Dinogo Readers’ Top 3 Hotel Choices in San Diego for 2024

San Diego exudes a laid-back charm that remains unwavering. This could be attributed to its sunny vibe, with an average temperature of 72 degrees year-round, or the quintessential California cool that comes from 70 miles of stunning coastline. This reliability is also reflected in the city’s hotel selections, with the beloved Pendry San Diego retaining its top rank, while the Downtown area around the Gaslamp Quarter and Marina continues to be the most preferred spot for visitors in Southern California.

This year, California’s second-largest city shines on the global stage as the World Design Capital for 2024, alongside its southern counterpart, Tijuana, Mexico. As the first-ever binational winners, both cities foster a legacy of collaboration, opening doors for further innovation in the region.

Understanding the Voting Process

Each year, for our World's Best Awards survey, T+L invites readers to share their travel experiences worldwide — giving feedback on the best hotels, resorts, cities, islands, cruise ships, spas, airlines, and more. This year, over 186,000 T+L readers participated in the 2024 survey, casting a total of more than 700,000 votes across 8,700+ properties (including hotels, cities, cruise lines, etc.).

Hotels were categorized as resort hotels, city hotels, inns, or safari lodges based on their location and amenities, with specific ratings given according to the criteria listed below:

Room quality and amenities
Location
Service quality
Culinary offerings
Value for money

Respondents rated each aspect as excellent, above average, average, below average, or poor, with final scores representing the average of these evaluations.

Highlights from Readers

Spanning over 4,200 square miles, San Diego County ranges from the Mexican-influenced historic district of Old Town to the relaxed surf culture of the micro-neighborhood Bird Rock. However, this year’s top three hotel winners are all situated within a compact 1.5-mile area.

Technically, Pendry San Diego is located in the charming Gaslamp Quarter, while the runner-up, InterContinental San Diego (No. 2), is situated in the new Bric neighborhood, and Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina (No. 3) is nestled in the Marina district between the two.

Regardless of how you define the boundaries, all three hotels are in Downtown, praised by readers for their excellent locations. One guest highlighted the InterContinental San Diego as being “within walking distance to everything and right by the water,” while another complimented the Marriott Marquis as a perfect home base for “strolling along the marina to Petco Park,” also noting its “easy access to major highways.”

The Champion

Pendry San Diego

CHRISTIAN HORAN/Photo courtesy of Pendry San Diego

With 317 rooms, each offering a minimum of 350 square feet, the J Street hotel effortlessly claims the top spot for yet another year. Its six on-site dining options include fresh seafood and hearty steaks at the two-story Lionfish; a marketplace-eatery fusion at Provisional; and a nostalgic casual atmosphere at Nason’s Beer Hall (be sure to try the confit bone-in wings!). Additionally, this city-center hotel is just a short stroll away from numerous other local restaurants, the San Diego Convention Center, and Petco Park. Readers perfectly summarize their top pick as having an “excellent location with exceptional food.”