San Diego’s downtown is going through a major resurgence and one
of the leading players is the US Grant Hotel, the city’s most
historic hotel, which has reopened after a $52 million renovation.
Dating from 1910, the hotel was built in honor of former president
Ulysses S. Grant by the president’s real-estate tycoon son, and in
its heyday, it was the social center of town everyone from Charles
Lindbergh to FDR were guests. The dramatic 11-story Beaux Arts
building has been listed on the National Register of Historic
Places since 1979 and is now part of Starwood’s posh Luxury
Collection. And in an interesting twist, the hotel is owned by the
Sycuans, a Native American tribe of the Kumeyaay Nation (whose
ancestors were some of the area’s earliest settlers). In 1875,
Grant passed an Executive Order setting aside 640 acres for the
Sycuans in East San Diego County so the purchase and restoration of
the building represents an ancestral tribute to their legacy in
Southern California.
The attention to detail during the restoration was meticulous
and many of the original hotel elements remain such as the grand
white marble staircase and enormous columns in the soaring lobby,
an original two-ton crystal chandelier in the foyer, the intricate
iron work of the mezzanine’s balustrade and the wood-paneled men’s
smoking room which now serves as an intimate event space. And the
famous portrait of President Grant by Lawrence Gray, which once
hung proudly, is once again on display (its companion painting is
in D.C.’s National Gallery). Aside from the many wondrous historic
elements, the hotel has all the modern amenities befitting a
21st-century Luxury Collection hotel including WiFi service, a
state-of-the-art business center, event spaces and an impressive
art collection which includes specially commissioned pieces from
Native American sculptor Johnny “Bear” Contreras and French painter
Yves Clement.
The 270 rooms are elegantly designed with nine-foot high
ceilings accented with ornamental crown moldings, imported
tapestry-style carpets, white-on-white beds topped with Italian
linens and custom-designed Empire-style furnishings. Guests will
appreciate the 32-inch flat-screens and the large
marble-and-granite bathrooms, but surely the most dazzling feature
are the Jackson Pollock-like “drippings” oil paintings on canvas by
Clement which are blended into the headboards. The premier rooms
are the two bi-level presidential suites boasting two-bedrooms,
contemporary glass light fixtures, ultra-modern bathrooms with a
blue iridescent mosaic tiled wall and a high-tech infinity-edge
bath tub. There’s also a fabulous stone terrace (connecting the two
suites) overlooking the skyline. While there is no spa, guests can
request in-room treatments from nearby Spa Velia and there are
special spa suites on the top floor.
After a day enjoying the sights perhaps a trolley tour to
Coronado or museum-hopping in Balboa Park or a cruise along the
harbor where you’ll glide by U.S. Navy warships it’s nice to be
back at the hotel for pre-dinner cocktails (try the Bay Crush or
Grant’s Margarita) which are served in the bar of the hotel’s
signature restaurant, the Grant Grill. The restaurant is
beautifully decorated with soft leather walls, brocade-backed
banquettes and decorative ironwork. The cuisine from executive chef
Andreas Nieto is California regional and makes use of locally grown
products, especially produce from nearby Chino Farms and the wine
list is heavy with labels from California wineries. The hotel is
just a few blocks from the trendy Gaslamp Quarter overflowing with
sleek cocktail lounges and nightclubs but you’ll be hard-pressed to
leave the comfort and luxury of the US Grant for too long, which is
a sure sign that the hotel will once again become an integral part
of San Diego.
