Every Champions Circle needs a home base, and this year’s is something special. The InterContinental San Diego sits directly on the downtown waterfront, where the city meets the bay. For four days in September, it’s all ours. Here’s what to expect when you walk through the doors.
A room with a view. Every room.
The hotel opened in 2018 and features 400 guest rooms, each with floor-to-ceiling windows framing views of San Diego Bay or the city skyline. The style is contemporary coastal: clean, light, and calm, with pops of blue and gold. Rooms come with the modern touches you’d hope for, including in-room coffee, built-in USB chargers, marble bathrooms, and cozy robes. Sunset from your window is worth pausing for. Trust us.
Built on hallowed baseball ground
Here’s the story we promised. The hotel stands on the site of Lane Field, home of the Pacific Coast League San Diego Padres from 1936 to 1957. A local kid named Ted Williams played here before becoming one of the greatest hitters in baseball history. Today, glass panels in the sidewalk outside mark the exact spots where home plate and the bases once sat, and the park next door carries the Lane Field name. Take a minute to find them. You’ll be standing where legends stood.
Dining without leaving the building
You won’t go hungry here. Vistal, the hotel’s signature restaurant on the third floor, celebrates coastal Southern California and Baja-inspired flavors with a focus on sustainable local seafood. Garibaldi, an open-air Mediterranean restaurant, offers wood-fired dishes on a terrace with fire pits and sweeping views of the bay and skyline. Up on the fourth-floor rooftop, Layover is a laid-back bar next to the pool where you can sip a cocktail while watching planes glide in over the water. The hotel is also home to Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse and Seneca Trattoria, plus a Starbucks on the first floor for your morning fix.
The rooftop pool you’ve been dreaming about
The fourth-floor pool deck may become your favorite spot of the week. The heated pool overlooks the bay, surrounded by cabanas, loungers, and fire pits. Early risers can hit the 3,300-square-foot fitness center, which features bay views and an outdoor yoga terrace. A morning stretch with the harbor below you is a pretty good way to start a day.
Location, location, location
Step outside and you’re on the Embarcadero, with the USS Midway Museum, the Maritime Museum, and harbor cruises all within an easy stroll. Little Italy’s restaurants are a short walk north. The Gaslamp Quarter’s nightlife is a short walk south. The Santa Fe Depot train station is five minutes away on foot, and the airport is only about three miles up the road, making this one of the easiest arrival days you’ll ever have.
We chose this hotel because it puts the best of San Diego at your feet while giving you a beautiful place to land at the end of each day. In an upcoming post, we’ll share the most photo-worthy spots near the hotel so you can capture the week in style. Start planning your window-seat sunset now.