Anyone who call's a bigot a "great man" has a screw loose. Take any advice from that person with a shaker of salt.

I have been to San Diego several times and have stayed at the Grand Hyatt, the Marriott and the Omni. I don't think you will be disappointed with any of these choices. The Marriott and the Grand Hyatt are both on the harbor. I prefer the Marriott (even though it is owned by those dastardly Mormons!) over the Hyatt for a few reasons - the rooms were nicer, the pool area is very nice and pretty large for a city hotel and it is a just a little more convenient to the Gaslamp than the Hyatt. That being said, my first choice is the Omni, which is right in the Gaslamp. Nice rooms, good location, decent pool and the convenience for dinner of having the Gaslamp at your feet. If you sign up for their loyalty card, they deliver coffee and juice to your room each morning. Not a huge deal but a nice little feature.

I prefer the Marriott to the Hyatt and have also stayed in both on many occasions. We even got married at the Marriott.

My favorite is the Us Grant actually - lovely Starwood property.

Having said that, in August, I would pick either the Marriott or the Hyatt or Marriott Gaslamp. And be sure to get tickets to a Padre game. It is a treat - one of the best ballparks in the country imo! Too fun.

I recently spent three nights at the Grand Hyatt in San Diego. The location is perfect, the views from the rooms and top floor bar awesome, the rooms comfortable, the lobby huge and interesting, and the service just fine. The only downside was that we stayed in a club level room but the amenities and common areas aren't nearly as nice as other Hyatts. I think the Grand Hyatt Union Square and the Hyatt Regency Embarcadero in San Francisco, for example, are well worth paying the club level prices. That said, I'd certainly return to the Grand Hyatt in San Diego. Have a great time. San Diego is a charmer.

@englishlass - maybe you (and the rest of the community here) should read this article that I found recently - http://www.cherrygrrl.com/from-boyco...elers-to-know/ Very informative and really spells out what all this "controversy" is about.

It's about time we heard from an employee of this hotel and I can definitely relate to the fact that the "guests" are like "family" at Manchester Grand Hyatt. I had the best time there. I hope you enjoy your stay if you decide to go with Manchester Grand Hyatt.

As the person who first raised this issue, in an "if it matters to you (pro or con)" way, I am puzzled by the article. The intro says Manchester owns the hotel (perhaps as a co-owner with the Marriott Corporation?), yet the person being interviewed says, "he is only affiliated with the hotel by name." Which is it?

There is no question that Mariott as a company and this hotel as an employer and host to guests is in many ways gay-friendly. As I understand it, the protesters (with whom I have no connection other than moral support) intended both to draw attention to Manchester's role in funding the "prevent gays from marrying" initiative and to make it financially costly for him to have done so as an object lesson about the clout that the LGBT community has. I am not surprised that union organizers would piggyback on this, both because of their historical linkage to "human rights" issues and because they want to gain representation for the lowest-paid employees.

I doubt many visitors will be influenced by this issue, except for the conventions/meetings that have been canceled and the LGBT travelers who use their money to support their cause, but I think a lot more people are aware of the situation now. But does Manchester have a financial interest in this hotel, or is he "only affiliated with the hotel by name"? The answer to that question might help you evaluate the public relations interview posted just above.

Sorry--references to "Marriott" in the previous post dhould be to "Hyatt." Manchester apparently did sell his previous ownership interest in the Marriott.

There are several possibilities: More than likely (since this is how most of the big chains operate), he owns the building and land, and has a contract with Hyatt to "operate" the hotel. He would get a percentage of the revenues as "rent". It is also possible that he owns the building and simply leases it to Hyatt, which either operates the hotel itself or has franchised it to a third party. The third possibility is that he is a Hyatt franchisee and operates the hotel himself. The least likely is that he has no financial interest in the hotel!

Wow! Didn't think that this inocuous question would get such a response. We are from the UK and don't want to get involved in all the local politics. Just looking for a good hotel that suits our needs.

Englishlass, I know what you mean.

San Diego seems to be a "hot button" topic.

That said, if the Grand Hyatt is in your price range, it is an excellent choice. It has a great pool area, water views from many rooms and there are good dining options by walking along the water or into the nearby Gas Lamp District.

HTTY