Alma San Diego Downtown, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel

My best hotel experience ever I bought concert tickets at the House of Blues for me, family, and friends and this hotel was recommended by another friend of mine. It was literally the best hotel experience I’ve ever had. The staff is fun, funny, and super accommodating. Make sure to try a wood fired pizza at the pool. One of the best pizzas we’ve ever had.

Clean & well appointed We arrived very late, after midnight. I had called to verify we'd be late. The overnight clerk joked that we were the last expected guests to check in & they had been waiting for us. At that hour the area around the hotel was sketchy. There is a 7-11 on the corner where a lot of homeless were gathered. The lobby is small. Given the neighborhood, I was a bit unnerved that the front door was wide open, I guess to let in fresh air. There was a doorman / valet & the night clerk but no other security that I saw. There was a water dispenser in the lobby but every time I wanted a drink it was empty. I never saw a bartender behind the lobby bar or anybody having a drink there. We also never noticed the House of Blues next door being open. There is card security in the elevators. You must walk past the front desk to access them. Our room with a king bed was well sized. The layout reminded us of our stay at the Conrad in DC but that was more luxurious. I loved the big "bean bag" chair. It wasn't really a bean bag because it wasn't squishy enough but when I used a pillow from the window seat nook, it made a nice nest for reading while waiting for my husband. There were lots of plugs & USB ports in the room. We were given 2 bottles of water. The bed was comfortable, the white sheets were perfectly cool & crisp & the pillows were wonderful. The in-room robes are thin & on the small side. I'm a size 12 woman & they barely fit me. A larger person will not be able to close them. I prefer the fluffy terry robes but a robe when traveling is always a treat. The shower had a European glass panel, rather than a traditional shower curtain or slider. I hate those. As is typical, you shower & water gets all over the floor. It is deep enough that you can hang your towel on the bar inside the shower & it stays dry. The rainwater showerhead points straight down from on high & without a step stool you can't change the direction. The shampoo & soap are wonderfully citrusy, unlike the more masculine notes in the products at the sister / parent Intercontinental hotels. The rooftop pool was small but functional. It is the same 3 feet depth throughout. We helped ourselves to pool towels & took them to the beach. The next morning when I brought them back, there were no clean towels at the pool. Eventually they were stocked but there were fewer towels than there were people at the pool. The bar area looked cute but was small. We never got to use it because we were out & about. One day there was a private party going on; the food on display looked wonderful.

Great Stay and fantastic staff Great service, location and very cool unique decor. Didn't get a chance to use it , but they even have a loaner bicycle for guests. High attention to detail. A+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++±++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Not impressed It is in a terrible location, surrounded by homeless people who take over the sidewalks. The lamp near the storage closet remained dusty our entire stay, showing that it was never cleaned. On the bathroom floor, I found an old, dried-up prescription contact stuck to the floor, and in the shower, there were small black hairs in the corners. Terrible cleaning job. Upon check-in, we were supposedly told that there were no more rooms to upgrade us. The balcony was not much of a view and had no patio chairs included.

Great food and service I recently took my family out for dinner at The Desmond. We had a fantastic meal there. The food was beautiful and delicious! Moreover the service was amazing. Aria and Ryan were charming and informative. Just the right touch to enhance the experience.