Courtyard Downtown | San Diego CA

Welcome back to La Recepción! Glad to have you and I hope you enjoy today’s scroll.

Snowbird season is upon us and it beckons La Recepción south to soak up the sun. If you are itching to get out of the cold these hotel lobbies offer flexible workspaces in the morning and leisurely afternoons by the pool.

Our next hotel lobby is a little slice of San Deigo history, the Courtyard by Marriot Downtown San Deigo, CA.

This 19th-century bank-turned-hotel boasts a grand lobby with 35-foot ceilings supported by 19 marble pillars in an Italian Romanesque revival design or what I like to call old-timey charm.

Architecturally, it is one of the most unique hotel lobbies I have seen but it comes with a caveat, it’s a conference hotel lobby.

The San Diego convention center is a 10-minute walk and the lobby is filled with functional furniture, making it a great spot to catch up on work pre and post-attending an event. However, it’s not a hotel lobby I’d actively seek out to work from if I was local (the surrounding area isn’t great…).

That said, the stonework is something to marvel at.

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Courtyard by Marriot Hotel Lobby

Business

Lobby layout: is a giant square filled with worn couches, hightop tables and old broken in "smoking" chairs.

The crowd: mostly hotel guests on business, quiet, pleasant. If there is a conference in town I'd imagine the vibe to be a complete 180, loud with lots of traffic.

Great for: pre and post-conference emails and giving your feet a break.

Coffee: yes, available at the lobby bar.

Music: yes, the music is today's top hits radio.

Wifi: free public wifi.

Charging access: decent, outlets are baked into the community high-top table in the center of the lobby.

Bathrooms: yes, in the back left lounge section of the lobby.

Leave your stuff alone to go to the bathroom? no, the area around the hotel isn't great, there is staff around but I wouldn't leave anything out.

Callouts: function over fashion, limited charging, the surrounding area isn't great.

Pleasure 

Lobby Bar or Restaurant: lobby bar is called "The Lobby".

Menu: specials can be found on the website.

Happy Hour: yes, $5 draft beers, house wines & well drinks. 4P-7P M-Th.

Thirsty? stick to draft beer (beer selection is solid), wine, and vodka sodas.

Hungry? keep it simple with a burger or quesadilla.

Fun Fact: the bank vault located in the basement of the hotel weighs 47,000 lbs and is now a meeting room.

Take a Look

Entrance to the Courtyard Marriott San Diego Downtown

Hotel Lobby Front View

Lobby Center Section - Front Facing

Rear Lobby Dining Area

Back Left Lounge Space

"Smoking" Lounge & Pool Table

Lobby Bar

Bank Vault

Telephone Booths

Telephone Booth Inside

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