How Many Times Can A Hotel Rebrand In Two Years?

"San Diego is a tough hotel market."

Yes, for crappy properties. There is a serious shortage of decent hotels. This one has to compete against the two big (and mediocre) Westins nearby, both of which will discount heavily when they have empty rooms (as low as $113 last week).

Stayed at a new hotel in downtown SD called the Pendry recently and had a lovely stay and the property was buzzing. Maybe they are trying to piggyback off the success of that hotel?

I stayed in this hotel in Oct 2016 and was actually told the intent was to be an Autograph Collection hotel in the long run. Not sure why it was a renaissance from the beginning; it was definitely the worse and least on-brand Renaissance I’ve ever seen.

Not sure I would go back unless the renovation touched every room. Outdated furniture and a weird schoolroom vibe made for a suboptimal setting for a work trip.

I stayed in this hotel in Oct 2016 and was actually told the intent was to be an Autograph Collection hotel in the long run. Not sure why it was a renaissance from the beginning; it was definitely the worse and least on-brand Renaissance I’ve ever seen.

Not sure I would go back unless the renovation touched every room. Outdated furniture and a weird schoolroom vibe made for a suboptimal setting for a work trip.

I prefer a Kimpton property when in downtown. Siting in the heart of gas lamp is a plus.

Agree, that size is nowhere close to a boutique hotel.

Not certain about fees these days, but in past Marriott franchise presentations I attended, fees were pitched as lower to be part of Autograph Collection than a major brand like Marriott or Renaissance.

I stayed here in September 2016. The service was very bad and inconsistent for a Marriott property, particularly one that had been a Starwood. The benefits for platinums were weak. The pool was pathetic, perhaps one of the worst rooftop pools I have ever seen.

The Westgate is much, much better. Amazing pool. Great service. Classic decor. Just no points.

The location of the Renaissance is five blocks too west and 2 blocks north of Broadway, putting it in a sketchy area. I have avoided it for that reason. I prefer the Courtyard (while not all that great physically) or something more in the gas light district.

The location is going to be a negative for many people. At night the streets in that area are empty and dark. I view the Westgate to be the farthest west and north I want to be.

I don't think rebranding is going to do much - it won't solve the location issue.

@brodie - the Kimpton is hardly in the heart of the gas light district, it is not even in the gas light district. Agree - close enough - one half block north of Broadway - with Broadway being the boundary which runs between 4 and 6th Avenues, then south down to the rail road tracks.

But I do think both the Kimpton and Courtyard are great locations - right on the bus route from the airport and right at the edge of the gas light district.

there are 2 kimptons. Solamar is in the heart of gas light across from The Landry where I am staying this February. Interested in checking it out.

I staid at this Hotel for an entire week, when it was still the W.
There were so many issues, like I never had in any Starwood Hotel ever.
Internet WiFi in my room did not work, neither could I connect to a connection in their business centre. I actually had to drive to a nearby McDonalds to get emails sent.
Management could not fix the problem over the week, but offered me 16,000 Starpoints as compensation. There also were problems with cleaning and plumbing.
I agree with what was said about the empty and dark neighborhood. Once I needed to get something out of my car at night, I felt uneasy to walk the deserted street and parking lot.

If this 258-room hideaway doesn't jive with your concept of the Autograph Collection's boutique spirit, then don't even visit the Autograph Collection's 3,500 room monstrosity at Atlantis Paradise Island in the Bahamas!

@Randy calls it perfectly. The location is terrible and that's not going to change. It's in a sketchy part of downtown that's too far from Gaslamp which isn't even that great a location anyway. As much publicity as Gas Lamp gets, there's really nothing great about it unless you're really into drunken college kids, sailors, and Marines Thursday-Saturday/Sunday nights and fairly mediocre dining experiences. Oh, and LOTS of homeless. It has all the charm of old Las Vegas but none of the gambling.

Little Italy needs to get one of these hotels. And while Gaslamp and downtown are close-ish to Little Italy by decently long walk or short Uber/taxi, it's not the same. Additionally, the hotels need to be less concentrated. Right now it's Gaslamp and downtown which aren't awesome neighborhoods, Hotel Circle off the 8 where there's NOTHING walkable, or the family-oriented ones on Harbour Island. None of those are really convenient to anything without a car.