The upscale $120 million Pendry San Diego hotel has officially opened in downtown San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter, after more than two years of construction at 550 J St.
At a Feb. 9 opening ceremony attended by local civic and business leaders, developer Robert Green of Encinitas said the property’s debut followed more than five years of planning, financing and design work. The location formerly housed a parking lot between Fifth and Sixth avenues.
Green developed the 317-room property with Alan Fuerstman, founder and CEO of the luxury-focused Montage Hotels & Resorts of Laguna Beach; and son Michael Fuerstman, co-founder of Montage’s new Pendry Hotels brand. The San Diego hotel is the first location of the boutique-style Pendry, to be followed next month by an opening in Baltimore.
Officials said each Pendry will have design and service elements unique to the history and culture of its surroundings. Pendry San Diego has six on-site restaurants and bars, including the upscale Lionfish seafood restaurant and Nason’s Beer Hall, a German-style pub and bar named for Nason & Co. Farmer’s Market, a grocer that occupied the site for much of the 1900s.
The San Diego hotel also features local artwork and historic photos, and there is a rooftop pool deck and outdoor meeting space with views of the surrounding downtown. The property has approximately 35,000 square feet of meeting and function space, including an 8,400-square-foot grand ballroom.
The new hotel employs approximately 400, with operations led by General Manager Michael O’Donohue, who previously served as general manager at W San Diego.
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