Myself & my husband stayed here for 4 nights beginning on July 4th. The location of the hotel is good, sort of in the middle of everything. We did rent a car and therefore used the parking garage, which is actually located on 6th, not 7th. We were informed that the charge for parking would be $14 per day (and I knew that ahead of time anyway), but in the end we were only charged for one day. I wondered if this was because we arrived on a holiday and perhaps they don't charge on holidays & weekends? What everyone says about the garage it true: the quarters are tight and you can see all sorts of dents and scrapes along the poles & walls where folks might have had trouble navigating the premesis.
Our room was nice, although the bathroom was a bit small. All the staff were very friendly and helpful, my only complaint is that the housekeeping crew would not be finished until very late afternoon. This happened to us twice; we had come back at about 5 pm and they were still in our room finishing up.
We had breakfast there every morning, which was included. I thought it was very good value, but it was also quite busy so I would suggest getting down there earlier rather than later.
We were able to walk to the Gaslamp Qtr., Petco Park, and the waterfront. San Diego is hilly, so be prepared for that.
We took advantage of the Domino's Pizza across the way, ordering their 'Carry-Out Special' one evening. We also ate a a restaurant across the street called Sole Luna Cafe which was fantastic. We had a lot of variety near us, so that was great.
The last review mentioned that the pool was empty, which was the case when we were there too. I did not inquire about this however.
Also, I know that the front desk offers some discount tickets to area attractions. I did not use them as we had purchased the 3-1 ticket, but I did hear another gentleman get the voucher for the zoo and that was a savings of $8/per person.
The hotel also has a little patio which is nice and I saw many patrons taking advantage of that and relaxing outside.
I would recommend this hotel to anyone who either needed to be downtown or if this was their first visit to the area. I have had great luck with Holiday Inn Express, and this location did not disappoint.

First visit to San Dieo and wanted a hotel central to everything. Location worked perfect for our visit. It was about 6-10 blocks from the Gaslamp District. Not too bad of a walk at night. Very close to hwy. 5. Not far from the trolley. Hotel was well kept. Room was clean. Bathroom and room a little small, but not bad for 2 people who used it to stay in at night only. Pool was not filled with water, not sure why? Continental breakfast was good for a hotel continental breakfast. I would stay again if needing to stay in downtown area.

I was umming and ahhing for a long time about which hotel to stay in during our thanksgiving visit to San Diego. I eventually went with the Holiday Inn Express because of its proximity to friends and its value for money. I wasn't too sure about what to expect from the actual hotel.

When we arrived, the hotel is only 3 stories, I had imagined a huge hotel but was suprised at its size. We were greeted by the very friendly staff who had us checked-in quickly and without issue. Our room was on the third floor (a bit of advice, some rooms have a balcony - try and request one of these, we didn't and wished we did!). The room was spacious, clean and in great condition. The bathroom was compact but for 2 people it was more than manageable.

The room was cleaned daily, sometimes it would be done quite late, sometimes returning at 5pm and the room was just being finished. This wasn't an issue however as the staff we're so friendly and efficient.

We were supplied with an internet router to get free in-room net access which was great. Another perk was the free shuttle to and from the airport (just call and let them know your arrival time) which saved us time and money.

The staff were truly the redeaming feature of this hotel, they made what was a 'bulk standard' hotel something special. They would greet you everyime you got back and we're always there to provide directions and order a taxi if needed.

Another perk was the staff gave us free parking for our car (which you WILL need in San Diego, everything is a car ride away!) because the quote they got for car hire came out more expensive than one we had. Little things like this really make you appreciate your stay.

The downsides were the breakfast that is supplied, this didnt consist of much - a few muffins and some cerial, which was feasted on by some very vulturous guests leaving very little left. Another 'down side' was they charged for the safe which I didnt realise until we checked out, but $1-a-day isn't too bad.

I would highly recommend this hotel, book directly from their official website for the best internet rates, we paid $99 per night for a room. Worth every penny and we will most certainly be staying there again.

The employees at the front desk were kind, bent over backwards to help me, and were knowledgable about the city and transportation around San Diego. They really helped make my trip most enjoyable.

The hotel was clean and my room was always made up whenever I returned at the end of the day.

I would highly recommend this hotel.