Hotel Occidental

Don’t let the look fool you. I experienced bed bugs in my room and I brought it to the manager Jeremy’s attention and he told me that I could leave if I had a problem. I had paid a week in advance, so instead I called the cops. He then changed his mind and moved me to another room. Yesterday when I went to pay my rent, he told me that he wasn’t extending my stay because we were not compatible. I was due to leave the next day by noon, so I went out for the night. When I came back to the hotel someone had vandalized my room. Initially they had me sign a contract where they can come in at anytime, so it was obvious that the hotel did it. For this reason I don’t recommend this hotel. If they choose not to like you, they turn against you and sabotage your stay.

Had a great stay. Prices were very reasonable and cheaper then most others. The location is awesome. Super close to everything. The staff was knowledgable and friendly.

Nice if you dont plan on having pets, wifi or wear anything but a giant sweater.
The AC runs at full blast every couple minutes making the chill unbearable. I cant sleep without 2 blankets. Maids are nice, front desk service is nice but the management is inefficient!
Edit:
Its good to see that instead of improving the apartment complex, the manager is trolling reviews on Unilocal

If you’re a fan of cockroaches, bedbugs, disgusting ancient mattresses, and super creepy staff, this is the place for you.
They put a lot of effort into hiding the cockroach and general bug problem, but it is truly filthy.
The beds are hilariously uncomfortable. The televisions advertised are literally 8″ CRTs from the 90s.
The staff randomly enters rooms, and apparently spies on guests. I can attest to their strangeness in general, but I won’t go into detail on this since it’s anecdotal. I will just say that I’ve heard more than one shocking story from longer-​term guests.
This would be less of an issue if they actually provided personal safes as advertised. But unfortunately they do not.
The Internet only works in the lobby, and the few rooms closest to the front.
Definitely AVOID.

Ok. So this guy who works the counter/​reception desk tells me over the phone all the prices of rooms available. I get there 4 minutes later. Gives me a half as tour as he is already giving a couple a tour. He then tells me «sorry dude the single rooms that are the most affordable are never available and that they advertise those just to get people in the door. Meanwhile, his daughter is running amock in the lobby? Really.

This place is a pretty good deal in terms of cost, but it’s less charming than some reviewers have depicted it. It is clean, quiet and well-​managed, and I like the location, but because it’s essentially an SRO, its clientele is a bit raffish. Aside from the well-​appointed foyer area, the interior has a sterile institutional quality — white walls, gray doors, gray indoor/​outdoor carpeting — and there are no communal areas other than a small outside area in the back. I was surprised to find that my room came with a single bed rather than a full, which made it impossible to invite a guest over as I had planned. I was told I could move into a more expensive room with a full or queen size bed, but when I tried to do so, the only room they had available had two mismatched single beds. My room had fair exposure to the sun but because the window was so narrow, was still dim most of the time. This place was adequate for my purposes, but after two weeks there I was very happy to leave.

I had booked a room for a week deposit and everything. About 4 days into the stay, I was notified that I had to check out because the guy who had made my reservation (LUKE) did not see that there was already an existing reservation.
I was staying here while I was in between apartments which is to say I was instantly homeless because they can’t get their crap together. So unprofessional and disappointing. Not only did I have to check out but I needed to do so within an hour. So I had to leave work and pick up all my things.
The room itself was okay. Clean and tidy. There were a lot of sketchy characters lingering the halls. Attendants are allowed to enter your room w/​out your consent to do checks… questionable.
I would not book a room here just for the fear that you might be double booked and left high and dry.
Service was sub par.

My husband and I stayed here in October and had a wonderful stay. This hotel has its ups and downs but if you know what to expect it’s a great little place. Our room was small but bright and cozy rather than cramped. Booking for a week was ideal for us so that wasn’t a problem. The location was great for us too since we spent a lot of time in Balboa Park. The staff couldn’t have been better! The only rooms available were with 2 twin beds and they happily offered to swap them for a single queen bed before we checked in. When we had trouble with our rental car and ended up missing our return time they even let us park it overnight in their lot free of charge!
The most unusual thing about this hotel is the bathroom and shower setup. We paid a little extra for a private toilet and used the shared showers which were fine. There were enough so there was never a wait and they were cleaned often. Our private bathroom was just a toilet in a closet with the only sink in the kitchenette in the main room. Don’t stay here if you’re claustrophobic! Also, while the shared bathrooms are fully stocked the private ones have toilet paper but no soap. The staff did give us some liquid soap in a cup when we asked about it. There is also no shampoo or conditioner.
We will definitely stay here again! Just be sure to pack soap.

BEWARE: bedbugs and an occasional rat… rude staff members and manager too… !!!worst hotel in the world… and they KEEP your deposit of $ 200 even though your room is clean but they say the sink was messy…:-(

From 2006 – 2008 this place was my go to hotel every year I went to Comic-​Con. In 2009 I tried booking my reservations and was told that there has been a change in ownership and was told that the hotel now only books in week blocks and only 2 days in advance.
However during my annual stay it was probably of the nicer hotel/​hostels I stayed in San Diego. It’s actually a lot better than the comparably priced 500 West which I eventually booked for Comic-​Con 2009.
It’s a shame that they only book in week blocks and only 2 days in advance.

I’ll start off by saying that we did not actually stay at the Hotel Occidental.
I called to see if they had any rooms available that could accomodate myself, my husband, and our two babies that sleep in a portable crib. The woman I spoke to said that she had a room with a full sized bed in it, but that she wasn’t sure it would be big enough for us. She told me to go ahead and come by to check out the room. The next day when I made it by the hotel to check out the room the lady at the front desk informed me that the hotel did not allow young children/​babies. I clearly stated that we would have TWO babies with us when I spoke to the first woman on the phone the previous day, but she failed to mention that the facility is anti-​baby. There is also no mention of their not allowing babies on their website.
Thanks for wasting my time and gas, jerks.

Holy Hostel
Hotel Occidental is such a budget friendly find with amazing little perks and a phenomenal staff! Very cheap for a downtown hotel. Sure it may scream hostel to some since there are rooms in which you must share a bathroom in the hall, but thats okay because you get what you pay for.
My husband and I celebrated our anniversary here, which happens to be on Valentines day. Our anniversary dinner was more money then our entire 4 night stay here for goodness sakes! We booked a spot with our own private bathroom & sure it wasn’t the biggest space on the block but it got the job done in a clean & orderly fashion.
The free movie selections, free bike rentals, free continental breakfast (not much & not fancy BUT something), and since we were there during Valentines day– we got free chocolate covered strawberries & wine. The freebies & sanitary conditions totally made up for the lack of décor and spunk.
Hotel Occidental is an awesome joint if your on a budget & aren’t all about the fancy-​foo-​foo (though those places are mighty nice sometimes). A staff member even let me borrow her coat to go to dinner since it was raining & I didn’t have anything to cover up with. How SWEET & TRUSTING of her.
I highly recommend this place but the only downside is the parking– you may as well pay the extra few bucks to park in their tiny lot if theres one available! This place ain’t for everyone so go somewhere else if your looking to get super 5 star accommodations.

This is a quirky little place, but I love it! We stayed here one night after a long bar crawl in San Diego and it reminded me of my backpacking days in Europe when I was 18… which is why I could not stay in this place long term: o)
The front desk associate we ran into sober (and later sh**-drunk) was really sweet and helpful. After check-​in you make your way through a narrow hallway that has «art» on the walls… really unique place this Occidental with their crazy art tripping me out!
Now, these rooms are nicely appointed for the price… you get sink, silverware (seriously this little baby room had freaking silverware), microwave, refrigerator, free wifi BUT your stinky morning-​self will have to use a communal shower so get used to it you’re gonna get cooties… I mean who knows what d-​bag was in there before you!!!
I didn’t need to use it, but on site laundry is available and free bicycle «rentals» to cruise town nicely played Occidental VERY
!
Parking is also limited. If you can, snag a spot by the building for free after 6pm on weekends but don’t hold your breath.
They also have a small continental breakfast in the morning which was very, VERY important. To this day, I’m certain that Orange juice and croissant saved my ass after we celebrated a little too much for our friend’s birthday.
I give this place 7 «Euro-​Bag Art on the walls tripping me out» outta 10

I’m re-​posting this review because I was in this party that was charged an additional $ 250 for people smoking in the other room we got for our friends. Our friends should not have been smoking their room, even if their window was wide open and nothing was damaged– there are laws against this and we were fully informed.
That said, $ 250??? Without asking us, just charging it on my card. It was very clear to me at this point that this hotel was not charging me for breaking policy, but using the fact that we broke policy as an excuse to overcharge me.
If you choose to stay here be warned. They have your credit card and who knows what stupid thing you or one of your guests may do. Hotel Occidental clearly will take that as an opportunity to pounce on your credit card numbers they have neatly filed away.
I suggest simply staying somewhere else.
Anyway, here’s the repost from the other person in my party:
Well, we got two rooms on the Unilocaler discount. We split up and three of the guys were in the other room, well, smoking inside the room. All night apparently. But instead of anyone asking them to stop and show them where the designated smoking area was, they just charged us $ 250 the next morning, already ran our cards. $ 250!!! That exorbitant amount of money was more than double what we paid for both rooms combined! And the girl at the front could have been nice about it, but what a stone cold B. It wasn’t even us in our room that did it, but she sure treated us like we did. For shame, Hotel Occidental.

I stayed here when my friend was having her birthday party in downtown San Diego, as it costs about the same amount of money for a cab ride home to Carlsbad.
Very clean, IKEA decorated, and Euro feel to the whole place. There are no frills, but it is cute. Although it is very close to the Gaslamp district, if you are wearing heels or any other uncomfortable clothing or footwear I recommend paying the $ 5 for the cab ride down the street :)
I stayed in a room without a private bathroom, but ended up getting a room right next to it, so it was no biggie. There was a sink, silverware, microwave, refrigerator, free wifi… more than I have ever gotten at Mariott or Hilton hotel (and they cost more $$)! Surprisingly, they have a very extensive room service menu… stuff you would actually want to eat — not filet mignon or other super expensive items just to squeeze more money out of you.
Extremely friendly and helpful staff. If you time allows, there is free street parking right on the corner of the building after 6pm on weekends — SCORE! Breakfast in the morning was minimal, but good and there are tables outside to sit and eat at.
I didn’t need to use it, but on site laundry is available and free bicycle «rentals» to cruise town on.
I will be staying at this hotel every time I need to stay downtown in the future — my friend loved it to!

Not sure where the really good reviews of this hotel are coming from. It is quite economical for a downtown hotel, and the staff is very friendly. The flower arrangements are great. And that’s the sum total of the really positive stuff I can write.
We reserved a double room with en suite bathroom. The room was set up really oddly — the bed was sort of stuck in the middle of the room, with the head of the bed hitting open air, so our pillows kept falling off. The bed itself was REALLY SQUEAKY, to the point that my husband, who can generally sleep anywhere, was kept awake by it. The «kitchenette» sink doubled as the bathroom sink, which to me, is a little gross. The «kitchenette» was a microwave and refrigerator with a few cabinets with dishes.
We stayed in this room for one night before complaining to the management about the bed. The day manager (Rose) was really cool, acknowledging that the rooms with the double beds ALL have the problem of the squeaky mattress, and that they are not currently replacing them due to economic considerations, but hope to do so soon. She upgraded us to a Queen room, which was decidedly less squeaky and set up more nicely.
Then the A/​C kicked in. The rooms do not have individual A/​C control — it’s centrally controlled for all rooms at the front desk. When we went to bed, the A/​C was running constantly and we had to call the front desk to turn it off. In the morning, they turned it on again and it ran constantly, and i had to call the desk at 7 am again to turn it off, because there weren’t enough blankets on the bed to keep us warm.
The continental breakfast was typically mediocre. Their pastries tended to be kinda stale.
This is a hostel, not a «European style boutique hotel.» I agree with Kara H. on this one. Furnishings were the absolute cheapest — the least they could have done was to go with colorful, cheap IKEA furnishings to make it look more bright and cheerful. (some stuff was IKEA, but i was bland beige bleh.)
All in all, a «meh» experience.

Enjoyed a truly awesome and comfortable stay here while attending the recent Celebrate Dance Festival in nearby Balboa Park.
Staff was warm and welcoming, accommodating and helpful, especially when explaining parking (quite limited, but we were able to park meter-​free on the same block over the entire weekend), and how to get to the nearby Gaslamp district, Balboa Park and other nearby points of interest.
The rooms were sparsely appointed — immaculately clean, not quite «sterile,» but had little to no décor so to speak. We were OK with this as we really didn’t plan to do much more than sleep here. Still, every time we left the hotel to attend various performances during the festival, or to walk to the nearby Gaslamp district for dinner, we would return to fresh fruit, candlelight and other homey touches in the lobby and common areas that provided a nice touch.
Our room had a small kitchenette equipped with a fridge, microwave, a sink, dishes and flatware for two. Storage was ample with lots of open shelf space and a closet unit for hanging suits, dresses, etc. if needed. All of the basic creature comforts were accommodated, and between having a kitchenette and a complementary breakfast each morning, we saved lots of money on eating out.
The neighborhood is a bit dicey at night — not necessarily dangerous, but with a liquor store and a «lounge» a half-​block away, there was a somewhat colorful element hanging out nearby. However we were never disturbed or harassed and other than being freaked out by the bold and absolutely HUGE «water bugs» that were out strolling along the streets in the damp air, we felt totally comfortable.
I’ll definitely stay here again!

This was a really awesome hotel. It only cost $ 89 per night to stay here and it was probably the best hotel experience I’ve ever had. I didn’t mind having to share the bathrooms and showers at all and I never had to wait to use them.
The room setup was really nice. There was a shelving unit with plenty of cubbies to put clothes in plus a rack with hangers. There was also a big desk, a refrigerator, microwave, a sink with a trash disposal, a few cabinets, and vaulted ceilings (!). The room was much more comfortable and stylish than the scratchy-​flowered-​quilt-​bed-​with-​a-​bible-​in-​the-​bedside-​table places I’m used to.
The bathrooms and showers were kept extremely clean and every time Josh and I returned to the room our dishes had been washed, the bed had been made, and we had a neat stack of fresh towels. Free breakfast was also a major plus. This saved Josh and I a lot of money and time. The choices were great considering it was free. There were always apples, bananas, 3 types of juice, coffee, oatmeal, cereal, bagels with cream cheese, and 2 platters of croissants, muffins, and cinnamon buns. The front desk had a neverending bowl of free candy and a whole binder full of DVD’s you could borrow from them for free. Plus there’s free wi-​fi and you’re a short walk or bike ride away from Balboa Park. The staff here was laidback and extremely friendly. They always went out of their way to accommodate you.
One of the best parts of staying here was the free bikes. They let you borrow bikes and helmets whenever you wanted and all you had to do was return them before dark. This was made the week in San Diego a lot more fun and allowed Josh and I to do a lot more stuff that we wouldn’t have been able to afford transportation for otherwise.
I honestly can’t think of anything negative to say about the hotel… I would definitely recommend it to anyone staying in San Diego.

I’m a little bit torn about this hotel. We reserved for 3 nights but decided to check out after the first night, but it did have a few great things going for it.
Pros: Super clean rooms and shared baths. Efficient use of space with very practical shelving in the room. Friendly, patient, helpful staff. Free cruiser bikes to explore downtown and nearby Balboa Park. Lovely, warm, welcoming décor and fresh flowers in the lobby and hallways. Decent breakfast included.
Cons: We’ve stayed in small hotel rooms with shared baths before, but this one was really too small for me and my 6’8″ husband. Zero decoration on the walls in our all-​white room (except for one red throw pillow, thank you for the effort) made me feel a little bit stir crazy. Beware that some rooms, including the one we got, are on an inside hallway with a window that only looks out onto another wall. It lets in some natural light which is nice, but still made me feel a bit caged. Location was okay, but required a bit of a walk through semi-​seedy areas from the Gaslamp since we didn’t have a car.
Comparatively, we took a look at La Pensione, which has rooms with private baths, and thought it was much better (location, décor, etc) for the same price ($ 89/​night).
Probably would not stay here again, but wouldn’t necessarily tell others not to. It worked for one night since most other places were booked. At least borrow the bikes and go cruise around. :)

I stayed here for a month while I was between apartments and had an excellent experience. Remember, that while this is a 4 star review, it’s not a 4 star hotel. It’s definitely a one star hotel, but what they do, they do impeccably. It’s the same sort of set up as the 500 West on Broadway, but they do right every thing that 500 West does wrong!
The rooms are tiny, but neatly appointed. The lobby and stairs (no elevator!) are spotless and well decorated. The shared bathrooms were spotless 95% of the time. And the times that they weren’t, well, it must have just happened because the one that would be at the other end of the hallway would be spotless. I had no qualms about using these shared bathrooms and if you read even my last review, you’ll know that I am a freak about public bathrooms!
The hotel is right under the flight path, but I only occasionally heard a dull roar. The manager, Lisa Mendoza, is really kind and helpful. My first day there, when I had my bags with me, she moved her own car out of a non metered spot so that I could have it! Are you kidding me with that sort of service? Rock on!
It loses a star because I happened to notice early on that the pastries from the continental breakfast provided are set out for a few days rather than discarded daily. Once I saw a funny looking bear claw, and lo and behold, there it was again the next day! Eew. Stick to the fruit or cereal.
Highly recommend this place as a really inexpensive downtown SD option for any length stay.