Our decision to stay around the gaslamp quarter was right on, this hotel provided easy access to all the bars & restaurants in The Quarter, The Embarcadero (to watch the fireworks), the ferry to Coronado, Horton mall, etc. The room was clean and bedding will be changed by the staff as frequently as you want, just place the housekeeping card on your bedding. Ice machines are on 3rd & 8th floors only. We were on 7 so no problem. Our room was across from the elevators, slightly noisy at times but we're heavy sleepers so no problem either.
The one characteristic of this hotel that really hurts it is the bathroom door situation. Instead of a normally functioning door that opens & closes, you get a sliding barn-style door that, even when fully closed, still has a 2 inch gap around the entire door. Anything you're doing in the bathroom is loudly evident to anyone in the rest of the hotel room. Forget about privacy here.
The parking in downtown San Diego is expensive. Most places will tell you that you can park overnight (for $25 to $35), but you cannot move the car in or out between 7pm & 7am. Generally, only the hotel parking garages staff the lots on a 24 hour basis. The Bristol's lot was priced about average at $26 per day (come and go as frequently as you like, same daily rate), but you can cut that cost in half ($13 per day) if you're driving a Hybrid. You can save almost $100 in a week by renting a Hybrid and parking here.
HD Vizio TV was nice but only 15 channels. Our room had a decent view (got a sliver of Ocean View between 2 skyscrapers) and outside noise was not too bad with the windows closed. A nice surprise to find TWO iPod players in the room (which I am using right now!). The king bed was VERY comfortable.
Friendly, well-informed staff. Quite a few homeless in the area, but that's a city problem & not a hotel problem. The restaurant onsite has pretty good food, but is slightly pricey.
Overall we're satisfied with our stay, but we're reserving a higher rating for the day they fix the bathroom door issue.
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