Balboa Park Hotel

2.0 star property
Hotel in San Diego, near Port of San Diego

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Photo gallery for Balboa Park Hotel

Reception
Free WiFi, bed sheets
Executive Studio Suite | Private kitchen | Fridge, coffee/tea maker
Deluxe Double Room | Free WiFi, bed sheets
Exterior

Reviews

8.0 out of 10
Very good

Popular amenities

  • Laundry
  • Housekeeping
  • Free WiFi

Room options

Available filters for rooms
Showing 5 of 5 rooms

Deluxe Queen Room

Highlights

Refrigerator
Private bathroom
Hair dryer
Coffee/tea maker
Daily housekeeping
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Queen Bed

Standard Room Full Bed

Highlights

Air conditioning
Heating
Refrigerator
Pillow menu
Memory foam bed
Private bathroom
Hair dryer
Cookware/dishes/utensils
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Double Bed

Standard Room Twin Bed

Highlights

Heating
Kitchenette
Refrigerator
Smart TV
Pillow menu
Premium bedding
Memory foam bed
Private bathroom
  • Sleeps 1
  • 1 Twin Bed

Executive Studio Suite

Highlights

Balcony
Heating
Kitchen
Refrigerator
Smart TV
Memory foam bed
Premium bedding
Egyptian cotton linens
  • Sleeps 4
  • 1 Queen Bed and 1 Double Murphy Bed

Deluxe Double Room

Highlights

Heating
Kitchenette
Refrigerator
Pillow menu
Premium bedding
Memory foam bed
Private bathroom
Hair dryer
  • Sleeps 4
  • 1 Queen Bed and 1 Double Bed

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About the neighborhood

Map
410 Elm St, San Diego, CA, 92101

What's nearby

  • Port of San Diego - 2 min drive - 2.0 km
  • Petco Park - 3 min drive - 2.3 km
  • San Diego Convention Center - 3 min drive - 2.3 km
  • Balboa Park - 3 min drive - 3.5 km
  • San Diego Zoo - 4 min drive - 3.7 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

  • ‪Extraordinary Desserts - ‬11 min walk
  • ‪Cocina 35 - ‬7 min walk
  • ‪Pappalecco - ‬10 min walk
  • ‪Caparells Restaurant - ‬9 min walk
  • ‪Harumama Noodles and Buns - ‬11 min walk

About this property

Balboa Park Hotel

Hotel near Waterfront Park
Close to Port of San Diego and San Diego Zoo, Balboa Park Hotel provides amenities like laundry facilities. Stay connected with free in-room WiFi.
You'll also enjoy the following perks during your stay:
  • Express check-out and smoke-free premises
  • Guest reviews say great things about the helpful staff
Room features
All 50 rooms include amenities such as free WiFi. Guest reviews highly rate the clean rooms at the property.
More conveniences in all rooms include:
  • Refrigerators, coffee/tea makers, and daily housekeeping

Languages

English, Spanish

Similar properties

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 transportation

  • No onsite parking available

Family friendly

  • In-room refrigerator
  • Laundry facilities

Conveniences

  • Laundry facilities
  • Limited-hour front desk

Guest services

  • Housekeeping (daily)

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
  • 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 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

Access methods

Front desk (limited hours), smart lock

Pets

Pets not allowed

Children and extra beds

Children are welcome

Property 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
This property accepts credit cards and debit cards; cash is not accepted

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

Frequently asked questions

Is Balboa Park Hotel pet-friendly?

No, pets are not allowed at this property.

How much is parking at Balboa Park Hotel?

This hotel doesn't offer parking.

What time is check-in at Balboa Park Hotel?

Check-in start time: 4:00 PM; Check-in end time: 2:00 AM.

What time is check-out at Balboa Park Hotel?

Check-out is at 10:00 AM. Late check-out is available for USD 75 (subject to availability).

Where is Balboa Park Hotel located?

Located in Bankers Hill, this hotel is within 1 mi (2 km) of San Diego Civic Theatre, Port of San Diego, and Waterfront Park. Petco Park and San Diego Zoo are also within 2 mi (3 km). Civic Center Station is 11 minutes by foot and Civic Center Station is 12 minutes.

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Balboa Park Hotel Reviews

Reviews

8.0

Very Good

Rating 10 - Excellent. 155 out of 319 reviews
Rating 8 - Good. 65 out of 319 reviews
Rating 6 - Okay. 51 out of 319 reviews
Rating 4 - Poor. 23 out of 319 reviews
Rating 2 - Terrible. 25 out of 319 reviews

8.4/10

Cleanliness

8.6/10

Staff & service

7.4/10

Amenities

8.0/10

Property conditions & facilities

7.8/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

jennifer

Liked: Amenities
Great experience!
Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2025

10/10 Excellent

Namir

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
modern at the location and quiet!!
Stayed 9 nights in Mar 2025

10/10 Excellent

Anthony

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Close to downtown’ SD’s, Gaslamp as noted making all of San Diego’s exciting attractions accessible in the coolest way! And while close to the Highway it’s strikingly quiet!
Stayed 6 nights in Mar 2025

8/10 Good

David

Parking in a nearby lot costs $40 per day. CVS, a Mexican food joint, and a coffee shop are within walking distance. Gaslamp area is also within walking distance.
Stayed 4 nights in Apr 2025

10/10 Excellent

anthony

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
No staff but checkin is really easy. Room is small but as long as you plan just to use the room to sleep its good. Parking is a little difficult but there are some free options if you get lucky. Its close to a lot of things, i would stay here again
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2025

10/10 Excellent

Yolanda

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Lovely place convenient location. A bit noisy during the night. Parking is not the best. Stag was great and very helpful
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2025

4/10 Poor

Peter

For one or two nights it’s a decent place for more than that, pay more and get a real hotel. They don’t clean the room and don’t change the sheets and towels.
Stayed 13 nights in Mar 2025

6/10 Okay

Luis Pablo

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
,
Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2025

2/10 Terrible

Bradley

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
When I arrived they didn’t have our room ready or even codes to enter the property. If I had the choice between this hotel again or a motel 6 I’d even take motel 6 over this hotel. The room is smaller than a prison cell. They also expect you to take out your own trash etc. so basically stay in a prison cell sized room where your also the housekeeper and pay for it. It probably sounds hilarious or made up because of what I wrote but it’s the god honest truth. You may literally be better off renting a U-Haul for 20 bucks a day and sleeping in the back of that.
Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2025

8/10 Good

Hong Joon

Liked: Amenities, property conditions & facilities
Good location walkable distance to park or downtown but you will see some homeless throughout. Not so great service or clean. Expedia stated that check-in was at 3 PM, but I was only allowed to enter at 4 PM sharp. The first entry code didn’t work, so I had to wait. Some of the towels had makeup stains, and during my five-day stay, there was no cleaning service until checkout. There were no hotel-level services. The bed felt like a bunk bed with a plastic cover, and the sheets weren’t very clean. The paper towels in the attached kitchen were almost used up, but I gave up on asking for a new roll.
Stayed 5 nights in Mar 2025

6/10 Okay

joseph

Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Staff & service, amenities
You need to really pay atention to the fact that you need to do a digital check-in before arriving, because if you don't when you arrive you will not be abke to check in. The front desk is only staffed for a limited time and the phone number for after hours doesn't work. If you are expecting a true hotel this is not where you want to be. I would say this is closer to an AirBnB of a room with and ensuite than a hotel based on the fact that there is basically no staff on site. The room is tiny, the bed is okay and if you end up like one of the other people we met in the lobby who locked herself out of her room with her phone in it, you are going to have to wait until 12:30pm to get help. On that note, as long as you know what you are getting into it is a place to sleep at a really low rate for San Diego.
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2025

10/10 Excellent

Edin

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The room was perfect and great location for a quick day trip
Stayed 1 night in May 2024

10/10 Excellent

jessica

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Awesome stay
The hotel was amazing! The atmosphere was unreal and the staff treated us with such kindness.
Stayed 2 nights in May 2024

8/10 Good

Glen

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Room was quite small however only went there to sleep. For the price I thought great value and everything was within walking distance.
Stayed 4 nights in Sep 2024

10/10 Excellent

RACHAEL

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Was a great stay!
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2023

10/10 Excellent

Jean

Liked: Amenities
Great location for our travels around the Balboa park area. Had everything we needed plus some.
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2024

10/10 Excellent

Kyler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Such a cute, convenient place to stay!
Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2024

10/10 Excellent

Anthony

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great place in San Diego
Great location and nice room in San Diego. Easy check in process
Stayed 5 nights in Jul 2024

10/10 Excellent

JULIE

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Close to cruise line, airport and downtown.
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2024

10/10 Excellent

Amber

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Staff was amazing! Room was perfect and roomy!
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2024

10/10 Excellent

Amy

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The Balboa is lovely. The staff is very friendly and kind. Our unit was clean and comfortable. If in San Diego for a baseball game, the hotel is a safe and colourful 30 minute stroll from the stadium.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2024

10/10 Excellent

Juan

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Guy at the front desk was awesome, super quiet place
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2024

10/10 Excellent

Andrea

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great find!
The Balboa Park Hotel was such a great find! Great location, walking distance to Gas Lamp, Little Italy, Balboa Park and the Zoo. Clean and comfortable room and friendly staff! I highly recommend!
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2024

6/10 Okay

Nadine

Disliked: Amenities
Very nice and cool place to stay. Good.service and good beds. Unfortunately never got my deposit back!
Stayed 7 nights in Jun 2024

10/10 Excellent

Rosalva

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
My stay was perfect for my quick trip to San Diego. Felt safe in the building and friendly staff.
Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2024