Ivy Hotel

07/13/2008 Posted by wineloverla

When I arrived I had to sit in the lobby for an hour after check in time waiting for my room. They could not be more unhelpful or rude. They offered to buy me a drink for waiting but then added it to my hotel bill. The room was very pretty however, extremely small and there were no luggage stands or drawers to put my clothes in. When I called down to the receptionist to request a luggage stand..she said "only rooms with king sized bed got them but she would have one sent up".....one never arrived. My friends whom I have not seen in years arrived to take me out to dinner and the EVIL door men would not allow my friends to come to my room. They had the gall to say I am only allowed one guest per room. UNBELIEVABLE. However, they were quick to let girls without wristbands come up to the rooms. As a gay man...I felt totally discriminated against. When I went to complain to the front desk manager he was unhelpful about the whole thing. The next day I had centurion AMEX call and speak to the manager of the hotel who attempted to help. The staff acts as if I should feel honored to be staying at the hotel. Oh and the best part was I bought drinks for all my friends (around $40) and billed it to my room and tipped the bartender $20 cash but left my ID at the bar that night. When I went to get my ID the next morning…he took it upon himself to add a 20% gratuity on top of the cash I gave him….and totaled me with that additional tip for himself….unbelievable! Overall this hotel is pompous and not a place where I would return to. I will go back to the W Hotel...where they appreciated me and my status. The only thing good about this hotel was the food, Chris the concierge and the shampoo.

Pros: Decor, Food

Cons: The staff and rooms are small

05/14/2008 Posted by mbsdcs

Some friends and I stayed at The Ivy Hotel a ahile back for a going away/business get together so we rented the Suite Suite and wow were we impressed. as soon as we arrived to the property we were treated like kings despite us being young professional s where you are sometimes over looked at nice hotels. The concierge staff was excellent in getting us last minute reservations at Oceanaire, as well as dropping us off in the Escalades. After dinner we were picked up and then had a table reserved for us at Eden on the rooftop. This was an increadible night and the entire staff at The Ivy could not have been more attentive and caring of our needs and requests. I will recommend this hotel to anyone that is traveling to San Diego or looking to spend a night downtown that wants to be spoiled in luxury.

Pros: Rooms-Service-Amenities-Concierge

Cons: The Secret is Out

04/07/2008 Posted by Larry11

My wife and two daughters stayed at Ivy Hotel in March 2008 for three nights, four days, from Monday to Thursday. We were treated with the care, respect, and enthusiasm by Debra Shinn, Director of Guest Experience, and her staff. Debra and her staff took good care of my two kids. She was able to accommodate my family in the Star Suite, which is a 1275 square foot suite. As I said to her, Ivy Hotel is the most luxurious property that my family had ever stayed in. I wanted to compare Ivy with the Four Seasons in San Francisco , the Delano Hotel in South Beach Miami, and the Montage in Laguna Beach , but I just couldn’t. Ivy exceeded the service from my previous hotel stays. All aforementioned properties were great, but the personal connection from Debra and her staff tipped the scale in their favor for me. Their attention to detail with their butler, for example, who described himself as “an amenity to our room,” was a welcomed treat. Our suite met every expectation, and then some, from their website’s description. For example, the two bathrooms in our suite were to die for due to its warm architectural design and use of space, as well as its allure of having an open shower that turns opaque, “or not”, when activated by touch. We also dined at their Quarter Kitchen. I had their hamachi dish and my wife had their sea bass; both of which were signature dishes of celebrity Chef Damon Gordon. Their sommelier skillfully paired our dishes with a fine sauvignon blanc. Lastly, their Eden rooftop area with their pool, as well as workout facilities, complimented their uber-stylish branding. We were impressed with their consistent message of style, luxury, and modernity that touched all human senses. Our fond memories of our stay at Ivy Hotel will be revisited as we listen to their CD collection of house music by world-class DJ Este. Congratulations to Ivy for their bleeding edge attitude to uncompromising service and beauty towards the human experience.

Pros: Butler, 6th floor suite, free Internet service in lobby, great food, rooftop cabana

06/03/2007 Posted by hsade

So Ivy is the newest hotel/club in SD and therefore the hottest place to go on a Sat night! I definately had high hopes for Ivy and was wishing that they would actually have some clue (i've set my expectations low when it gets to SD's night life) on how to manage a club and work the front door. After living in SD for the last 5 years, I've come to realize that the bouncers here have their own "Policies" and boy they stick with this "Policy"....Well, let me clarify what i mean. For example, last night My friend and i walked up to the door and asked how we'd get in. Now, generally when you have two Hott Girls with their 'Freakem Dress on' walk up to a bouncer that has 50 guys waiting in line, you hook the girls up and let them in..."Basic Rule of Club world". But we were told "It's the policy to wait in Line"...Now, I've lived and gone out in all the big cities (LA, Miami, Chicago, NYC, ATL) and no where i mean no where had i been this hassled about getting into a club than in SD, cause we go by the Policy! Anyway after sneaking in to the club (there would be no way in hell i'd ever wait in line to get into a club epsecially here) the drinks were ridiculously expensive, the bartenders were clueless and taking forever to get drinks ready, the DJ would play 2PAC to Nirvana...i mean just play Hip Hop would you, and the lights came on at 1:15 AM & made it clear that this is just ANOTHER Pretty club that would die down after the Hype is done....So if that excites you go ahead drop your money for night but you won't leave with a nice taste in your mouth!

Pros: nice looking place

Cons: service, manamgent, unfriendly bartenders and bouncers