I'm surprised to read the negative reviews of the Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina. My wife and I stayed there one night in October 2024 after a flight from Kauai. I was very pleased with the hotel (except for the annoying destination/resort fee).
I used a Marriott Bonvoy 75-night Annual Choice Benefit 40K Free Night Award (FNA) and a Nightly Upgrade Award (NUA), The NUA successfully cleared to a "Renovated, Marina Suite, Suite, 1 King, Sofa bed, Marina view, Marina Tower, Balcony." The suite was a good size, nicely renovated, comfortable, and well-maintained. The marina view was wonderful. Good use of an FNA and NUA.
The free airport shuttle arrived promptly. The shuttle driver and front desk agent were welcoming and efficient. In fact, service was excellent throughout our brief stay. We enjoyed our dinner at the hotel's Rumarosa Restaurant, although we were almost the only guests on a Saturday evening around 8 p.m. Food and service were very good, as one would want at the main restaurant of a full-service hotel. Menu prices were higher than one would want, but, hey, it's a hotel.
As our Welcome Gift for Platinum Elite and above, I chose daily restaurant breakfast for the two of us. We were only at the hotel one night, so we only had one breakfast. It was the Sunday morning buffet in the Rumarosa Restaurant. Because it was a Sunday, there were more choices than other days. Wow! What a great buffet! It was by far the best breakfast buffet I've had at any hotel in the United States during the post-COVID19 years. Breakfast was much busier than dinner, but was not crowded.
The destination/resort fee was annoying. I hate such mandatory fees. I believe it included a $10 restaurant credit, which we used toward our dinner, but we didn't use any other "benefits" from the fee. Is it too much to ask hotels to get rid of these insulting garbage fees? Just charge an appropriate room rate -- and don't punish loyal guests by reaching into their wallets for cash on top of what should be an award stay from hard-earned FNAs or Marriott Bonvoy points.
Our stay was around ten months ago, so perhaps things have changed for worse. But that would be surprising. They've invested a lot of money in this older property, and the staff seemed to take pride in providing good service. I would gladly stay there again. In fact, I would suggest ignoring the bad reviews from before the 2024 renovation,
I noticed that the hotel has a new name on Marriott.com. It's no longer Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina. It's now Sheraton San Diego Resort. Most business travelers are discouraged by their companies from being wasteful, so "resorts" on expense accounts can be viewed with suspicion. Calling an airport hotel a "resort" is likely to repel rather than attract business travelers. Yes, this hotel has more amenities than a typical airport hotel, but ultimately its biggest strength is how close it is to San Diego Airport.
Grand exterior
Renovated lobby
Suite 624 on the Marina side of the hotel
Living room of suite 624, a true one-bedroom suite
Rather spectacular view from suite 624