The Hotel Republic is a “brand new” property located in downtown San Diego. Formerly known as the Renaissance San Diego (and W Hotel San Diego), this recently-renovated property is now part of the Marriott Autograph Collection of boutique hotels. With 19 floors and 258 rooms, it’s not exactly a small property but the Hotel Republic operates like a small boutique hotel. The space is trendy, modern and beautiful but the property does have some quirks. It’s not located in the most ideal location and it lacks amenities of other full-service hotels.
Hotel Republic San Diego Location
The Hotel Republic is located in downtown San Diego but it’s in an isolated area. There’s not much to see or do in the immediate area of the hotel and restaurants/shops are pretty sparse. It’s really just a bunch of businesses and office buildings around here. However, great food and nightly entertainment options are only minutes away. Little Italy is a 5 minute walk and the Gaslamp Quarter is 10 minutes away.
From the hotel, you can get to most places in San Diego by walking or Uber and public transportation options are easily accessible. You won’t need a car staying here but if you will have one, valet parking will cost you a whopping $47/day. There is no official hotel self-parking lot but several independent parking lots/garages are located nearby. There’s one right across the street with rates under $20/day. It’s cheaper than the valet parking and you’ll get to your car quicker.
Hotel Republic San Diego Standard Room
On this trip, I booked a standard room and as a Marriott Rewards Gold member, was assigned a standard city view room upon check-in. My room was fairly spacious and furnished with a king size bed, work desk and a raised sitting area. The room was nicely decorated and the large windows let plenty of natural lighting into the room.
The work space, however, was very disappointing. The desk space was very tight and a single electrical outlet made charging more than one device very inconvenient. For a hotel that markets itself to business travelers, the Hotel Republic could have done a much better job in this area. At the very least, they should have provided a proper work chair and not a decorative chair.
The view from the standard city rooms are nothing special. My room had a view of the arrival flight path for San Diego Airport, which was neat.
The enclosed bathroom was spacious with a shower/tub combo, toilet and single sink. Aveda bath and body products were provided in all the bathrooms.
Room amenities included an in-room safe, iron/ironing board, mini-fridge and Keurig coffee maker. Standard WiFi was provided free for all Marriott Rewards members and enhanced WiFi was provided for all Marriott Rewards Gold members and above.
Hotel Republic Amenities
Two restaurants are provided on-site including a casual dining space for breakfast, lunch and dinner and a rooftop bar located on the 19th floor.
Other hotel amenities included a very small “business center” and a fitness center. The business center was equipped with Apple iMac desktop computers, printers and a fax/copier.
The fitness center was actually decent and had several treadmills, some free weights/benches and a resistance station.
The hotel no longer has a pool. The former space is now the Veranda Club Lounge.
Marriott Rewards Gold members and above are entitled to free breakfast and happy hour in the Veranda Club Lounge. Breakfast is served from 7:00 AM to 9:00 AM and happy hour is served from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM. Breakfast was decent but happy hour wasn’t very happy at all. For happy hour, there were only a few drink options and some very light snacks. Breakfast was more substantial with hot options such as oatmeal, scrambled eggs, potatoes and bacon/sausages and cold options such as whole fruits, pastries and cereal.
Hotel Republic San Diego Bottom Line
Overall, I can’t say that I was very impressed with the Hotel Republic San Diego. Don’t get me wrong, the property is not a bad place to stay. It’s just not my preferred hotel in San Diego. It’s not in a convenient area and it doesn’t offer all the amenities of a full-service hotel. There are no pools, 24 hour-eatery options or even a proper lounge for Marriott Elite members.
The Hotel Republic is new, modern and beautiful but it’s not really a “happening” spot. Unless you are here for business, there’s really no reason to stay here. If you’re looking for a hotel with better access to the Convention Center, Gaslamp District and other local attractions, I much prefer the Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina. I find the other hotels in that area are much nicer and more convenient for exploring downtown San Diego.
Have you guys stayed at the Hotel Republic San Diego? If so, please share your feedback in the comments section below. Thanks for reading!
