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My wife and I planned a short getaway trip to San Diego midweek. We chose the Palomar San Diego because of its proximity to the Gaslamp District and Kimpton's overall reputation for being the best in the boutique hotel sector. Overall, we had a great stay. The arrival process was seamless, despite arriving around 12:30pm. The room was ready! Nicole, the Assistant Front Office Manager was very pleasant and professional at check-in. We did not require luggage assistance to the room, but Rudy (Bellman/Valet) offered assistance. My wife and I inquired about renting bikes, and the guest services staff were very helpful in providing the complimentary amenity. The hotel offers bike rental from sun-up to sun-down, including helmets, and locks. Of course, there are only two bikes on display, so they are available on a first-come, first-served basis.Every staff member we came across provided exceptional service. Kudos to Mike (Concierge), Alison (PM MOD), Nicole , Ana (Room Attendant), Benjamin (Valet), and Mike (Breakfast Server)My wife and I are not frequent travelers, but my experience working in hotel operations has groomed me to analyze the details of the stay. The little touch points can enhance a stay. I strongly believe the hotel staff did everything possible to ensure our stay was enjoyable. A wine and medley of fresh fruit was sent to our room in the late afternoon of our arrival. GUEST ROOM:Our guestroom was a corner room with a balcony on the 9th Floor. I loved the dark hardwood flooring. The size of the room is ideal for couples. The bathroom features a limestone vanity and a "Rainshower" from the ceiling.When we settled into our room, we noticed a few minor discrepancies. The floor lamp had a blown out bulb and the one of the outlets was not fully functional. We noticed a stain on the main chair. The marble vanity (where the minibar snacks sit) had ink stains and glass rings. A little bit of marble treatment would eliminate the blemishes. In addition, we noticed the minibar menu was in poor condition. There were several misspellings, and the overall formatting the text was out of whack. Just a simple proofread would help. When you spend $300/night, the details matter even more.I brought these "issues" to the attention of Alison on the afternoon of our arrival. She was incredibly gracious and I thank her for her service recovery efforts.POOL DECKWe hung out by the pool in the late afternoon twice. Midweek, we found the deck to be very mellow. Although the bar was open both days, we did not indulge in any cocktails. On the first day, however, we noticed a couple broken lounge chairs. On one, the wooden backing needed to be re-fastened. On another, there was a hole on the cushion( chair closest to the entrance of the building). Maintaining pool furniture is challenging, presumably when previous guests are burning holes into the cushion from their cigarettes.. I also noticed dislodged wooden planks from the pool deck on the northwest quadrant of the pool. These are cosmetic issues that can be remedied with good preventive maintenance. Despite these minor issues, I would highly recommend coming down to the 4th floor and hanging out at the SummerSalt Pool Deck and Lounge. Do not expect an Olympic-style pool; it is more of a shallow wading pool.DEPARTURE:The check-out process was simple. Alexa (Front Desk Agent) was very friendly and helpful, despite the phones ringing off the hook. While virtually everybody was pleasant during our two night stay, I did encounter one grumpy employee. While I was refilling my sport-bottle from the complimentary "water cooler" in the lobby, I was scolded by the employee responsible for managing the complimentary coffee and water stations. The employee was a bit ticked off because off the minor water spillage. I learned my lesson! He could have been a little less curt about reminding me about using the proper cups. This incident was more the exception than the norm.CONCLUSION:Palomar San Diego is

There were some great features and some drawbacks as well thoughThe good:Fantastic rooftop pool with great staff.Restaurant next door is great.Happy hour free wine and beer is a nice touch.Location is great, easy walking to Gaslamp.The bad:Was quite noisy, with construction right out front. Hard to get a decent sleep. I reserved the "skyline" view room and paid the extra $$ but was stuck on the 5th floor looking right into a parkade (not exactly skyline). Wasn't thrilled with that, and staff only shrugged their shoulders. Cleaning staff weren't the greatest...never came back when we were in the room when they stopped by and we asked them to come back in an hour.Overall though it was a decent place to stay with a few issues. They gave some free breakfast vouchers to one person in our party staying in a different room which would have been nice. Booked together so not sure why she got some and we didn't, but that's not a huge deal.

Just returned from a stay at the Palomar. Upon arrival I was upgraded to a suite which was actually a luxury one bedroom apartment with balcony and view of the city and harbor. The staff at both the hotel and spa were wonderful and very professional. I highly recommend this hotel in the middle of the fun Gaslight district.

OK, first off-- I must begin by noting that the fabulous Palomar staff gave me a complimentary upgrade to the most fabulous hotel suite I've ever stayed in. This room and its amenities were so incredible that it is hard for me to be anything but wowed by my stay. But it wasn't just the room-- it was the location (prime Gaslamp access), the friendliness and helpfulness of the staff at all levels, the decor, the design of the lobby, all of it. I would come back in a second, and hope that any other visit to San Diego includes a return stay at the Palomar.

The hotel is ideally located in the Gaslamp district on 5th Avenue. This gives easy access to the convention center and all the restaurants and entertainment venues in this lively area. The service is outstanding. I had a nice suite with a nice view from the 14th floor. The room however is a bit worn and could be spruced up a bit.