Andaz San Diego Review: Rooms, Rooftop, Privé Benefits

Andaz San Diego, a Concept by Hyatt, is a lifestyle boutique hotel on the northern edge of the Gaslamp Quarter, set in the historic 1913 Sefton Hotel at 600 F Street. This Andaz San Diego review is based on a recent overnight in an Andaz Suite (upgraded from a Deluxe King) after our monthly travel advisor and supplier meeting at the property.

I book Andaz for clients and readers through Hyatt Privé, the brand’s preferred-advisor program, which you can access through me. I’m also a Globalist, so I’ll walk you through how the two programs stack up, along with everything else worth knowing, before you book.

The 1913 Sefton Hotel Building

You’re staying in real San Diego history here, which feels genuinely unexpected. The Andaz brand reads modern lifestyle-boutique, so walking into a 1913 building catches you off guard. The mishmash of historic bones and contemporary boutique design works. San Diego architect William Hebbard designed the building for banker Joseph W. Sefton, Jr., and it opened two years before the 1915 Panama-California Exposition. It became the Maryland Hotel in 1916, ran under a handful of names after that, and reopened as Andaz in 2010.

The property today has 159 rooms across six floors, a 4,500-square-foot rooftop that Hyatt bills as the largest in the Gaslamp Quarter, and STK Steakhouse adjacent to the lobby.

Check-in and the Lobby

Valet is the only on-site parking, pulled in front of the F Street entrance. The arrival strip is short, so during a conference or game night you may need to circle the block once. A handful of paid lots are scattered nearby if you want to attempt self-parking.

The front desk team is genuinely warm. I was thanked for my Globalist status (the top tier of World of Hyatt) and handed an info card outlining the property’s amenities, along with a small Path-brand refillable water bottle that was both complimentary and mine to keep.

A guest-use station near the giraffes has a water dispenser, microwave, and plastic cups. Just past the lobby on the left, a small market stocks snacks, cold drinks, and local beer.

The info card mentions a complimentary beer and wine tasting in the lobby from 5 to 8 p.m. nightly. I looked and didn’t see it set up, so you may need to ask the front desk to point you to it. The lobby coffee station goes out in the morning with individual creamers and oranges for grab-and-go. I took a morning walk through East Village and grabbed some for the road. The coffee was good.

My Andaz Suite, Room 639

I’m writing this from Suite 639 on the sixth floor, with two layers of glass between me and 7th Street. The view onto 7th Street and a few neighboring rooftops isn’t the highlight, and that’s fine, because the double-pane windows and the angle of this side of the building kept the suite genuinely quiet for a downtown property.

If you want a view from your room, ask about a higher-floor exterior-facing option over busier F Street at booking. The best vantage points at this hotel are from the rooftop though, and any guest can take them in.

My suite was comfortable but does show some age around the wood finishes, and the furniture reads more lived-in than new. The current configuration opened in 2010 and was last refreshed in 2017.

I know what comparable downtown accommodations cost, and the value is good for what you’re paying, especially as a Hyatt Privé guest.

Other rooms vary, though. Rooms closer to the rooftop catch noise on event nights, and lower floors closer to the street pick up more ambient downtown sound. If quiet matters to you, flag it on your reservation (or tell me) well in advance so the team can place you accordingly.

This suite has an open layout. There’s no full wall between the living area and the bedroom, and you can walk a complete circle around the desk. A barn-style sliding door closes off the bathroom from the bedroom. The living area has a comfortable sofa with a pull-out, slightly IKEA in feel.

Two flat-screen televisions, one in the living room and one in the bedroom. The desk is generous. Keurig-style coffee maker, robes, a steamer, an iron, and an ironing board are standard. The closet has shelving and drawers.

In the bedroom, an indented alcove fits an open carry-on neatly. I’m picky about beds and bedding and I slept really well in this one. A noise machine sits on the nightstand, which feels like the property quietly acknowledging that downtown noise is part of the deal (it is).

Lather amenities come full-size in the shower with a small bottle of lotion at the sink. No cotton swabs or the other small luxury-hotel extras you might be used to, though the hair dryer was pretty effective.

The shower is handheld only, with good pressure but no rainhead. An arm cutout in the wall lets you turn the water on without soaking your sleeve, which is a nice touch.

Which Room or Suite to Book

Andaz San Diego has rooms from a 315-square-foot Queen up to the 1,275-square-foot Star Suite. Views split between interior-facing (looking into a plain interior light well, quieter, less natural light) and exterior-facing (street views, more downtown street noise).

How World of Hyatt status affects your room:

• Globalists. Suite upgrade up to the Andaz Suite at check-in, often confirmed in the Hyatt app the morning of arrival.
• Explorist and Discoverist. Can request an upgrade at check-in, but it usually won’t include suites.
• No Hyatt status, no advisor. You get the room category you book.
• Anyone booking through Hyatt Privé (status or no status). Can have the suite upgrade locked in at the time of booking. See the Globalist and Privé section below.

Andaz Queen and Andaz King. Entry-level options, smaller in footprint, and the right choice if you want a downtown Gaslamp stay at the lowest rate. Standard award redemptions usually land here.

Andaz Deluxe King. This is the room with the glass-walled shower between the bedroom and bathroom. There’s a curtain you can pull from the bedroom side, similar to certain Pendry rooms. Most couples find the layout fine once they know about the curtain. If you’re booking through Hyatt Privé, this is the room category that matters most.

Andaz Suite. This is the room I stayed in, with a separate living area, a king bedroom, and a barn door for the bathroom. It’s also the typical destination for Globalist suite upgrades (at check-in) and Privé Deluxe King upgrades (locked in at booking), both subject to availability.

Larger suites. The Andaz Extra Large Loft (680 square feet) has a separate living room and a dining table for four. The Cabana Suite (750 square feet) has a private spiral staircase to a poolside cabana on the rooftop. The Sweet Suite (800 square feet) is a top-floor option with a sectional sofa, a dining table for eight, and two bathrooms.

The Star Suite. The property’s signature room at 1,275 square feet on the top floor, with king bunk beds in a second bedroom. Bachelorette parties, milestone birthdays, and group trips book this one. There’s nothing else like it in San Diego.

Connecting and adjoining rooms. Roughly 44 of the 159 rooms offer connecting or adjoining options for families and groups.

The Rooftop, Pool, and Z Bar

The rooftop is the main draw at this hotel. At 4,500 square feet, it’s the largest rooftop in the Gaslamp Quarter according to Hyatt, and it’s what sets Andaz apart from other downtown options. The bar and restaurant are open to walk-ins. The pool is for hotel guests only.

When you step off the rooftop elevator, the layout splits in two. Directly ahead is a lounge with a large fire pit (ANDAZ SAN DIEGO branded across the center) and plenty of seating, perfect at happy hour. To the left, is the pool deck with a heated rectangular pool lined with lounge chairs and several oversized, television-equipped private cabanas for rent. Z Bar serves the pool and lounge area. On the other side, The Rooftop by STK serves food and doubles as the rooftop’s breakfast venue for hotel guests, with a fully retractable roof that comes in handy on cooler mornings.

The pool is small but bigger than online photos suggest. It’s a good size for a rooftop pool, not a destination pool, and not really a lap pool. Short laps work. The cabanas feel more like rooftop living rooms than pool cabanas. Lounge chairs fill up on weekends.

Views from the rooftop are the panoramic ones the rooms don’t deliver: a slice of Petco Park, the convention center, and a layer of downtown skyline. No bay views from up here, but the city stretch is satisfying enough that I’d recommend going up even if you’re not planning to use the pool. Wind picks up at certain times of day, which gets obvious fast if you’re trying to keep a hat on or a menu still.

The fitness center is on the rooftop level. I didn’t use it but saw the setup: standard cardio plus weights, enough to keep a routine going.

The rooftop runs a seasonal events calendar that includes DJs and ticketed parties open to the public on certain weekend nights. If you’re a light sleeper or planning a quiet stay, ask the front desk what’s on the calendar for your dates before requesting a high-floor room.

Dining: STK and The Rooftop by STK

There are two STK restaurants at the property, and the distinction matters because their menus and venues differ. STK Steakhouse is the dinner restaurant on the lobby level. The Rooftop by STK is the rooftop venue. The Rooftop by STK handles breakfast for hotel guests in the morning and a lighter rooftop menu through the day and evening.

I had breakfast at The Rooftop by STK, in essentially the same space where our advisor meeting had been the day before. Midweek and not particularly busy, the space felt private. I ordered the Andaz breakfast and asked to swap the potatoes for fruit which was no problem.

The eggs were cooked well, which is always a useful tell at a hotel. The avocado toast looked great when it landed at a nearby table. The Cafe Moto coffee was the standout. Breakfast came to about $44, typical hotel pricing and reasonable for the portions that arrived.

For dinner, I went to STK. Happy hour was a pleasant surprise: $3 oysters and a menu of small plates in the $8 to $9 range. I also ordered the STK and fries (slices of high-quality filet over good French fries with a hollandaise drizzle) and the tuna tacos (tuna tartare on a thin, crisp shell).

The crowd was a mix of locals after work, business travelers, and tourists, with martinis on a meaningful percentage of tables. STK has been at this property long enough to be a legitimate Gaslamp dining option, hotel guest or not.

In-room dining is ordered through a QR code in the room.

What Globalists and Privé Guests Get

For World of Hyatt Globalists, Andaz San Diego is better value than the larger downtown Hyatts. The property is a Category 5 in World of Hyatt, with standard award nights running 17,000 to 23,000 points depending on demand. The info card I received at check-in laid out the Globalist benefits at this property:

• Complimentary breakfast for up to two adults and two children per registered guest, covering one entrée, one juice, and one coffee per person. Overages charge to the room. Breakfast is served at The Rooftop by STK and can be eaten there or ordered to the room.
• Waived destination fee.
• Complimentary parking on points or free-night certificates.
• 4 p.m. departure at hotel discretion.
• Complimentary Andaz Suite upgrade based on availability at check-in, from any standard room category (Queen, King, or Deluxe King).

Breakfast is the standout benefit. At about $44 per person on my receipt, two registered guests across two nights are looking at roughly $176 of included food and beverage value. That sets Andaz apart from the larger conference-style Hyatts downtown, where Globalist breakfast is typically a buffet rather than à la carte at a property restaurant.

The suite upgrade is the wild card. Sometimes available at check-in, sometimes not. That’s where Hyatt Privé comes in.

Privé is Hyatt’s preferred-advisor program, and anyone can book through a Privé advisor (including me). You don’t need to be a Hyatt loyalty member to access it. The benefits stack with World of Hyatt status, so a Globalist who books through Privé gets both sets of benefits. At Andaz San Diego, Privé adds a $100 property credit applied to your hotel bill and a confirmed Andaz Suite upgrade at the time of booking when you book the Deluxe King category. The suite upgrade confirms when your reservation does, not at check-in.

If suite certainty matters, book Privé Deluxe King to lock the upgrade and the $100 credit. If you’re fine with Globalist availability playing out, book directly or on points.

Andaz vs. Pendry San Diego

The most common comparison I get for downtown San Diego is Andaz vs. Pendry San Diego, and honestly, it’s apples to oranges. I like both for different reasons.

They share the Gaslamp Quarter location and the boutique hotel category. The overlap pretty much ends there. Pendry is the luxury option in the neighborhood, with a full spa, more refined service, and higher rates. Andaz is the lifestyle-boutique option built around the rooftop pool and STK Steakhouse, with rates that are noticeably lower.

We book both properties for clients regularly. Andaz tends to attract couples and groups in their 20s and 30s, with a wider midweek mix that includes families, airline crew, and business travelers. Pendry attracts solo travelers, couples, and the occasional family who specifically want a luxury Gaslamp stay.

Location and Walkability

Andaz San Diego sits at the northern edge of the Gaslamp Quarter, at 600 F Street, putting most of downtown within an easy walk. The convention center is roughly 10 to 15 minutes straight down 6th Street. Petco Park is closer, just a few blocks away. The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park is walkable for anyone willing to clock a longer stretch.

The immediate neighborhood is classic mixed-use Gaslamp: high-end restaurants and boutique hotels alongside pawn shops, smoke shops, tattoo parlors, and the touristy stretches the area has always been known for. Coin-Op, a 21+ arcade bar with old-school games, sits across the street from Andaz and is worth a stop. The Gaslamp’s Victorian architecture is denser than people expect for downtown San Diego, which otherwise feels like a relatively new city.

You’ll see homeless people in the area. That’s true of most American downtown cores, and it’s true here. Walking 5th and 6th Streets between Andaz and Petco Park or the convention center is fine. I never felt unsafe during my stay. The energy isn’t different from walking through Soho in New York. Travelers familiar with major American downtowns will know what to expect. Those less familiar may want to think about it before choosing a downtown stay over La Jolla or Coronado.

East Village Walking Guide

Walk east from Andaz and the character shifts within a few blocks. Take 6th Street to Market and turn left to route through the cleaner stretches and avoid the immediate block to the left of the hotel where the homeless population sometimes concentrates. East Village leans residential, with high-rise apartments, juice bars, organic markets, and restaurants that serve the people who live there.

Worth walking to: Fault Line Park, which has both a playground (great if you’re with kids) and the spheres that measure fault-line shifts; the Central Library; Asa Bakery, my favorite Japanese bakery in San Diego; and the cluster of breweries, including Quartyard, East Village Tavern, and Bowl.

For more in this neighborhood, see my guide to things to do in East Village San Diego.

Is Andaz San Diego Family-Friendly?

Andaz isn’t positioned as a family hotel, but families do stay here, especially midweek. The Star Suite with king bunk beds would be fun for kids and adults sharing, and the connecting rooms work for groups traveling together.

That said, there’s no kids’ club, no children’s pool, and no programming aimed at families. The rooftop pool is shallow throughout (workable for kids who can stand), and lounge chairs fill on weekends. If you’re planning a true family trip in San Diego, Park Hyatt Aviara up the coast or the larger Manchester Grand Hyatt downtown both fit better.

Before You Book

A few practical things to know:

• The hotel is cashless. The front desk doesn’t keep cash on hand, so you can’t break a $20 there for tipping. Bring tipping cash for housekeeping and valet before you arrive.
• Check-out at 11 a.m. is earlier than the noon default at many Hyatts. Globalists can request a 4 p.m. departure at the hotel’s discretion (mine was granted).
• No spa on site, but Pendry’s spa is walkable, and several smaller day spas operate within a few blocks.
• No turn-down service.
• Andaz is pet-friendly. See the hotel website for current fees and policies.
• There’s no QR code for tipping housekeeping or valet. Bring exact cash, as the front desk also does not have change.

Who Andaz San Diego Is For

Downtown San Diego has a hotel for every kind of traveler, and Andaz fills two specific spots. The first is World of Hyatt loyalists who want to walk to Petco Park, the convention center, or the Rady Shell without paying Pendry rates.

The second is nightlife seekers — the rooftop runs DJ events and ticketed parties on certain weekend nights, and the Gaslamp’s bars and restaurants are right outside the door. If either is your trip, you’re going to like it here.

The Globalist breakfast at The Rooftop by STK is genuinely good, the rooftop pool delivers, and the benefits stack if you also book through Hyatt Privé (most Globalists I work with do, to lock the Andaz Suite at booking and the $100 credit).

Just know what you’re getting. It’s an urban property, comfortable and well-maintained, with a genuinely friendly staff, a great location, and a price that reflects what’s on offer. I had a great stay and recommend it to those I know it will fit.

For more downtown San Diego hotels worth comparing, see my best downtown San Diego hotels roundup.