San Diego’s Hot Hospitality Spots Double as Locals’ Nightlife

A recent rise of the San Diego hotel has elevated more than just hospitality standards.

Everyday we see the local well-heeled skip across Gaslamp streets ducking into swank boutique hotels not for thread count and room service, but rather for high-energy club vibes paired with exclusive lounge ambiance. At the W Hotel, Keating Hotel, Ivy Hotel and Hard Rock Hotel, hospitality is no longer just for visitors, but now a more-accommodating means of local nightlife.

While hotels still maintain a steady flow of roomed guests – many, perhaps, with after-party reservations first in mind – it seems the local focus is firmly set on the rooftop bar lounges and subterranean clubs. Each of the aforementioned hotels offers a varying atmosphere for hotel guests and local partygoers, and all evoke a feeling of exclusivity and mystique.

W Hotel

The W Hotel kicked off this modern hotel trend with Beach Bar, the first rooftop hotel lounge to offer cabaña rentals downtown. Guests flock to Beach to sip cocktails on the sand and gaze out into the city lights under the stars. The outdoor bar is bedecked with marine shades while white mod lounge décor nicely complements the sand floor. Beach evokes the seaside essence of San Diego, enhanced with just the right amount of Gaslamp flair. Guests preferring more stable foundation can opt for the Veranda or head downstairs to the Living Room lobby lounge.

This Starwood hotel first introduced San Diego to decadent hotel life beyond the suite, and now, just in time for summer 2008, the W is revamping its edge with a complete design renovation of the Living Room, WET pool, Veranda, and Beach. The signature W blend of warm sophistication and Pacific chic will translate from old to new, heightened by designer Thom Filicia’s balanced layers and organic influences. The whimsical remake of Beach and others is sure to inspire this summer.

Insider Tip: Watch for the new Living Room, WET pool and Veranda bar this June, and the new Beach in the fall.

Keating Hotel

The Pininfarina-designed Keating Hotel brought Italian opulence to the San Diego hospitality market in 2007. This international concept is a testament to the Gaslamp’s past and present glamour, housed in the historical Romanesque Revival building. Every inch of the posh ’n’ petite boutique hotel bleeds red with exotic Italian style, especially Minus One Lounge, the subterranean escape below the Keating.

Sleek black and steel fixtures sit amid sea of red trim. Exposed original brick walls and the authentic vault from the building’s bank past (now used as a wine vault) offer a nod to the building’s past and add to its subterranean feel. But guests are nightly brought up to speed with the modern simplicity of the Pininfarina design and high-energy deejay beats that reverberate about the dim corridors. The Keating Hotel is all about extravagance, and Minus One Lounge is the epicenter of nocturnal indulgence.

Insider Tip: Minus One Lounge is best on Friday and Saturday nights with after-hours open until 4 a.m. Watch out for the Keating’s new restaurant and meeting space, the merK.

Ivy Hotel

Kelly Capital obviously took note of the W’s multivenue success when making plans for the ultimate luxury hotel that graced the Gaslamp in 2007. The Ivy Hotel is a beacon of modern boutique elegance jam-packed with upscale suite amenities. The spacious lobby transports all passersby to a Vegas state of mind, and through the rainbow of royal décor and artistry awaits a new realm of nightlife possibility.

Deep leather couches and plush VIP booths span the Ultra Lounge where guests grab preparty cocktails before exploring the extravagant luxury above and below. A tangerine gaze from the Ultra Lounge bar leads down a spiraling staircase to Envy, the multilevel club with two bars, sprawled VIP tables, dance floor and hot lineup of local and resident deejays. Whether or not you opt for bottle service, you won’t miss the fire-playing, genre-defying go-go dancers of Lipstik Inc. Up the elevator to the rooftop, guests discover Eden, the largest of poolside lounges atop downtown hotels. From the outdoor dance floor to the cabaña-style lounge chairs and fire pit lookout spots, guests visit Eden to cool off after a hot night in Envy.

Insider Tip: Lines are consistently wrapped around the building Thursday through Saturday. To get on the guest list, email your requests to vip@discoversd.com.

Hard Rock Hotel

The famous Gerber Group kept the bar on a constant rise with the nightlife additions of Sweetwater Saloon and Moonstone Lounge within the debonair Hard Rock Hotel. These super-exclusive venues have San Diego enthralled with their contemporary design and the most privileged crowd in the Gaslamp.

A flash of deep red meets the eye as guests enter the lobby-level Sweetwater Saloon. Dangling crystal balls, black leather booths and dark brick columns with cascading diamond gems entertain on the interior while two brilliant red VIP lounges shine from the back of the bar and an outdoor patio seats the overflow of cocktail-sipping partygoers. Moonstone-going guests travel up to the fourth floor and meet lantern lit trees shading an oasis of fire pit VIP lounges atop a soft wood deck. A wraparound bar connects the poolside cabaña-filled entryway to the semi-indoor lounge clad with graffiti-style street art proposing questions of youth, love and rock ’n’ roll.

Insider Tip: The Hard Rock Hotel channels both Vegas prestige and Vegas pretension – don’t risk the line or the refusal. To get on the guest list for Different Strokes Friday night, email your requests to vip@sandiegoclubs.com.

For more information on San Diego nightlife and lifestyle, become a DiscoverSD Insider at www.discoversd.com.

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