Hotel Occidental Balboa Park Downtown

I arrived at 6:15 pm. All the signs had a different name. The desk had a sign saying they were closed for the evening. One “employee ” was there but she couldn’t access the reservation/key system. She was surprised that I had not reserved through Air BnB. Since the desk was closed, I asked how I could get back in later in the evening . She said “they’ll send you a code”. After waiting a little while, I asked where their parking lot was. She said we don’t have parking. I walked out angrily and made a reservation at a normal, competent motel. I reserved and paid months in advance for a room in a normal hotel with parking. I deserve a full refund.

Very clean and aesthetically pleasing. Staff was great. Great location but still need to use some kind of transportation to get to places quicker. There’s some homeless nearby but then again this is downtown area. It’s typical. I would return.

The property looks nice from the outside, but there are homeless people on the sidewalk close to the entrance,asking for change and food. They hang around there all night long , shouting and squabbling. Our room was in the front so we heard that all night. Central air was on all the time, had to ask to have it turned down as it was too cold. No maid service, and when I went to find the maids, I was told that because I booked thru air bnb, there was no maid service. I DID NOT BOOK THRU AIR BNB. No one at desk, except the one time when I checked in. Nice room, smallish, we had 2 beds in room, No might table between beds, had too move the chair to act as a night table. A disgusting wad of hair covered the shower drain grate, made the mistake of touching it, YUCK! No one around to complain to, so left without seeing anyone, and no tip for maid. Looked like it could be a charming little boutique hotel, as rooms have been tastefully updated. Location sucks. Not recommended for women alone, and be very cautious at night. Close to freeway so getting around town was easy

Room was quite small however only went there to sleep. For the price I thought great value and everything was within walking distance.

The Balboa is lovely. The staff is very friendly and kind. Our unit was clean and comfortable. If in San Diego for a baseball game, the hotel is a safe and colourful 30 minute stroll from the stadium.

Very nice and cool place to stay. Good.service and good beds. Unfortunately never got my deposit back!

didn't event get a chance to stay there. I didn't listen to the reviews and arrived, and they had cancelled my reservation. I went for Comic-Con and they 1st day I arrived to check in they said since i booked on 3rd party they didn't receive the reservation. And that they couldn't honor it and they had no rooms! BEWARE!!! Worse than having a dirty room, is not having a room at all. 3 other guests that day were told the same thing. We all worked with hotels.com to find another place.

This is a very attractive property. Lovely light fixtures, art, and wallpapers make the environment both elegant and retro. My room was small but efficient, both modern and retro. It felt very clean, and staff was friendly, however they were not available most of the time I was around. They don't keep the air-conditioning on all the time, so if you like it cold, this may not be the place for you. We were a little too hot at night, but there is a fan that helps. Bring an extra mirror if you do makeup. My room only had a mirror above the toilet, so I had to strain to get close enough. There is a shelf at the base of the mirror that helps to hold items though. There is a code to get in the building and a code for your door so I felt very safe inside, but outside there are a lot of homeless or worrisome people walking around or loitering these streets. The homeless seem pretty bad around most of the city though, so I don't know if there is another area that would be much better. It was easy enough to catch an UBER, and the walk to the convention center is a little far, but if you are in good health, is very doable.

Great location and nice room in San Diego. Easy check in process

The Balboa Park Hotel was such a great find! Great location, walking distance to Gas Lamp, Little Italy, Balboa Park and the Zoo. Clean and comfortable room and friendly staff! I highly recommend!

Vaskerom var ute av drift, personell var tilstede kun kort tid hver dag. Veldig lite rom. Mye støy fra flytrafikk.

My room was right next to an external door that was left open all day and night on the ground floor. My room was tiny. No chair so you couldn’t rest except on the uncomfortable bed. The blinds didn’t close all the way for privacy. Overall extremely uncomfortable place to stay.

It was great

This review is specific to room 224. Keep in mind this is a boutique hotel and all the rooms are slightly different. I was traveling with my daughter and we had a queen and full bed in our room, along with a kitchenette and full bathroom. PROS - [ ] Location - close to really cool stuff - [ ] Room has cool amenities like a kitchenette with washable plates, a sink with a garbage disposal, tons of drawer space in the bathroom - [ ] Smart tv - [ ] Pretty room - [ ] No maid service until after the end of your stay (I prefer this) - [ ] Cost CONS - [ ] Location - in a neighborhood without designated parking; airport and working vehicle/street noise comes through the windows. Mostly neighborhood people here with a lot of sketchers walking around. - [ ] Rooms are small, no sitting area or side tables - [ ] Average water pressure (I’m spoiled) - [ ] No controllable AC. You get whatever temp the building is on and can only control an individual fan - [ ] Only 2 stories, but no elevator with an awkward (but cool looking) staircase. Our luggage was HEAVY so that sucked - [ ] Hard floors - easy to clean but wish there was a rug by the bed. Dirty feet in the bed is a no no. Bring slippers. - [ ] Uncomfortable beds - metal bed frames make a bit of noise and the memory foam is FIRM - [ ] Front desk is only there during working hours ADVICE - [ ] Bring slippers, your own pillows and a face mask and ear plugs - [ ] Being extra toilet paper unless you want to ask the front desk

Great location near Balboa. Street noise may be annoying to some.

Bad area of town. Very small room with sink apart from bathroom. Limited staff time in lobby. Housekeeping rarely available. No amenities. Wifi unpredictable. Jets fly over day and night. Few things in close walking distance. Still changing over from Occidental Hotel. Very disappointing.

It was very convenient, not too far from Gaslamp district. Room itself was very clean. I personally liked there was no physical key used. Instead, lock codes were used.

Not easy to find, but quaint and lovely

I will not booked another stay crappy unorganized stuff house keeping not worth it.

Don’t waste your time and money in this hotel is filthy and has cockroaches