Hard Rock Hotel, San Diego, October 2019

Hard Rock Hotel
San Diego, CA
October 19, 2019

In all of the time I have spent in the Gaslamp area in Dowtown San Diego, this was the first time staying at the Hard Rock Hotel. 

The Hard Rock is in the perfect location if you are attending a conference at the convention center, attending any event downtown or even in town for a Padres game. 

We were attending an event at the Marriott which is right behind the Hard Rock. So we decided to go with the cooler hotel!  The Hard Rock Hotel has a bar and it has restaurants, but it does not have the standard Hard Rock Cafe.

At one point the Hard Rock Cafe was in a separate building, but it has closed. Now it is just the Hard Rock Hotel.

If you are in the area, check it out. The hotel has some very cool memorabilia on display throughout.

Azure Hotel, Ontario California

Azure Hotel

Ontario, California

Living in San Diego, Anytime there is a convention at the Ontario Convention Center, it requires a 110 mile, 2 hr drive. For multiple day conventions, it makes sense to simply stay in the area, instead of driving 2 hours back and forth.  Back in November, I attended a multiple day convention and I made a blog post about the hotel where I stayed. I was close, but I drove to the convention center every day since I had things to transport with me.  The convention I just recently attended, I decided ahead of time to stay at a closer hotel, so that  I could just walk and not have to pay the parking fees.  I chose the Azure hotel. It is right next door to the convention center. Their parking lots touch. It was not even a 5 minute walk.

I am not sure if I would stay there again, even though it is super convenient, I am just not sure I would stay there again.

If you love the Grandma's Basement look, this hotel is for you. Everything in the hotel is super duper old and outdated. The flooring is this ridiculous, ugly GREEN marble. The bed was this super creepy 4 poster bed that somehow survived the 80s.

The most annoying part of the trip was when I checked in, the hotel had me as 2 separate nights, not one reservation for 2 days.  When I went to check in, the clerk was not helpful at all. She was just matter of fact, Nope they only had me for one night, period end of sentence. Not let me extend you, let me modify your reservation, not any help at all. 

I had to pull up the reservation to prove it was 2 days.  The hotel staff CLAIMED it was 2 separate reservations and their system would not allow it to be modified. As an IT Person, I don't believe it. 

I understand how software works. They could have easily changed the reservation.  Instead, I had to check out and check back in the next day. When I was at the desk checking out and checking back in, someone from house keeping was there. She said "You don't want service today do you?"

I just figured they were understaffed and she was trying to minimize what the housekeepers had to do.  I explained that I had food trash, I needed one more towel and the previous cleaner had left cleaning supplies in my room. I said they didn't need a full clean, but I at least need the trash to go and another towel.

I got back, of course my room hadn't been cleaned, the trash was still there, the cleaning supplies left previously were still there. Someone had dropped off a bunch of towels, but that was it.

The other super annoying part was the hotel has these "energy saver" light systems. You have to leave your card in the fixture to make the lights and AC run. So the hotel can have an updated "energy saving" feature, but they can't be bothered to either update the lamps to the lamps with plugs in the bottom, or add an outlet cover to the outlets by the bed that turns it into 3 outlets and a USB or similar.  Those covers aren't even $10. 

Paris Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada April 2016

Easter Weekend 

Paris Hotel, April 2016

Living a 5 hr drive from Vegas means we visit more than we should. The goal with playing at so many Total Rewards, Caesars Entertainment properties is to stay at every hotel they have in Las Vegas. 

This was our first stay at Paris.  They have renovated since and we have stayed in another type of room since.  I love the hotel theming.  I just love it. Every detail.  From the flooring, to employee uniforms to the signage. What a great theme. 

We had a pretty good view with our room, although we normally spend little time in our hotel rooms.

It was time for the room to be updated.  The carpet was worn and it was clear that it had been awhile since a renovation.  However,  we still had fun, enjoyed our stay and we came back.

Strip Side Junior Suite, Flamingo Las Vegas, March 2016

Our Second Stay at the Flamingo, We decided to check out the Junior Suite instead of a regular room. Typically, it doesn't matter if we don't have a huge room or a suite at hotels because we are the type who are only going to be in the room long enough to sleep and shower before we are back out again.

We had a deal, playing at the casino does that, and we ended up getting the Junior Suite at Flamingo for free.  The best part about out suite was that it was right on the front side facing the strip, with HUGE windows looking out on the strip. This would definitely be a good spot for fireworks, or one of the 5ks. 

The only slightly negative thing with the Junior Suite, is with one bed, and a glass wall separating the bathroom, it would have been a little weird with 2 people who were not together or used to seeing each other naked or "on the throne". 

That is the only slightly negative thing I could say. Since my husband and I rarely travel with anyone else, it is always just he and I, the glass wall in the bathroom was not a problem. 

'The Flamingo is probably one of the most well known hotels on the strip for those who know ANYTHING about the history of Las Vegas. We love walking through the hotel and feeling like history is everywhere. The last original section of the hotel has been gone for a long time, but the history remains. 

Have a drink at Bugsy's bar, some say his spirit will have a drink with you. Or maybe those who said that, hit Margaritaville and the Its 5oclock Somewhere Bar first.