Just spent a night here. It was fine. $187 rate, booked standard King room, was proactively upgraded to an "Andaz Suite" which is really just a slightly larger than normal sized hotel room, no separate living room. The bed was good, the robes are great, and I had no noise problems with my interior facing room, but it felt too 2020-era for me: no real glassware to drink from, no minibar (they offer mediocre packaged cookies and good beef jerky at the front desk, but everything else you have to pay for), no pen/paper, and inconsistent toiletry brands (Jonathan Adler communal pump bottles in the shower, but Lather soap and lotion by the sink). It was the 2020est room I've had in a while, which is just a depressing vibe.

When I arrived after 11pm, I had to call and wait for someone to unlock the door to let me in, which I found unusual for a mainstream hotel. It's one thing to require a key for access but there should be a simple button you can press, and if the staff look at the camera and see an obvious guest standing there with luggage they should be able to quickly press a button to let the guest in. I waited 4 minutes, which is only 4 minutes, but is still absurd IMO.

Breakfast was truly excellent. They had quality cold brew coffee and cold pressed juices (the Mojave juice was great, with apple, lemon, ginger, cayenne, and turmeric). Lobster Benedict and fruit plate were tasty. Bill came to $78 including service charge (averting any worry about whether to tip), and it never appeared on my folio. Exactly how it should be.

Pool was actually nice and warm despite the chilly weather (chilly for SD). Gym is small but there is a Peloton that is slow but functional, and you can put your own music on the Bluetooth speakers in the gym, which is cool.

Also, I was able to text and ask to push back my 4pm checkout to 4:30 and they agreed. I've had properties give me the hardest time about that, and it was nice not to have hassle about that here. When I checked out, I asked for a swig of whatever welcome beverage I missed out on due to my late arrival the night before, and they offered draft beer or a white or red wine. I took the white, didn't see the bottle but it tasted like the TJ's $3 stuff that I prefer not to cook with. Maybe try the beer instead!

All in all, a fine hotel that I would return to, but definitely nowhere I would be excited about returning. Also the surrounding area was far worse than I expected: I walked up to FedEx at 6th & C and then to the post office at 8th & E, then back... and from FedEx to post office to the hotel it was tent city, with some blocks so heavily occupied by tents that you have to walk in the street because there is no available sidewalk. This is true even within a block of the Andaz at 8th & F. Urine smells everywhere and some visible human waste on 8th. I guess the idea is tourists should stay on 4th/5th/6th but I prefer the freedom to just go for a walk, and I would feel a little uncomfortable doing that alone at night even 1-2 blocks east of this place.