We spent two nights on a high floor at the Holiday Inn in downtown San Diego. The room was fine (except oddly the clock didn't work...no big deal, but you think a maid would notice at some point.) We did not have a problem with airport noise although the airport was in easy viewing distance.

They let us check in early (thank you) and the front desk staff was very cheery and helpful.

For us, visiting as first time tourists and not during real beach season, the location was perfect. We enjoyed walking around the farmers market in Little Italy, easy walking distance to the hotel. We also walked to the Midway, a farther but perfectly do-able walk. We did have a rental car (parking somewhat steep at $17/night but convenient to not find a lot) and the hotel had very convenient access to the I-5 highway (again, easily viewable from our hotel room, although we didn't have highway noise). Quick to the Mission Beach area, Balboa park, Del Mar, etc.

We weren't on foot much in the area after dark, but the homeless folk we saw during the day didn't bother us.

Didn't try the tiny restaurant, the gym or the pool.

As long as you're not looking for a big or fancy lobby, and especially if you get a good deal via priceline, this hotel works just fine.

I found the Holiday Inn to be a nice hotel that was priced accordingly. The property is located off the bay and adjacent to the I-5 Freeway. As such, it is probably not the best location for walking through San Diego, but it is not so far enough from the bay and the downtown area that walking would be completely out of the question for those with hardy legs and hearts.

Our room was exceedingly clean and well kept. The bed was comfortable and encouraged a good nights sleep. The carpet was fresh and new in appearance and the flat-screened TV worked great. The free WiFi connected to my laptop without a problem and stayed connected throughout the room. Our room had a king-sized bed, work desk, dresser, armchair, and a small chair-side table.

The bathroom was also clean and well maintained. However, the bathroom door was a bit of an oddity. It was made of frosted glass and actually slid open and closed along the partition wall between the living area and the bathroom. While this configuration offered privacy, there were gaps at the edges of the sliding door that did indeed offer views into the living area whilst seated on the throne. Even though the sliding door fulfilled its function, it by no means created a feeling of being in a secure vault at the heart of Fort Knox ;) Some of the photos from other reviews show this feature and for this reason alone, I would think twice about returning (but that’s just me).

The hotel’s location next to the freeway offers opportunities for some great views from the upper floors. We were on the sixth floor and could see parts of the bay, the freeway, and jets landing at the airport. I would recommend being higher than this if views are something you appreciate. Freeway noise was sufficiently managed by the windows. However, at the quietest of times, a sort of white noise could be heard from the freeway outside.

The hotel has a small café off of the main lobby that is not much more than a snack bar. There are much better places to eat in San Diego, but I did use the café for getting a cup of coffee and a pastry in the mornings, which I brought back up to our room. For this reason, its presence is a plus for the establishment.

Overall, this is an exceedingly nice property with the convenience of on-site food and a discouraging bathroom door.

We reserved 2 rooms for our stay and they managed to get us into 2 adjoining rooms so we were actually able to open up the door in between and go between the 2 rooms. The rooms were quite clean and spacious and overall, the hotel appeared to be in good condition except for the washroom doors which for some reason did not close completely and left about a 1" opening?? We were checked in promptly and the staff were polite and professional. We took advantage of the 'kids eat free' offerings and had breakfast daily in their little cafe. The food quality was decent and price was acceptable after factoring in their free meals as well. The complimentary shuttle was definitely a bonus and was fairly punctual on both pickup and drop which was nice as we used it quite often to get around including to Sea World as well as the Zoo. However, they are quite strict on and will not offer pickup / dropoff beyond their stated limit (1mi I believe?). We had some concerns about the reviews which mentioned the homeless around the area and we did notice some as soon as we arrived at the hotel but they are not aggressive and will not hassle you. It is also nice being close to Little Italy which offers many great restaurant choices, as well as the tram.

I was worried after booking the hotel and saw the negative reviews about the noise and shabby neighborhood. However, after I arrived, it is surprisingly better than I expected. The room is very clean and comfy with modern and new decoration. I didn't hear any noise, actually it was pretty quiet that if you didn't tell me it's by the airport, I wouldn't notice. The staff is very kind and effective. Parking is $17, pretty expensive. But they offer free shuttle to SeaWorld, Seaport Village... So you would save parking in SeaWorld, which is $12. In terms of neighborhood, I didn't actually walk around since they offer free shuttle. But I saw people walking dogs round 8pm. Free internet. I saw people get coupons for breakfast. I didn't have any. But the price was reasonable. Overall very good experience, I'll definitely revisit and recommend to my friends.