San Diego Hard Rock Hotel for the Rock Star in You
The San Diego Hard Rock Hotel has quite a storied past.
San Diego Hard Rock hotel suite; watch out for the edges of the furniture especially after a cocktail or two
Once upon a time there was this parking lot on the most prime piece of property in San Diego, near the Convention Center and Petco Park and right next to the Gaslamp marquee.
Our Modest Role in the History of the Hard Rock San Diego
We were the elite San Diego video production crew who was the proverbial “fly on the wall” that videotaped the action as the parking lot was transformed from grit and rubble to one of San Diego’s premiere hotels. We produced a series of videos for suite owners.
Construction Update Video
The first was a Construction Update that explained how the space was envisioned and the building progress. It included interviews of the Greg Casserly the developer, John Scheuer, the head of construction and John Starr the architect. It featured a timelapse segment of the construction of the San Diego Hard Rock Hotel.
San Diego Hard Rock Unplugged
The next video was a 41-minute seminar, “San Diego Hard Rock Unplugged” with a gathering of the hotel owners asking questions of a panel comprised of Greg Casserly, John Starr, John Scheuer and the late Graham Downes, Interior Designer.
Topping Off Video
And finally, we videotaped the “Topping Off” of the San Diego Hard Rock Hotel. Mayor Sanders was on hand to dedicate the building by smashing a guitar. This is the rock-star version of shattering a bottle of champagne against the hull of a new ocean-going luxury liner. (See above.)
Fast forward to now.
Anniversary Fun at the Hard Rock Hotel
That parking lot is now the San Diego Hard Rock Hotel, positioned like the Hope Diamond between Petco Park and the Gaslamp District. My husband and I had bought a room there at a Silent Auction and decided to use our certificate to celebrate our 31st anniversary on Valentine’s Day.
Pool with personal cabanas
We spent two nights on the property, bouncing from our suite to “Float” (a bar next to the pool) to the pool cabana to the hot tub to our suite, to Nobu then “207” (a bar next to the lobby) and then back to the suite. Nobu had a Happy Hour that was as tasty as we’d always heard.
Two sexy women walking through the San Diego Hard Rock lobby
For those who come to town on business and need to wake up way early in the morning, you may want to steer clear of a place called the “HARD ROCK” – (hello).
San DIego Hard Rock pillows embroidered with guitar logo
When the Hard Rock was under construction back in 2006, my husband and I, partners at San Diego video production company Crystal Pyramid Productions, interviewed the builder, Greg Casserly, who said that the place would always be rocking, and when you’re rocking, you are not sleeping. Also, ambient sounds from the San Diego trolley, passing trains, fire engines and other urban noise, rise up and penetrate.
Breakfast at Maryjane’s
Breakfast at Maryjane’s Cafe was good and my hubby and I laughed at the television shows, cartoons and commercials from the 50’s and 60’s that played on the video screens that sit at the end of each table.
Patty Mooney on her laptop relaxing inside the Hard Rock suite
Roy Rogers in a very Liberaci-influenced cowboy shirt, Creepy Crawlers, Chatty Cathy…. Man, those were the days. Hotels don’t seem to provide coffee in the room anymore. And that is something I have always enjoyed. So instead, we had coffee at breakfast at Maryjanes which was hot and tasty.
For the best views in town, true rock-and-roll ambience and amenities, you can expect to shell out some coin. On your night prowling, you’ll meet fellow night owls and possibly descend into deep conversation.
A view from our suite at the San Diego Hard Rock Hotel
Enjoy! Don’t expect to go to bed early, don’t expect the silence of a monastary.
If you don’t harbor unrealistic expectations, then you will not be disappointed.
This would be the perfect place to stay if you are attending the San Diego Comic Con in July. It’s a walk across the street to the convention center, and you could run into someone special in the hallway. Someone like Kim Kardashian, Jackie Chan or The Black Eyed Peas, all of whom have spent a night or two at the Hard Rock.
