Alma San Diego Downtown, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel — Hotel in San Diego

We stayed at the Alma for 5 nights during the 1st week of August. Our son and daughter-in-law who came with us with their kids arranged it for my wife's birthday, and they got us the penthouse suite. As we walked around it we noticed there were no shelves or drawers to put clothes. Mind you, this is on 2 levels with spacious bedroom and a large sitting area with couches and TV. We called to the front desk and they sent up someone who looked around and agreed that we had not missed a bureau, etc. He also said there were no chests of drawers anywhere in the hotel that he could offer us. He did point out that there was a 2 foot deep shelf running the length of the walk-in closet over the hangars. It was about 6 ft off the floor; I could not see the shelf surface although I could get my hand onto it; my wife couldn't reach it at all. Ultimately he brought us a 2nd ironing board and we each used them as a place for our clothes that did not go on hangars. Not what you'd expect from a penthouse suite...||But wait, there's more....||While the workman and I were discussing the merits of a 2nd ironing board, my wife checked the double sinks in the bathroom. One faucet had NO flow, while the other was very weak. Meanwhile, the workman brought up a 2nd ironing board and had to partly close the closet door to set it up. I went to open the door (from the inside) and the handle came off. Thankfully it had not clicked shut.... The guy helping us with the ironing board ultimately fixed it.||We called down about the sink faucets, and a handyman came up. He looked at it, said something about needing someone else to help him, left and told us he would be back. We left for dinner with our family. Upon our return, no change in the faucet situation. We again called the front desk and were told that they would report this to the manager in the morning. (The next day we called the manager and a real plumber was sent up who fixed it.)||After I took my 1st shower, I noticed there was a large amount of water on the bathroom floor. Upon close inspection I could see where the silicon seal at the bottom of the door was gone (see photo).||Lastly, the patio (with great views from the 20th floor) had a carpet with nicely curled up edges (again see photo) - the kind that cause some people to trip.||Would we stay there again? Not on...

I had my own (negative) thoughts which were only confirmed after I read the Reviews previously posted by others. But first, THE Positive is the staff — very friendly, polite and as helpful as they could be to a guest. Standouts were Simon (pool), Joel (bartender) and Tyson (valet) — each was prompt, friendly, engaging, professional … great ambassadors for the property.

The “upgraded” room (I opted for the $50 “upgraded” room only days before check-in) is an ABSOLUTE SHAM — DO NOT PAY FOR THE UPGRADE! You get a “patio” which is a narrow space that looks down to the pool and a parking garage! No chair, no table although would be cozy for a litter box in case you decide to bring your cat.

The lighting throughout the room is terrible! The lights at the headboard hit you in the head, the electrical and USB (Room 1310) outlets do not work! The bathroom layout is terrible — a sliding glass door into the rooms’ hallway which offers NO privacy! Water sprays from the shower so the floor is soaked.

Coffee Service in the lobby (6am-9am) is mediocre, at best. It is completely taken away at 9am — even though the coffee urn was empty since 8:30! Dinner food is “meh” … avoid the pasta unless you bring your own flavor, terrible food!

MY WORST MARRIOTT EXPERIENCE EVER — next time, I’ll spend $300/night for a Hilton Garden Inn.

Sorry, no pics! Nothing worth taking...

The staff (Krystal, the dad joke fan, Sam, Gabriel, Ray, Bradly) and food is amazing! rooms are comfortable, clean and hotel is perfectly located. San Diego has a HUGE homeless problem, and this makes it a pain to come home after 9 pm. as the door staff had a hard time distinguishing a hotel guest from homeless person, (which is hard when you don't look up from your phone) But other than that inconvenience, our stay here was wonderful. Note for management, the bathroom on the second floor is not ADA compliant. While I was using the gender neutral bathroom, an older guest who had vision problems could not find the exit because the exit is painted black and the exit sign is out of sight, and this older man was very frustrated. See photos, suggestion move sign so its visible from inside bathroom. Further, our bathroom sink was clogged the entire stay, the fridge was leaking water, and the shower needed help as when you took one, it got water everywhere. These things make me question the value of my stay. I also heard another guest talking to staff about problems with...