Balboa Park Hotel

2.0 star property

Photo gallery for Balboa Park Hotel

Elite Studio Suite | View from room
Lobby
Deluxe Room, 1 Queen Bed
Front of property
Executive Studio Suite

Reviews

7.8 out of 10
Good

Popular amenities

  • Free Wi-Fi

Explore the area

View map
410 Elm St, San Diego, CA, 92101
  • Place, Petco Park
    ‪2 min drive‬
  • Place, San Diego Convention Center
    ‪2 min drive‬
  • Place, San Diego Zoo
    ‪3 min drive‬
  • Airport, San Diego, CA (SAN-San Diego Intl.)
    ‪4 min drive‬

Room options

Comfort Single Room, 1 Double Bed

  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Double Bed

Deluxe Room, 1 Queen Bed

8.2 out of 10
Very good
(38 reviews)
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Queen Bed

Standard Twin Room, 1 Single Bed

10.0 out of 10
Exceptional
(1 review)
  • Sleeps 1
  • 1 Single Bed

Executive Studio Suite

  • Sleeps 4
  • 1 Queen Bed and 1 Double Murphy Bed

Deluxe Double Room

7.4 out of 10
Good
(3 reviews)
  • Sleeps 4
  • 1 Queen Bed and 1 Double Bed

Queen Room with Shared Bathroom

  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Queen Bed

Deluxe Studio Suite

  • Sleeps 4
  • 1 Queen Bunk Bed

Family Studio Suite

  • Sleeps 4
  • 2 Queen Beds

Elite Studio Suite

  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Queen Bed

Junior Room

10.0 out of 10
Exceptional
(2 reviews)
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Queen Bed

Standard Studio Suite

10.0 out of 10
Exceptional
(1 review)
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Queen Bed

Luxury Studio Suite

10.0 out of 10
Exceptional
(1 review)
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 King Bed

Similar properties

About the area

San Diego

With a stay at Balboa Park Hotel in San Diego (Bankers Hill), you'll be within a 5-minute drive of Petco Park and San Diego Convention Center. .This hotel is 2.1 mi (3.4 km) from Balboa Park and 2.3 mi (3.7 km) from San Diego Zoo.

What's nearby

  • Waterfront Park - 13 min walk - 1.2 km
  • Port of San Diego - 19 min walk - 1.6 km
  • Petco Park - 2 min drive - 1.9 km
  • San Diego Convention Center - 2 min drive - 1.9 km
  • San Diego Zoo - 3 min drive - 1.9 km

Getting around

  • Civic Center Station - 11 min walk
  • San Diego Santa Fe Depot - 19 min walk
  • San Diego Intl. Airport (SAN) - 11 min drive

Restaurants

  • ‪Cocina 35 - ‬7 min walk
  • ‪Ocho Mexican Food & Cafe - ‬2 min walk
  • ‪Mostra Coffee at Banker’s Hill - ‬3 min walk
  • ‪SRO Lounge - ‬1 min walk
  • ‪Books & Records - ‬6 min walk

About this property

Balboa Park Hotel

Hotel in San Diego, near Petco Park
Balboa Park Hotel offers 50 accommodations with hair dryers. This San Diego hotel provides complimentary wireless Internet access, with a speed of 100+ Mbps (good for 1–2 people or up to 6 devices). Refrigerators and coffee/tea makers are provided.
Make yourself at home in one of the 50 guestrooms featuring refrigerators. Complimentary wireless internet access is available to keep you connected.
The front desk is staffed during limited hours.

Property amenities

Internet

  • Available in all rooms: Free WiFi
  • In-room WiFi speed: 100+ Mbps (good for 1–2 people or up to 6 devices)

Parking and transport

  • No on-site parking available

Family friendly

  • In-room refrigerator

Conveniences

  • Limited-hour front desk

Accessibility

  • If you have requests for specific accessibility needs, please contact the property using the information on the reservation confirmation received after booking.
  • 6 steps to reach entrance
  • Front entrance ramp
  • Upper floors accessible by stairs only
  • Well-lit path to entrance

More

  • Smoke-free property

Room amenities

Bedroom

  • Bedsheets provided

Bathroom

  • Hair dryer
  • Towels provided

Food and drink

  • Coffee/tea maker
  • Paper towels
  • Refrigerator

Policies

Check-in

Check-in start time: 4:00 PM; Check-in end time: 2:00 AM
Minimum check-in age: 18

Check-out

Check-out before 10:00 AM
Late check-out subject to availability
Late check-out fee: USD 75
Express check-out available

Special check-in instructions

The front desk is open daily from 12:30 PM - 9:00 PM
Guests planning to arrive outside of normal check-in hours will receive an email within 24 hours before arrival with check-in instructions and smart lock details; front desk staffed during limited hours
Prior to arrival, you must complete online registration via a secure link
You will be asked to provide the property with a copy of your government-issued photo ID after booking
The credit card used to book the reservation must be presented by the cardholder at check-in along with matching photo identification, and other arrangements must be coordinated with the property prior to arrival
Information provided by the property may be translated using automated translation tools

Access methods

Front desk (limited hours), smart lock

Pets

Pets not allowed

Children and extra beds

Children are welcome
Rollaway/extra beds are not available
Cribs (infant beds) are not available

Payment types

Important information

Fees

You'll be asked to pay the following charges at the property. Fees may include applicable taxes:

  • Deposit: USD 100 per accommodation, per stay

We have included all charges provided to us by the property.

Optional extras

  • Late check-out fee: USD 75 (subject to availability)

The above list may not be comprehensive. Fees and deposits may not include tax and are subject to change.

You need to know

Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
The name on the credit card used at check-in to pay for incidentals must be the primary name on the guestroom reservation
This property accepts credit cards and debit cards; cash is not accepted
This property reserves the right to pre-authorize the guest's credit card prior to arrival.
This property has outdoor spaces, such as balconies, patios, terraces which may not be suitable for children; if you have concerns, we recommend contacting the property prior to your arrival to confirm they can accommodate you in a suitable room

We should mention

This property does not have elevators
This property welcomes guests of all sexual orientations and gender identities (LGBTQ+ friendly)

Property is also known as

Hotel Occidental
Balboa Park Hotel Hotel
Balboa Park Hotel San Diego
Balboa Park Hotel Hotel San Diego
Hotel Occidental Balboa Park Downtown

Balboa Park Hotel Reviews

Reviews

7.8

Good

Rating 10 - Excellent. 244 out of 531 reviews
Rating 8 - Good. 104 out of 531 reviews
Rating 6 - Okay. 82 out of 531 reviews
Rating 4 - Poor. 39 out of 531 reviews
Rating 2 - Terrible. 62 out of 531 reviews

8.2/10

Cleanliness

8.2/10

Staff & service

7.2/10

Amenities

7.8/10

Property conditions & facilities

7.8/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Bryan

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Super nice and comfortable to stay! Parking is a little hard to find but other than that the location and hotel is great!
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2025

2/10 Terrible

Cheyenne

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities

Read before booking

I was bitten by bed bugs and the hotel doesn’t have a front desk staff nor do they answer the phone they only respond through text but me and hotels.com have been trying to contact the hotel and no one ever answers the phone There’s Nats flying around the room and dishes were dirty and had puddles of water in between glass plates and bowls the A/C never gets warm we had to use the oven because the room kept getting extremely cold
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2025

6/10 Okay

Caitlyn

Stayed 13 nights in Sep 2025

10/10 Excellent

Steve

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Hotel location was very convenient for my visit.. it also was chill and peaceful.. will be back again
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2025

10/10 Excellent

Joshua

Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2025

6/10 Okay

Corey Robert

Disliked: Staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The room was very small and noisy, with no way to adjust the temperature. The curtain was damaged, and being at street level made privacy a concern. Cleanliness could have been better, and the entire bed protecting cover was covered in stains. Other guests in the building were very noisy, and the large number of homeless people outside the building also added to the disturbance. Customer service was virtually nonexistent. Additionally, their website stated that washers and dryers were available, but there were none on-site. 2 out of 5 stars.
Stayed 7 nights in Sep 2025

2/10 Terrible

Melissa

Stayed 9 nights in Sep 2025

10/10 Excellent

Stephen

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
good location
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2025

10/10 Excellent

Timothy

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
Updated rooms
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2025

2/10 Terrible

Michele

Stayed 1 night in Sep 2025

10/10 Excellent

Jessica

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2025

8/10 Good

Jenell

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
My fiancé and I stayed at this hotel in August. I initially booked a room with an en suite bathroom, but somehow I ended up in a room with a shared bathroom. I don't blame the hotel for this, but the travel website. Anyway, the hotel customer service person (phone call) went out of their way to switch me to another room. I really appreciated that. The rooms are nice, modern, and walking distance to Little Italy. The only small complaint I have is the rooms do not have air-conditioning. Normally in San Diego this isn't a big deal, but it happened to be hot that night and there was construction that started early in the morning. Suffice it to say, having the window open was not pleasant due to the noise. Also, there is no attendant on site, so if you're looking for a place with a front desk person, this is not the place for you. Everything is none by codes, similar to Airbnb.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2025

10/10 Excellent

Alan

Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Really awesome hotel

The place is fantastic. My favorite hotel of all time
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2025

10/10 Excellent

Benjamin

Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2025

10/10 Excellent

Ioana-Raluca, West Hollywood

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Very nice space. Small, but with everything you need. I would have wanted maybe an extra hairdryer, but I managed. Enough amenities, easy checkin and check-out, fast communication with the property. Fan working excellent. After my first day the AC was on without me asking...but the staff control it quickly before freezing :)) Very close to the park and Downtown. Overall a good experience.
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2025

4/10 Poor

Kashmir

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Disliked: Staff & service
If you’re looking for a place to just sleep at and be out during the day, this is it. It was nice and easy to navigate. However their customer service was terrible. We were locked out of our room for 2 hours without food, water, no car keys. The lockbox for our room wouldn’t enter a new code even when they reset it. We continuously called to check for updates but there was nothing they could do for 2 hours and there was no staff on duty since it was after hours. We finally got into our room at almost midnight. After this incident I emailed the hotel to resolve this issue but sadly they ignored me.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2025

10/10 Excellent

Alexa

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 4 nights in May 2025

10/10 Excellent

Victoria

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Everything was ok. Thank you!
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2025

10/10 Excellent

Belle

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Chill vibes
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2025

6/10 Okay

antonio

Disliked: Staff & service
Stayed 4 nights in Aug 2025

10/10 Excellent

Angel

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Everyone was really nice. And the room was more than I expected .
Stayed 7 nights in Jul 2025

10/10 Excellent

Scott

Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2025

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Staff & service, room comfort

Basically a Glorified Hostel

The room was very small, which isn't that big of a deal in and of itself for a solo room; however, it definitely wasn't what was advertised. When it said there was a shared bathroom, I expected a conjoined bathroom with another room not a closet with a toilet and no sink across the hall. I had to shoulder the door open to my room, the internet was spotty, and the walls were thin enough for me to hear people walking around the hallway. The room was clean at least, the building and decor were cool, and it was cozy enough for a single person just stopping over for one night. But considering it felt more like a fancy hostel than a hotel, it certainly wasn't worth the price they're asking.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2025

10/10 Excellent

Louis-Charles

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 8 nights in Aug 2025

2/10 Terrible

Mitchell

Travelled with partner
Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
This is not a hotel but rather a semi converted hostel. No parking for guests. They tell you to park on the street which in downtown San Diego is all metered and you wouldn't want to leave your vehicle overnight in that sketchy neighborhood anyway. Horrible. We left without staying and they are refusing a refund.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2025