Hard Rock Hotel San Diego Is a Rock and Roll Fantasy

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Even if you’re far from being a rock star, you’ll soon get the chance to party like one. This fall, the Hard Rock Hotel San Diego opens its star-studded doors in the heart of the Gaslamp Quarter.

America’s Finest City is in the midst of a lifestyle hotel boom with the recent openings of The Keating, The Ivy and The Sofia Hotel, not to mention the recent renovations of the U.S. Grant, Hotel La Jolla and the Hyatt Regency Islandia, to name a few.

But rest assured—General Manager Robert Todak believes the Hard Rock Hotel San Diego will receive a standing ovation against the city’s high-standard hotel industry.

“You can’t find a more dynamic brand with such world-wide recognition with the common bond of music,” Todak says. “Hard Rock is synonymous with rock and roll, and the hotel is able to compete on so many additional levels.”

The 12-story, 315,000-square-foot hotel will house 420 cutting-edge rooms along with a world-class spa and fitness center, a landscaped outdoor pool deck with private cabanas and a 7,000-square-foot music venue that will host top musicians and DJs. The hotel will feature 40,000-square feet of unique meeting, reception and conference space ideal for business meetings and special events.

According to Todak, walking into the San Diego Hard Rock Hotel lobby will be like no other experience in the chain, featuring intimate glimpses into rock personalities. Visitors will want to stop to read memorabilia, such as a cocktail napkin with lyrics written by John Lennon, and an intimate four-page letter written by Brian Wilson. Aside from little pieces of music history, the design of the hotel is a story of its own.

Two San Diego firms are responsible for the architecture and design of Hard Rock Hotel San Diego. Graham Downes Architecture designed the interiors, while Carrier Johnson is the architect for the hotel's shell and core.

Each room is ideal for both business and pleasure travelers, with chic, modern furniture, ultra-fine lighting, a martini bar, state-of-the art entertainment centers with DVD/CD players and an LCD flat screen television, and an oversized work station with all of the hookups for those who have to work before they play.

If a regular room just doesn’t cut your A-list standards, the Hard Rock Hotel will feature 17 stellar hotel suites, each with its own custom-design features and varying color palettes.

The hotel’s different color schemes—four in all—reflect various musical tastes, including one with black, crimson red, and white for a rocker feel, and another with hues of chocolate brown and champagne bubbly for a more hip-hop mode. Animal-print chairs, ceiling art, fuzzy pillows and bronze mirror sinks are just a few of the interior elements of the hotel’s deluxe rooms.

One hotel suite was designed in part by Grammy-Award winning group, The Black-Eyed Peas. Everything from bed linens to magazines and snacks will reflect the band members’ personal tastes. Pictures of the band members as children, and as adults chilling in the suite, will add a special feng shui touch to the room. With a bird’s eye view of the urban garden and pool, “the Peas’ suite is smack in the middle of the action,” Todak says.

Sleeping isn’t the main attraction for guests of the Hard Rock Hotel. In fact, they may never want to rest their heads once they see the midnight magic of nightclub guru, Rande Gerber, who is designing the lobby, music venue and bar with top exclusivity.