Opinions EMPRESS HOTEL San Diego

Amazingly beautiful .. Location, the supporting staff, the view what not!!

My wife and I spent three nights at the Manhattan and enjoyed it very much. The room was spacious comfortable and clean. The bed was especially comfortable. My only complaint would have been the bathroom had only a louvered door on it which did not create as much privacy as we would like. There is also a restaurant that is attached to the hotel that is excellent. The restaurant is also called manhattan.

I'm surprised by the high ratings here on Google for this place. The room I stayed in was not adequately cleaned/prepped, there were 2 tissues in the tissue box and the refrigerator was dirty. The bed thankfully didn’t have any bed bugs but the carpeting both in and out of the room seem to need cleaning or updating.

There was no hot water, the shower was freezing cold even though I had the knob on the hottest setting for many minutes and it was too early in the morning for the hotel to possibly be out of hot water. Also be aware there are no bath tubs in case you have young children.

The free breakfast is on par with what you see at budget motels. There was a waffle maker and dry biscuits and sausages, with some questionable eggs.

For the price difference vs nearby places, I would advise folks you are only paying for the walkability to the beach, which seems to have plenty of 3 hour parking spots available.

The biggest issue I experienced was that I had an EV car and had booked the hotel because there was EV charging available. Both on the phone ahead of time and when we checked in, two separate people ensured I would get charging overnight, which was crucial for my family since we had driven from the OC and would need to make it back the next day. So of course it was devastating the next day when after tipping the valet, we discovered the car still low on mileage, completely uncharged. That of course threw our whole day off, made us scrap our previous vacation plans, and we had to adjust plans quickly to focus on finding charging ports for our car so that we wouldn't be stranded in SD for the day. So overall, while the location of this place is convenient to walk to La Jolla Cove, I would never in good conscience recommend this place to anyone I know.

Even though we were right across from the elevator, we had a very nice stay. Great location, great service and accommodation's. You have to pay for parking but, it’s downtown La Jolla

Great location. Great stay.

Cute old-school hotel. There is also a wonderful Italian/steak restaurant in the lobby.

My wife and I have done a staycation at this hotel twice now. Each time the service is impeccable and the rooms are clean. You can’t beat the location and the piano bar is terrific. The only suggestion I have for the piano player is that he place a QR code nearby so people can tip him by Vemo/Zelle. He’s fun and talented.

This time we were particularly impressed by the front desk reception that we received from Roy. He was friendly, genuine, and informative. The front desk usually helps set the tone for the experience you can expect, and Roy was a nice way to start our visit.

Couple travelling without kids Nov 2023. Stayed 2 nights.

The room was spacious, clean, and everything worked. The bed was great. Nice towels, sheets, robes.

Breakfast is not good, honestly I have had better at Holiday Inn Express.

Apparently the restaurant in the hotel is a great old school Italian steak house, it was packed every night. But we are elsewhere. La Jolla is spendy and we are more interested in simple fare.

Location is the real star here. It's right in the heart of La Jolla cove. Beach, food, shopping, sights all very close by. Walking distance to so many coffee shops,. restaurants, and everything.

I'd stay again. Just don't count on breakfast at the hotel.

We really appreciate the complimentary valet service and the reasonable room price. We will definitely be back!

Magnificent service a great place to stay centrally located. It's my go to when doing business in la jolla. The rooms are big cleaning comfortable. Very nice complimentary breakfast every morning.

Great spot

Stayed at the Empress Hotel in La Jolla for a wedding, and had an excellent experience. Special thanks to Marco at the front desk for going out of his way to ensure our experience was an A+.

Beds were quite comfortable, and the location was excellent allowing us to walk to Cuvier park for the ceremony.

Work, Leisure, or other reasons for your travels... this hotel is such a gem in the Village at La Jolla! I was here for work, able to focus within the quiet of my room, walk to Puesto for dinner, enjoy the shops on my way back, and get back to enjoy the coziness of the hotel in the evening.

(This was the sunset in La Jola on that evening in late September!)

Great location! Great prices!! Super comfy bed.