I used to think of San Diego as a typical tourist destination filled with overweight, conservative tourists and families full of unsophisticated people clamoring to go to Sea World, the San Diego Zoo, The racetrack at Del Mar or Legoland.Albeit, the best weather in the country, I always found San Diego lacking a certain hipness. Sure they had money (La Jolla, Coronado), and water sports, but how about style? Horton Plaza and The Gaslamp district were nothing to write home about. Until now.With the opening of many new hotels downtown, San Diego is fast becoming a showcase for sophisticated modern design.Here are three wonderful examples:The least formal and most affordable of the three is Tower 23.With fun 'packages' named Girls' Night, Sex On The Beach, and a spa, you can find plenty to do without spending a fortune.Tower 23TOWER23 Hotel is San Diego's only luxury, lifestyle hotel on the beach and one of California's most stylish and contemporary urban resorts. TOWER23 Hotel derives its name from Lifeguard Tower 23 positioned on Pacific Beach in front of the hotel, and creates a cool haven to enjoy one of America's best cities. Neo-Modernist in approach, TOWER23 Hotel is a refreshingly minimalist but playful, creative study for the urban beach resort.The exclusive resort community of La Jolla is just north of the hotel, while downtown San Diego, the airport, major business centers and popular area attractions are just minutes away. San Diego's vibrant beach life sets the stage for TOWER23's distinctive architecture and style.Responding to the site's natural elements - an environment of sun, ocean, sky, and sand at water's edge on Pacific Beach, a Boardwalk alive with energy set against crashing ocean waves ... a lifestyle rich with people at play, architect Graham Downes sought to design a building that would capture this dynamic.Call: 1.866.TOWER23------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The Keating is a statement of our time, combining the highest level of expressive Italian Design with sophisticated and personalized service. The Keating defines a new standard for lifestyle hotels worldwide. In the Pininfarina tradition, the environment is characterized by pure, clean, ergonomic design, where breathtaking form meets function in every possible detail. What remains is the essential, but not the minimal. The use of materials, colors and lighting combine to give a warm welcoming atmosphere to all of our guests. Modern Italian Design is punctuated by the use of historical details. The result is a unique emotional experience - a catalyst for the imagination.Designed with a cultivated eye for detail, the Keating is Pininfarina’s first hotel creation, a chic hotel with European sex appeal and SOHO style placed perfectly in Southern California. A contemporary interpretation and testament to style and design that is visually striking yet inviting and warm. The Keating sets a new standard for urban lifestyle hotels worldwide.Our 35 luxurious stanzas (Italian for guestroom) and suites have all of the seductive qualities of custom designed furnishings with vaulted ceilings and up to the minute amenities like Bang & Olufsen’s Beo Vision electronics and Dornbracht fixtures. The rooms are conceived without interior walls to create a new interpretation of space, taking away the traditional division of the warm and wet zones (defined by Pininfarina as the bedroom and bathroom).Okay, the fact that they call their 'rooms' stanzas, is a bit much...but I'll forgive them that.Their description of a "Stanza" :Guestroom with 1 California king bed or 2 twin XL beds. Sinful bedding experience includes: goose down duvet, luxurious Italian linens by Frette, goose down pillows and feather bed. Amenities include: Custom designed furnishings by Pininfarina, high speed internet, designer bathrobes by Boca Terry, 10 – 15 foot ceilings, in-room entertainment experience by Bang & Olufsen including: Beovision - 37” HD wall mounted plasma tv, Beosound - radio/cd player, Beocom, – telephone, dvd player, cordless telephone, two-line voice over ip phone, sip & crave selection bar, in-room dining, laundry/valet service.Even their conference rooms are hip-- a great place for business as well as resort travel. Call: 1.877.7KEATING------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------And finally, the third, most luxurious and largest of the three, The Ivy Hotel.A beacon to those who have come to expect more, the 159 guestrooms at Ivy Hotel, including 14 Deluxe Suites and 3 Specialty Suites, drip with luxury. Every room comes standard with a 42” flat screen, in-room technology, a functional workspace, luxurious bedding package, and a rare glimpse of true hospitality.A Peek Behind IvyThere are no givens at Ivy, but endless galleries of surprise and fascination. Here is a glimpse into some of the gorgeous details that you deserve to experience. * Quarter Kitchen fine-dining restaurant * VIP access to Envy nightclub * Eden rooftop pool and bar * 24 hour in-room dining * Full bottle in-room bar * 24 hour valet parking * Same day dry cleaning processing and laundry * Omaha bed, lambs wool mattress cover, fine Thai bed linens * Two microfiber bathrobes * High definition on demand movies and 31 entertainment channels and 4 XM satellite stations * HDTV on 42’’ plasma screen TV with virtual 5.1 sound effect * iPod docking station * Audio/visual hub for convenient interface with laptops and MP3 players * Korres environmentally friendly body care productse * Personalized concierge service * Fitness center * Complimentary wireless access throughout the hotel * Pet friendly facilities * 20,000 square feet of flexible and unique event space * 9,000 square feet of flexible meeting spaceCall: 619.814.1000Fax: 619.531.7955--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
