absence runs half the year, closes three days a week, and shuts at six in the evening. This guide moves one place per page and takes about thirty-five minutes.
The last page has a checklist of twelve things you can tick off. Five of them are two minutes' walk inside the building and four cost nothing at all. Take them slowly.
中文版：Alma San Diego 攻略，一頁一個地方 →
01 · THE BASICS
A building that changed its name four times
Start with the location. 1047 Fifth Avenue is at Fifth and C. Three blocks south puts you in the core of the Gaslamp Quarter; fifteen minutes north gets you to Little Italy. The US Grant, which this site has covered, sits at the north end of the same Fifth Avenue, and Palihotel sits inside the Gaslamp itself. This is the densest stretch of downtown San Diego.
| Positioning | Marriott Tribute Portfolio. Rated four stars in the Fora system. Listed on Fora Reserve, Marriott LUMINOUS and Tablet |
|---|---|
| Size | 211 rooms and suites (Marriott, Costco Travel, Expedia and Cvent all agree) |
| Floors | Sources disagree. Costco Travel says 16 floors; the structural engineer and the architect both describe a 23 story building. The likely explanation is that the hotel occupies part of a taller tower with residential units above. See page 12 |
| Dates | Built 2008, renovated 2022. Opened December 2008 as Sè San Diego |
| Four signs | Sè San Diego (2008) → Hotel Palomar San Diego, a Kimpton Hotel (2011) → Kimpton Alma San Diego (IHG) → Alma San Diego Downtown, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel (Marriott) |
| Operator | Concord Hospitality |
| Address | 1047 Fifth Avenue, San Diego, California 92101, United States |
| Phone | +1 619-515-3000 |
| Check in / out | Check in 16:00, same day arrivals accepted until midnight; check out 11:00 |
| Getting there | Fifth Avenue trolley station is on C Street right beside the hotel, served by the Blue, Orange and Silver lines. 3.2 miles from the airport, about seven blocks or ten minutes on foot to the convention center |
| Parking | Valet only. There is no self parking on site. Prices disagree: Marriott and Cvent list $70.00 per day, while Costco Travel and travel media list $60.00 plus tax. See page 7 |
| Fixed charge beyond the rate | There is a destination fee covering a food and beverage credit, bicycle rental and enhanced Wi-Fi. No public source states the amount. This site derives $35.00 per night from the taxed totals. See page 7 |
| Pets | Up to two, 50 lb each, $75.00 per stay, non refundable. Pets cannot be left unattended |
| Extra bed | Rollaway $20.00 per night |
| Know before you book | The shower has no door (page 4); the rooftop restaurant runs half the year and closes three days a week (page 5) |
Four signs in eighteen years shows up in every corner of a stay here. The bones of the room are 2008 luxury condominium specification, the amenities and uniforms are 2026 Marriott, and a good half of the Kimpton design language from the middle years is still in place. This building never grew old. It was simply renamed four times.
HOW TO PLAN IT
- Read page 4The shower has no door, which matters if two people who are not a couple share the room.
- Then page 5The rooftop runs half the year and closes after early October.
- DrivingValet only, with no self parking on site.
- No carThe trolley station is on the street beside the hotel.
02 · PUBLIC SPACES
There is a bar downstairs, but it is shut for four hours at midday
The public space in this building sits at two ends. The Café & Lobby Bar is at ground level and the pool and Leave of Absence are on the roof. The dozen or so floors between them hold corridors and nothing else. That layout decides how many elevator trips your day contains.
| The Café & Lobby Bar | Ground floor. American cooking with a Mexican accent. Sunday to Thursday 07:00 to 12:00 and 16:00 to 22:00; Friday and Saturday 07:00 to 12:00 and 16:00 to 23:00. Smart casual |
|---|---|
| The midday gap | No food service between 12:00 and 16:00, seven days a week. For those four hours nothing hot is served anywhere in the building |
| In room dining | Exactly the same hours as The Café, including the same four hour midday stop |
| Rooftop | Outdoor pool, poolside bar and rooftop terrace. Leave of Absence is covered on page 5 |
| Fitness | Open 24 hours. See page 8 |
| Bicycles | Free to borrow. This is one of the items inside the destination fee |
| Art | The official amenity sheet lists a showcase space for local artists |
| Design | Mexican heritage theme, dark hardwood floors, Art Deco furniture. Alma is Spanish for soul |
| Sustainability | At least 80 percent LED lighting, eco friendly toiletries, a food waste policy and locally owned tour options |
| Meetings and events | 20,000 sq ft across 14 meeting rooms. The Octavio Ballroom is the largest at 3,060 sq ft, the Atrium is 1,824 sq ft and there is 7,000 sq ft outdoors |
HUMAN FACTORS REVIEWThe four hours from noon to four are the part of this building that needs planning. Most downtown hotels keep the lobby bar running so you can come down for a sandwich whenever you like. This one removes lunch entirely. The practical result is simple: lunch inside this building is not available, so you will be walking out for it. The good news is that walking out is easy, since the Gaslamp restaurants fill everything from Fourth to Sixth Avenue and there are dozens of options within five minutes. The bad news is that a full day of meetings, or a small child who cannot easily be taken out, means buying food in advance. The rooftop will not rescue you either, because it is closed three days a week.
TIMES THAT MATTER
- 07:00The Café opens and breakfast service starts.
- 12:00The kitchen closes and in room dining stops with it.
- 12:00 to 16:00Nothing hot is served in the building, so eat outside.
- 16:00Doors reopen, with dinner and the bar running to ten, or eleven on weekends.
- Any timeBicycles are free to borrow, and you have already been charged for them inside the destination fee.
03 · ROOMS
Which Alma room should you book? Skip the smallest one
This is the page worth the most of your time. The entry room is 250 sq ft, and moving up two categories to 400 sq ft costs only twenty six dollars more. The building was designed in 2008 to condominium specification, so the middle categories are generously sized while the price gaps between them stay narrow.
| 1 Queen | 250 sq ft, one queen bed, sleeps 2. The entry category |
|---|---|
| 1 King | One king bed, sleeps 2. No published square footage |
| 2 Double, Large | 400 sq ft, two full beds, sleeps 4. An accessible version exists at the same price |
| 1 Premium King | 320 to 410 sq ft, one king bed. An accessible version exists at the same price |
| 1 King, High Floor, City View, Balcony | 400 to 560 sq ft, one king bed, with a balcony |
| 1 King, High Floor, City View | 400 to 560 sq ft, one king bed, city view, no balcony |
| 1 King, High Floor | 400 sq ft, one king bed |
| 1 Bedroom Studio Suite, Balcony | 410 to 560 sq ft, one king bed, with a balcony |
| 1 Bedroom Suite (two rooms) | 455 to 735 sq ft, king bed plus sofa bed, sleeps 3. An accessible version exists at the same price |
| Bay View Suite | 600 sq ft, king bed plus sofa bed, balcony, bay view |
| Loft Suite (penthouse) | 1,140 to 1,240 sq ft, two levels with an internal staircase, king bed plus sofa bed, balcony. See page 12 |
| Beds and floors | Hardwood floors and Art Deco furniture. The mattress brand is not published |
| In room | Client reviews repeatedly single out the in room Nespresso machine. Rooms have a refrigerator, though one review reported a broken one |
What matters most in that table is how the square footage moves. Twenty six dollars separates 250 sq ft from 400 sq ft, while one hundred and twenty four dollars separates 400 sq ft from 1,240. The value sits firmly in the middle of the range.
Worth taking slowly
Balconies are rare in downtown hotels, and this building has three categories with one. The reason is written into its origins. What went up here in 2008 was residential stock built to be sold, and residential units need balconies in a way that hotel rooms do not. One client review put it plainly: the room was clean and comfortable, the staff were helpful, the only disappointment was the restaurant food, and the little balcony was the thing they loved. That produces a very specific piece of advice. If you are going to pay up for one feature here, pay up for the balcony. A downtown hotel that lets you stand outside your own room in the air and hear Fifth Avenue below is not something more money reliably buys in this neighborhood.
HOW TO PLAN IT
- The entry room250 sq ft gets tight with two people and luggage.
- Add $26That jumps you straight to a 400 sq ft double or a Premium King.
- Want a balconyAsk for one of the three categories with Balcony in the name and put it in the booking notes.
- Four people2 Double, Large is the only standard room that sleeps four.
- Accessible needsThe double, the Premium King and the one bedroom suite all have accessible versions at the same price.
04 · BATHROOM AND AMENITIES
This is the most important page in the guide
The conclusion first. The shower in this building has no door. There is a single fixed glass panel, and the side you walk through is open. None of the fifty-eight official photographs make this visible. It appears only in a picture one advisor took herself in April 2026.
| Shower | Walk in, with no door, only a fixed glass panel. Source: a published advisor review from April 2026 and the photograph she uploaded with it |
|---|---|
| Shower head | The same review reports an overhead rain head only, with no handheld, and weak water pressure |
| Floor | The same review reports that the missing door means showering carefully to keep water off the bathroom floor |
| Bathtub | Some suites have a freestanding tub, and at least one category is sold on it. Whether standard rooms have one is not stated category by category |
| Amenities | Marriott lists the Essentiel Elements Bathe line along with the hotel's own Alma robes |
| Amenity complaint | The same advisor reports missing personal hygiene items that four and five star hotels normally provide. The hotel's sustainability policy lists eco friendly toiletries, and the two may be connected. This site takes no position |
| Maintenance | The same review reports a toilet that broke on the first night, with the plumber saying it had been installed incorrectly, along with parts of the room that were poorly maintained and cleaned |
HUMAN FACTORS REVIEWA shower with no door changes three specific things. First, steam has nowhere to be contained, so humidity across the whole bathroom rises sharply and the mirror stays fogged much longer. Second, sound and sightlines are open, so two people who are not a couple end up handing over the entire bathroom rather than just the shower, which takes longer. Third, combine that with an overhead rain head and weak pressure and you cannot bring the water down close to your body, which is exactly the technique that keeps spray off the floor. Put the three together and this is a bathroom that asks you to slow down.
WHAT TO DO
- Before bookingIf you need a shower that closes fully, call +1 619-515-3000 and ask which categories have doors.
- Pack slippersThe floor will get wet, which follows directly from the missing door.
- Bring toiletriesThe advisor review names specific gaps, so packing your own is safer.
- Want a soakAsk for a suite with a tub, since standard rooms do not guarantee one.
- SharingIf the two of you are not a couple, settle this before you book.
05 · THE ROOFTOP
The best part of the building is open half the year
The roof is what this hotel markets hardest: an outdoor pool, a poolside bar, painted murals and a terrace looking across the downtown skyline. It is also the most restricted part of the building. Read the timetable before you book a stay around it.
| Leave of Absence | Rooftop restaurant and bar built around pizza. Casual dress |
|---|---|
| Season | Seasonal, roughly mid May to early October. The Marriott page states a reopening date of 22 May 2026 |
| Closed days | Closed Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday |
| Hours | Thursday and Sunday 12:00 to 18:00; Friday and Saturday 12:00 to 19:00 |
| Pool | Rooftop outdoor pool with a poolside bar. The mural is the signature of the space |
| Terrace | The rooftop terrace can be used on its own, within 7,000 sq ft of outdoor event space |
| Recognition | The Cvent venue page quotes "2025 and 2026 San Diego's Best Rooftop Bar with a View" |
| The sampled date | Rates in this guide were sampled for 1 October 2026, right at the end of the season. Anyone booking around that date for the roof should call first |
HUMAN FACTORS REVIEWStack the three restrictions and the real operating window becomes clear: mid May to early October, minus three closed days a week, leaving four days of six or seven hours each, all of them in daylight. The conclusion is blunt: the hours sit entirely in the afternoon, and by sunset the place is usually shut. Sunset in San Diego on 1 October falls around half past six, and on Thursday and Sunday this bar closes at six. Watching the sun go down from the roof with a drink is a Friday or Saturday proposition, and only in the final hour. It also explains why the marketing photographs are night shots: those are private events and buyouts, and a regular guest walking up will rarely find the same scene.
TIMES THAT MATTER
- Monday to WednesdayThe rooftop restaurant is closed, so do not book those days for it.
- Thursday and SundayOpen 12:00, closed 18:00.
- Friday and SaturdayOpen 12:00, closed 19:00, the only two days with any chance of catching sunset.
- After mid OctoberThe season ends, so call ahead.
- The poolPool hours run separately from the restaurant, so ask the front desk on arrival.
06 · FOOD AND DRINK
Breakfast, credits, and two bills nobody could follow
This page covers the only place in the building that serves food all year, and the thing clients complain about most. The complaints cluster on the bill and rarely on the food.
| Cooking | American with a Mexican accent. Marriott files it under American |
|---|---|
| Breakfast | Charged separately. Expedia lists full breakfast available for a surcharge. The amount is not published |
| Hours | Sunday to Thursday 07:00 to 12:00 and 16:00 to 22:00; Friday and Saturday 07:00 to 12:00 and 16:00 to 23:00 |
| Food and beverage credit | One of the items inside the destination fee. Neither the amount nor the scope appears in any public source. See page 7 |
| Client report one | "The amenities came in the form of food credits, so that made it less of an amenity. Then the way they did the billing was so confusing, I honestly am not sure if we actually got all of our credits." (March 2026) |
| Client report two | "We are still having some issues with understanding how our breakfast we paid for got covered. It seems like we paid double." (May 2025) |
| Client report three | The hotel restaurant food was "just weird" with little variety. The same client praised the room, the balcony and the staff |
| Private dining | Available in The Café, a private room, or on the roof |
HUMAN FACTORS REVIEWTwo different clients, ten months apart, complained about two faces of the same thing: how the credit is calculated and how a prepaid breakfast is offset. That kind of complaint rarely comes from the kitchen. It usually comes from a billing system that files the daily food and beverage credit and the prepaid breakfast package under two separate accounts, while the guest sees only one merged folio at checkout. This building can generate food charges from three sources at once: the credit inside the destination fee, a rate plan that includes breakfast, and loyalty benefits. Where those three lines cross is exactly where the bill stops making sense.
WHAT TO DO
- On arrivalAsk the desk directly: how much is the daily credit, when does it expire each day, and does it cover alcohol.
- Every morningKeep the signed check so you can reconcile line by line at checkout.
- Booking a breakfast rateConfirm whether it is the same money as the credit, to avoid being charged twice.
- The night before checkoutAsk for a printed folio. Sorting it out at the desk beats sorting it out at the airport.
- LunchNothing is served in the building from noon to four, so walk south into the Gaslamp.
07 · RATES AND CHARGES
Taking the total apart: three tax lines and one unpublished fee
Every guide in this series does the same exercise: take ten public quotes and work backward from the taxed total to see what the building is actually charging. This time the result is worth writing down.
| Sample | Check in 1 October 2026, check out 2 October 2026, one night, two adults, one room. Queried 23 August 2026 |
|---|---|
| Opening rates | Public rate and Tablet both $299.00; Bonvoy member rate $293.00; booking platform $254.00 |
| Marriott LUMINOUS | No rates found. The property is on the list, but the booking system returned no LUMINOUS rate on the sampled date. This is the fourth Marriott property in a row in this series to do the same thing |
| Tax on the room | 13.75 percent (Zone 3 transient occupancy tax) plus 2 percent (tourism marketing district assessment) plus 0.195 percent (inferred California tourism assessment) |
| Tax on the fee | The fixed charge is taxed at 13.75 percent plus 2 percent only, with no third line |
| Derived fixed charge | $35.00 per night. Official pages, booking platforms and travel media all refer to a destination fee, but no public source states the amount. The $35.00 figure is this site's reverse engineered result |
| Formula | total = round(rate × 1.15945 + 40.5125), where 40.5125 = 35.00 × 1.1575. Nine of ten quotes match exactly and the tenth is off by one cent |
| Parking | Valet only, with no self parking on site. Sources disagree: Marriott and Cvent list $70.00, Costco Travel and travel media list $60.00 plus tax. Confirm before booking |
| Pets | $75.00 per stay, non refundable |
| Extra bed | Rollaway $20.00 per night |
Ten public quotes, 1 October 2026, one night for two, USD
| Rate | Taxed total / Note |
|---|---|
| 299.00 | 387.19 |
| 313.95 | 404.52 |
| 328.90 | 421.86 |
| 338.95 | 433.51 / Paws Stay At Alma, includes an Alma tote |
| 343.85 | 439.19 |
| 383.85 | 485.57 / Stay For Breakfast, includes one breakfast entrée |
| 403.65 | 508.52 |
| 433.55 | 543.20 / the one quote that is off by a cent |
| 433.65 | 543.31 |
| 443.65 | 554.90 |
Worth taking slowly
This section has practical value for anyone comparing downtown San Diego hotels. This series has already reverse engineered two other buildings in the same tax zone. Hotel Republic, one block away, comes out at 0.25 percent on the third line. The Guild, on Broadway, comes out at 0.195 percent. This property comes out at 0.195 percent, matching The Guild and not Hotel Republic. All three sit in the same lodging tax zone within a ten minute walk of one another, and the formulas split into two groups. That means the third line varies with how each property files, and has nothing to do with which zone it stands in. The practical consequence is that you cannot take one hotel's tax ratio and apply it to another, even on the same street. To compare, you have to pull each taxed total on its own.
HOW TO PLAN IT
- ComparingCompare taxed totals rather than nightly rates, because this property carries an unpublished fixed charge.
- Quick mathMultiply the rate by 1.16 and add 40.5, which lands within a cent.
- DrivingThe two parking figures differ by ten dollars, so ask when you book.
- Two nights or moreThe fixed charge is per night, so three nights means $105 plus tax.
- Using the creditThe fee includes a food and beverage credit, so ask about the amount and the rules on arrival. See page 6.
08 · FACILITIES AND ACCESS
A 24 hour gym, and one line of data that never appears
This page puts three things together: the fitness room, the meeting space, and the accessibility checklist this blog runs on every property. The last of those needs explaining this time.
| Fitness | Open 24 hours. Official photographs show power racks, free weights, treadmills and a rowing machine, which is better equipped than most hotels at this price |
|---|---|
| Meeting space | 20,000 sq ft across 14 meeting rooms. The Octavio Ballroom is the largest at 3,060 sq ft, the Atrium is 1,824 sq ft, and there is 7,000 sq ft outdoors |
| Weddings | The official amenity sheet lists wedding services and a banquet hall |
| Accessible parking | 4 accessible spaces |
| Elevator | Elevator door clear width 94 cm, or 37 inches. The hotel publishes this figure, which few properties in this series do |
| Accessible rooms | The double, the Premium King and the one bedroom suite all have accessible versions, priced the same as the standard versions |
| The line that is missing | The official amenity sheet carries no entry for a stair free path to the entrance. Most properties in this series do. That is a gap in the data and does not mean the entrance has steps. This site has not measured on site |
| Other | Assistive listening devices and braille signage are not listed in any public source |
HUMAN FACTORS REVIEWThe 94 cm elevator door has to be read next to two other facts: this property has valet parking only, and only four accessible spaces. For a wheelchair user the sequence becomes handing over the car, waiting at the door, entering the elevator and going up, and every leg of that needs confirming in advance. Ninety four centimeters clears most manual chairs and standard powerchairs, but wide frame and tilt in space models need measuring first. What this site wants to be clear about is that the accessibility information here omits more than it lists. That falls squarely in the category of missing data and cannot be used to draw conclusions about the building itself. Anyone who needs certainty should call +1 619-515-3000 and ask three questions: whether the entrance has steps or a ramp, whether valet can handle a wheelchair adapted vehicle, and which room categories the accessible versions cover.
WHAT TO DO
- Accessible needsCall first and settle the entrance, the parking and the room category in one conversation.
- Travelling with a chairThe elevator door is 94 cm, so wide frame models need measuring.
- Booking accessibleThe double and the one bedroom suite both have versions at the standard price.
- TrainingThe gym is open 24 hours, which is useful in the first jet lagged nights.
09 · BOOKING AND LOYALTY
The sign says Marriott, but the points do not arrive by themselves
Three things here: what makes Tribute Portfolio different on the loyalty side, what the four booking channels opened at, and what the advisor channel actually delivers.
| Know this first | Tribute Portfolio bookings do not appear in a client's Bonvoy account automatically. This is a brand level mechanism, so give the membership number at check in |
|---|---|
| A second system notice | The booking system also warns that Marriott miscalculates the average nightly rate when the rate varies between nights. For multi night stays, work from the total |
| Public rate | From $299.00 |
| Tablet | From $299.00, identical to the public rate |
| Bonvoy member rate | From $293.00 |
| Booking platform | From $254.00, the lowest of the four channels on the sampled date |
| Marriott LUMINOUS | On the list, no rates found on the sampled date |
| Standard LUMINOUS benefits | Welcome amenity, daily breakfast for two, early check in and late check out when available, complimentary upgrade if available at check in, and a personalized welcome note from the general manager |
| The $100 credit | The LUMINOUS $100 property credit is only offered at certain participating hotels and has to be confirmed case by case. It is not flagged at this property |
| Usage | The Fora system shows this property booked 25 times by 21 advisors |
HUMAN FACTORS REVIEWLining the four channels up reveals something useful: on the sampled date the lowest price came from the booking platform, and none of the channels carrying benefits matched it. That is not unusual inside Marriott, and it matters because it forces you to decide what you are buying. The platform saves forty five dollars and gives up daily breakfast for two, the upgrade chance and flexible cancellation. A downtown breakfast for two costs roughly that forty five dollars on its own. There is only one correct column for comparison: the taxed total, plus the breakfast you will actually eat. Separately, a property listed on LUMINOUS that returns no LUMINOUS rate is now the fourth in a row in this series, which shows that list membership and same day availability are two different things.
HOW TO PLAN IT
- At check inGive the Bonvoy number, since Tribute Portfolio does not post automatically.
- Multiple nightsWork from the total rather than the system calculated nightly average.
- Comparing channelsPrice the breakfast into the comparison and the gap narrows sharply.
- Want the benefitsAsk your advisor whether LUMINOUS is open on your dates and whether the property credit applies.
10 · REVIEW ROUNDUP
One advisor review and five client reviews, positives and negatives separated
This page collects the reviews visible through the advisor channel, with positives and negatives listed apart. Nothing here names an individual, and no detail that could identify a particular guest or member of staff is repeated.
| Overall | 1 advisor review and 5 client reviews, averaging 4.0 out of 5 |
|---|---|
| Sample size | Very small. Each point is listed below so readers can judge for themselves |
Positives
- Location. Several reviews mention being right in the Gaslamp, with everything within reach
- The room and the bed. The advisor review calls the room well decorated and the bed very comfortable
- The balcony. One client wrote plainly that they loved their little balcony
- The in room Nespresso machine, singled out by name
- Staff. Several reviews describe helpful, friendly people, with "no complaints about anything"
Negatives
- The shower has no door, only a fixed glass panel, which means showering carefully to keep water off the floor. The same review reports a rain head only and weak pressure (page 4)
- A toilet broke on the first night, and the plumber said it had been installed incorrectly
- Missing personal hygiene items that four and five star hotels normally provide
- Parts of the room poorly maintained and cleaned
- One review describes the room as slightly outdated with a broken refrigerator
- One review reports the room never cooling down despite lowering the thermostat
- Restaurant food described as "just weird" with little variety (page 6)
- Confusing billing around the food credit and breakfast, raised by two different clients ten months apart (page 6)
- Valet parking described as expensive
- People gathering around the light rail stop beside the hotel, described in one review as "some sketchy people" who "tended to hang out" there
- Another describes people using drugs on the sidewalk and not feeling safe outside
HUMAN FACTORS REVIEWSorting the negatives into two piles makes them easier to read. The first pile is hardware and maintenance: the doorless shower, the broken toilet and refrigerator, the air conditioning that would not cool, the cleaning. What they share is that they all date from 2025 and 2026, while the last renovation was 2022 and the mechanical systems installed in 2008 are now eighteen years old. The second pile is everything past the front door: two reviews about the trolley stop and the sidewalk. That is tied directly to the location, and page 11 explains why this building stands next to a station that has been there since 1981. The first pile can be reduced at booking through room category and floor. The second cannot be avoided, only anticipated.
WHAT TO DO
- When bookingRequest a high floor, since the hardware complaints are more likely lower down.
- On arrivalRun the air conditioning, flush the toilet and open the refrigerator. Changing rooms on day one beats changing on day two.
- Coming back at nightThe C Street sidewalk is quiet after dark, so use the Fifth Avenue frontage.
- ToiletriesBring your own, since the gap is a repeated complaint.
11 · THE NEIGHBORHOOD
C Street outside the door is the oldest stretch of the San Diego Trolley
Two client reviews mention the light rail stop next to the hotel. This page explains where that station came from, and what this street corner is genuinely good and bad at.
| Fifth Avenue station | On C Street beside the hotel, between Fifth and Sixth Avenue. Served by the Blue, Orange and Silver lines |
|---|---|
| How old | Opened 26 July 1981 as one of the original San Diego Trolley stations. Its original name was Gaslamp station |
| Why it was renamed | In 1990 another station opened closer to the Gaslamp Quarter, so this one became Fifth Avenue station to avoid confusion |
| South | Three blocks into the dining core of the Gaslamp Quarter, where Fourth through Sixth Avenue are solid restaurants and bars |
| North | Fifteen minutes on foot to Little Italy, a district whose restaurant density and quality have risen sharply in recent years |
| Southwest | Seven blocks, roughly ten minutes, to the convention center |
| Airport | 3.2 miles |
| Other attractions | The hotel lists the bay, Balboa Park, the San Diego Zoo and SeaWorld |
| Alternatives in the city | For a 1910 building and formal service, look at The US Grant. For something small and design led inside the Gaslamp, look at Palihotel. For a 1924 frame with Zuma downstairs, look at The Guild |
Worth taking slowly
The renaming of that station explains the split personality of this corner. When the trolley opened in 1981, Fifth and C was the entrance to the Gaslamp, which is why the station took its name. Nine years later the center of gravity in the Gaslamp Quarter had moved south toward the water, a new station was built further down, and this one had to be renamed. Four decades on, this building stands exactly on the spot that used to be the entrance and is now the edge. Walk three blocks south and you are in the busiest entertainment district in San Diego. Stand still and you are on an office block that empties out after the working day, next to a commuter station from 1981. The strength of this location and those two reviews about safety come from the same single fact. Knowing it tells you which side of the building to use after dark.
HOW TO PLAN IT
- No carThree trolley lines stop on the street beside you, which is the real value of this address.
- DinnerThree blocks south puts the whole Gaslamp within walking distance.
- Somewhere quieterLittle Italy is walkable to the north.
- ConferenceTen minutes to the convention center, with no car needed.
- Coming home at nightUse the Fifth Avenue frontage, which is busier and has storefronts.
12 · DETAILS NOBODY MENTIONS
A bankruptcy, a penthouse loft, and an old building kept inside the lobby
This page explains why the building turned out the way it did. Everything odd about it has a reason, and all the reasons fall inside the three years from 2008 to 2011.
| Developer | 5th Avenue Partners. The same partnership also held the adjacent building, the one housing the House of Blues |
|---|---|
| Design and engineering | Architect Tannerhecht Architects, with structural and civil engineering by BWE. Ignition Architecture also worked on interiors and the penthouse lofts |
| Cost | Sources disagree. The structural engineer's project page lists a construction budget of $110 million, while bankruptcy coverage puts total development cost at roughly $150 million |
| Certification | The architect's project page records LEED Gold |
| December 2008 | Opened as Sè San Diego with 184 rooms, alongside 23 condominium units that were still unsold |
| May 2009 | The three year construction loan came due, with roughly $73 million owed to WestLB |
| 29 June 2010 | 5th Avenue Partners filed for bankruptcy protection, with 224 people employed at the time |
| January 2011 | Reports suggested the hotel and the adjacent House of Blues building might be sold together for around $50 million, far below development cost |
| 2011 | Reopened as Hotel Palomar San Diego under Kimpton after a $5 million renovation |
| Afterward | Renamed Kimpton Alma San Diego under IHG, then moved to Marriott's Tribute Portfolio. The Kimpton era website stayalma.com no longer resolves |
| The old building in the lobby | The architect's project page records that the historic Jessop building was retained and folded into the hotel's lobby entrance. Jessop was a San Diego jewelry family that traded on this street for 125 years |
| Four answers on room count | Sources disagree. The current official figure is 211. The Sè era figure was 184 rooms plus 23 residences. The architect lists 144 guest rooms plus 41 studio suites and lofts. The structural engineer lists 161 units. This site takes no position |
Worth taking slowly
Read that table backward and every strange thing about this building lines up. It was designed as a residential tower to be sold, which is why there are balconies, hardwood floors, double height penthouse lofts with internal staircases, units of 1,240 sq ft, and also rooms of 250 sq ft. Those dimensions come from a residential product line. A hotel plan would never cut them that way. When the 2008 crash removed the residential half of the business, the whole tower had to operate as a hotel, which is how you end up booking from a menu that runs from 250 to 1,240 sq ft with only $150 between the ends. The space you get in this building is what a real estate project that never sold out left behind. The same goes for the other oddity: the House of Blues next door once belonged to the same partnership, which explains why a four star hotel sits flush against a large music venue.
THINGS TO FIND YOURSELF
- In the lobbyWork out which section of wall belongs to the retained Jessop building.
- Reading the room listNote the 1,140 to 1,240 sq ft category, which was built to be sold.
- On the balconyDowntown hotels rarely have them, and this is residential specification showing through.
- Outside the doorThe building next door is the House of Blues, once part of the same partnership.
13 · ROUTE AND VERDICT
How a day runs, and who this building suits
Only three things here need planning: which room category to book, where to eat lunch, and whether the roof is open that day. Everything else can wait until you arrive.
HOW A DAY RUNS
- Before arrivalCheck what day of the week it is, since the roof is closed Monday to Wednesday.
- 16:00Check in. Valet parking only, accepted until midnight.
- 16:10Ask the desk for the amount and the rules on the daily food and beverage credit.
- 16:30Go up and see the pool and the mural. Food is served Thursday through Sunday only.
- Before 18:00The rooftop closes early, so eat there in daylight from Thursday to Sunday.
- EveningThe Café downstairs runs to ten, or eleven on weekends.
- 07:00 next dayBreakfast service starts, charged separately.
- 12:00The kitchen closes, so walk south into the Gaslamp for lunch.
- Any timeThe gym is open 24 hours and the bicycles are free to borrow.
- Check out 11:00Ask for a printed folio the night before and reconcile the credits line by line.
THE CHECKLIST · 12 THINGS
None of these are compulsory. Do the ones that fit and leave the rest for next time. Items 1 to 5 are two minutes' walk inside the building, and items 6 to 9 cost nothing.
Suits
- People without a car. Three trolley lines stop on the street beside the hotel
- People who want a balcony, which is rare downtown and available in three categories here
- People willing to move up one level. Twenty six dollars takes you from 250 to 400 sq ft
- Groups of four. The 400 sq ft double sleeps four
- Anyone visiting between mid May and early October, which is when the roof runs
- People who use the gym. Open 24 hours and better equipped than the price suggests
Does not suit
- Two people sharing who are not a couple. The shower has no door
- Anyone who needs strong water pressure. Reviews report a rain head only and weak pressure
- Anyone who needs lunch on site. The kitchen is closed from noon to four
- Anyone coming purely for the rooftop bar. Closed three days a week and shut by six
- Anyone sensitive about billing. The credit and breakfast offsets draw repeated complaints
- Anyone visiting between mid October and mid May who wants the roof. It does not operate then
- Anyone who needs an executive lounge. There is none
This building was never meant to be a hotel. It came out of the downtown residential boom of 2008, the market collapsed halfway through construction, and the balconies, hardwood floors and double height lofts built to be sold all became room categories you can book today. That single fact explains both halves of the place: the space is well above what four stars normally buys, while the plumbing and mechanical detailing still belong to a design that is eighteen years old. Whether you stay here depends on whether you care more about the square footage you see walking into the room, or the door you do not find walking into the bathroom.
This guide is written in anticipatory second person, describing what you will encounter. Facilities, hours, room categories and charges are compiled from the group and hotel official pages, project material published by the architects and structural engineers, bankruptcy coverage from 2010 and 2011, public transit records, booking platform facility sheets, advisor channel data and client reviews. The author has not stayed at this property and this guide contains no first hand experiential description. All money is quoted natively in US dollars as returned by the booking systems and official pages. Rates were sampled for check in 1 October 2026 and check out 2 October 2026, one night, two adults, queried 23 August 2026, with no currency conversion applied. The tax formula is reverse engineered from ten public quotes as round(rate × 1.15945 + 40.5125), where 1.15945 combines the 13.75 percent Zone 3 transient occupancy tax, the 2 percent tourism marketing district assessment and an inferred 0.195 percent California tourism assessment, and 40.5125 represents a $35.00 nightly fixed charge carrying the first two tax lines only. Nine of the ten quotes match exactly, one is off by a single cent, and this site reports that without adjustment. Note in particular that The Guild, covered earlier in this series, also reverse engineers to 0.195 percent on the third line, while Hotel Republic, one block away and in the same zone, comes out at 0.25 percent. Each formula holds completely against its own set of quotes, so the difference reflects how each property files rather than any zone boundary, and this site takes no position on it. The existence of the fixed charge is supported by official and travel media descriptions, but no public source states its amount, so $35.00 is this site's derived figure and should be confirmed with the hotel before booking. The doorless shower, the weak pressure, the broken toilet and the missing amenities come from a published advisor review of April 2026 and the photograph uploaded with it, and have not been verified on site by this author. The two published parking figures differ by ten dollars and are presented side by side without adjudication. Room count has four published answers and floor count has two, likewise presented without adjudication. Mattress brand, breakfast pricing, day by day pool and rooftop hours, assistive listening devices and braille signage are not available in any public source. No review content here names an individual. Rates, hours and advisor channel benefits change often, so confirm with the hotel or your advisor before booking. This site is an independent Fora Travel advisor, Seller of Travel registration 2151995-50.