The Horton Grand Hotel has been providing accommodations for notable guests since 1886. Wyatt Earp lived here for seven years, and later Hollywood’s Lou Costello, baseball great Babe Ruth, and famous boxers Jack Dempsey and Joe Louis were all guests. The Victorian Italiante hotel was scheduled for demolition in the 1970s to make way for the Gaslamp Quarter’s Horton Plaza when preservationists aggressively intervened and saved it and the Saddlery Hotel from the wrecking ball. The Horton Grand and Saddlery hotels were dismantled brick by brick and stored until a new home could be found. In 1986, the two hotels were rebuilt in a new location and connected by a courtyard and atrium. They reopened as a single hotel – the Horton Grand Hotel.
Horton Grand Ambiance
A welcoming sun-filled atrium sets the tone in this historic and elegant hotel with gleaming white marble floors, Victorian era furnishings, antique chandeliers, glass walls, tapestry rugs, and potted trees. In the adjacent courtyard, huge ficus trees wrapped in strings of tiny lights glimmer by night and provide shade over much of the outdoor space by day. The Palace whiskey bar and Ida Bailey’s restaurant are separated from the grand entrance by a 200-year-old oak stairway that has been meticulously restored. The tone is tasteful and classy.
The distinguished Horton Grand Hotel has a modern, comfortable feel that appeals to the sophisticated adult traveler. Whether visiting for business or pleasure, guests will appreciate the refined ambiance and gracious customer service provided by the Horton Grand Hotel. It is a lovely venue for nearly any formal or informal occasion with a variety of event spaces from which to choose. Host anything from a lavish wedding in the Regency Ballroom to a farmer’s market in Copley Alley.
Horton Grand Hotel Rooms and Suites
There are 108 guest rooms and 24 Grand Rooms at the Horton Grand with either courtyard or city views. No two rooms in the entire hotel are exactly alike. You’ll find all kinds of interesting historic details like ornately hand-crafted armoires instead of the usual closets, marble framed fireplaces with carved wood mantels, elaborate antique headboards and furnishings, era-specific architectural details, and other classic touches.
Traditional rooms come in three styles. Choose a single bed traditional, ADA single bed traditional, or two queen traditional. All three come with Victorian-style furnishings, plush mattresses elegantly dressed, neutral color palettes, and city views. Modern conveniences include a gas fireplace, ceiling fan, flat-screen TV, hair dryer, and coffee/tea maker. Each room has complimentary bottled water on arrival, as well as complimentary Wi-Fi.
Horton Grand Hotel’s Balcony Courtyard rooms have either views of the San Diego cityscape or the hotel’s New Orleans-style courtyard. Balconies each have an ornate wrought iron bistro table and chairs for a sunny morning breakfast or relaxing evening glass of wine. Large balcony rooms offer the same amenities as the traditional rooms with the exception of an upgraded king-size bed.
Grand rooms are Horton Grand Hotel’s answer to the traditional suite. They are spacious at 600 square feet with a king bed in the bedroom and a queen sofa bed in the sitting room. There are flat-screen TVs in both rooms. Grand rooms have all the amenities of a traditional room with the addition of a separate seating room, kitchenette, and balcony. You may even get an antique-style brass toilet with elevated water tank in the upscale bathroom. Some Grand Room bathrooms also have rain showers.
Room tip:
In exchange for the historic hotel’s convenient Gaslamp location, you may experience an elevated noise level, particularly from the club Fluxx across the street. Bringing earplugs or choosing a Courtyard room can help mitigate noise if you aren’t used to lively urban environments, find the lack of soundproofing in most historic buildings unacceptable, or are a light sleeper.
Horton Grand Hotel Amenities
The Horton Grand Hotel Palace Bar was part of the original Horton built in 1886. In fact, their slogan is “whiskey, wine, and song since 1886.” It was saved by preservationists along with the rest of the hotel in the 1970s. A recent renovation of the Palace and collaboration with bar consultant Cervantes Magana’s Medicine Show resulted in one of the best selections craft-cocktail spirits, whiskeys, and Scotches around, surpassing the expectations of even the most sophisticated mixologists.
The Palace serves over 500 Scotches, bourbons, and whiskeys; premium wine and cigars; and craft cocktails. What they don’t serve is food, but you will be hard-pressed to find a comparable lounge in the Gaslamp Quarter where you can ladder Macallan Scotch whiskey in quiet sophistication. Palace Bar is open evenings seven days a week, and offers tasteful live music on weekends.
In the late 1800s, the Gaslamp Quarter was known as the Stingaree where bordellos, saloons, and gambling halls made up most of the district. Ida Baily was the most flamboyant and recognizable of the madams running bordellos, and in fact, ran the Caged Canary on the spot that her namesake Ida Baily Restaurant now sits. Open for breakfast and lunch, the restaurant offers a wide selection of benedicts, omelets, and breakfast classics. Try the orange walnut waffle with candied walnuts, orange mascarpone and a side of bourbon maple syrup. Both breakfast and lunch are served until mid-afternoon; the lunch menu features soups, salads, sandwiches, and small plates.
It is hard to top the Horton Grand Hotel when it comes to event space. They have two conference rooms with state-of-the-art technology, and two grand ballrooms accommodating up to three hundred guests. Unlike other hotels, the Horton Grand also has four additional unique venues: a New Orleans-style courtyard with beautiful trees and plants, and a bubbling fountain for any size event; the off-Broadway-style Horton Grand Theater that holds 250 guests; Copely Alley, an informal space for relaxed gatherings; and a 5,000-square-foot warehouse for your over-the-top event.
Other hotel amenities at Horton Grand Hotel include complimentary high-speed Wi-Fi throughout the hotel, a gift shop with snacks and essentials that is open 24 hours, and valet and overnight parking that is more reasonably priced than many surrounding lots. The hotel also has a business center that is open 24 hours and offers complimentary use of computers and printers.
Horton Grand San Diego Neighborhood
Horton Grand Hotel is located on Island Avenue between Third and Fourth Avenues at the edge of San Diego’s popular Gaslamp Quarter. It is within walking distance of an eclectic array of shops and restaurants, the district’s vibrant nightlife, the San Diego Convention Center, and Petco Park – home of the San Diego Padres. You can be entertained anytime, day or night, from this convenient location.
Two great nearby restaurants you’ll want to try are Escape Fish Bar and Currant American Brasserie. Escape Fish Bar is an unassuming, casual restaurant in the Gaslamp Quarter, on 5th Avenue between G and F Streets, with a wide range of Pacific Northwest fish selections. It is well-known for signature tacones, which are Japanese-style seafood tacos. Currant, reminiscent of popular traditional French cafés, is located on Downtown’s busy West Broadway Street. Chef Manikowski has created a menu that uses fresh seasonal ingredients and specializes in classic French cuisine infused with American soul; the ambiance alone is worth the trip. Don’t miss their weekend brunch.
William Heath Davis House, Gaslamp Quarter Tours, PETCO Park Tour, GoCar San Diego Tour, Seaport Village shopping, and the San Diego Chinese Historical Museum, Gaslamp Museum, and Museum of Contemporary Art are a few of the many attractions within walking distance of Horton Grand Hotel. Other San Diego Downtown neighborhoods like Little Italy, the Marina District, and East Village each offer a unique downtown vibe worth investigating.
Horton Grand San Diego Promotions
The Horton Grand Hotel offers A night at the Horton Grand Theater packages that combine a hotel stay with a live theater experience. The theater is adjacent to the hotel and has ongoing long-running musicals and shows. Typically, a show will run for several weeks to two months at the 250-seat off-Broadway-style theater.
Park and Stay packages offered at the Horton Grand Hotel include one night’s stay, overnight valet parking for one car, and complimentary Internet. These packages are available Sundays through Thursdays. Discounts apply to all rooms.
Attraction + Hotel packages include a night’s stay at the Horton Grand Theater combined with tickets to a local attraction. Past attraction/hotel packages have included Hornblower cruises; SeaWorld day passes; Brothels, Bites, and Booze San Diego food tours; and Old Town Trolley sightseeing tours.
Check the website for current promotions during your San Diego vacation.
This warm and finely appointed city view room is anything but basic. This room is furnished with Victorian style furnishings, an armoire, gas burning fireplace and ceiling fan. Our Traditional room includes complimentary WIFI, flat screen television, coffee /tea maker, welcome bottle water. This warm and finely appointed city view room is anything but basic. This room is furnished with Victorian style furnishings, an armoire, gas burning fireplace and ceiling fan. Our Traditional room includes complimentary WIFI, flat screen television, coffee /tea maker, welcome bottle water.
Horton Grand Hotel TripAdvisor Reviews.
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