The Davis Downtown San Diego — Hotel in San Diego

Pros: Located downtown, walking distance to shops, dining, public transport, etc. Very attractively decorated (however style supersedes functionality to a fault). The decorating/design is top notch. Visually gorgeous. Rooftop patio is cute. Didn’t use the grill. Cute lobby/lounge area. Small fridge in room. As-needed extra towels and toiletries in the lobby. Hassle free check-in. Clean (other than the shower floor … )

Cons:

Parking almost non-existent unless you are lucky enough to get one of the extremely limited spots on the street out front, otherwise unsecured parking lots are a couple blocks away for $25/day. Construction in the area prevented us using the closer parking lot (not Sonder and Baker’s fault)

No elevator, and no help from the front desk, so be ready to carry whatever you’ve packed up a flight of stairs if you’re on the second floor. Watch your head!

Uncomfortable squeaky and sinky beds.

Lack of surfaces on which to set things (we ended up using the second sink as the vanity, as there is no counter in the bathroom for toiletries.) the foldout desk on the wall wasn’t sturdy enough to support much of anything so we just put bags on the floor. No biggie, just not ideal.

NOISY. Noisy noisy noisy. I love city noises, cars driving past, people talking, but this is a different level. The night time crowd outside isn’t Sonder the Baker’s responsibility, but when I say it will keep you awake I am not exaggerating. We actually had to call 911 one night because there was a woman having a psychotic episode out on the sidewalk across the street. I heard screaming, verbal fights, motorcyclists gunning their engines, all night long. The provided ear plugs and white noise machine at least show they’re aware of and trying to alleviate this issue but they really should replace the windows and add sound proofing. And please fix that slamming front door. Ugh. 😖

Shower floor needs a serious scrub. Gross. 🤢

Aircon unit is failing and is so loud. Moisture from the bathroom permeates the entire room. When we would return from our day out exploring San Diego, the entire room smelled like wet towels and mildewy shower floor. Extremely Unpleasant.

Final thoughts: I feel like this place photographs well, but staying in it is NOT what one expects from the gorgeous photos. Perhaps it’s geared more toward a single overnight or weekend visitor. We stayed for about 4 nights but almost left after the first one. There are much nicer hotels in the area for a slightly higher price. Opt for the higher price establishments...

5 stars bc the bed is very comfortable, the decor is quite chic, and Sonder customer service is excellent. 3 stars because of the particular space: We stayed in one of the king rooms and had a very miserable experience. For the following reasons we will never stay at a Sonder in San Diego, CA ever again: 1 - First, the street noise is ridiculously loud - we could hardly sleep it was so amplified. Every. Single. Car. or. Passerby. They even have ear plugs in the lobby (almost as if they were fully aware it was an issue… why not improve sound insulation?), but they weren’t enough. We’ve stayed in NYC and it wasn’t this loud. This was an extreme issue that ruined our vacation. Note: We tried to switch rooms but there were no other Sonder rooms available in SD. Customer service offered Sonder “credits” but only if we checked out early (and it’s impossible to find a last minute stay in SD unless you want to spend a fortune). 2 - Second, the rooms are very bright. There are no curtains to filter the street light or car lights or sunlight. Just wooden shades with gaps, it’s bright at night. 3 - Third, there is no storage. One rack and a few hangers, but no shelves or drawers or tabletops. 4 - Fourth, the bathroom door is a barn door and doesn’t close all the way - gaping about 5 or 6 inches reducing privacy. 5 - Fifth, the room is tiny and the pics are deceiving. 6 - Lastly, we could hear all noise from adjacent rooms and smell all their smells (including cigarettes and weed).

This is a 2 star hotel renovated to be a 4 star - but don’t be tricked, it’s still a...

My husband and I stayed at the Baker for a week. We found the Baker to be in a great location, walkable distance to lots of fun things. The grocery store on the next block was also very convenient. The room and facilities were very clean. The hotel aesthetic was so cute. The complimentary coffee and tea and water station was excellent. The bed and linens were very comfortable. The high end toiletries were much appreciated. The common areas of the lobby, main level bathroom and rooftop were also nice features and nice places to sit, and again super clean. The staff kept everything spotless. We read all the reviews before booking and were willing to take a risk as the price point with location was unmatched. We had a room facing the street and felt like while the street was loud as motorcycles, ambulances and vehicles come through, that the noise level was consistent with standard city living and nothing more. We selected the smallest room, again to have the most budget experience, while small, it was perfect for us. Again planning to spend time basically just sleeping there. The bathroom and shower were great, nice space, nice hot water. The ear plugs and sound machine were appreciated for sleep. My husband and I very much enjoyed our stay, and would definitely stay in the future. I think if you’re ok with air bnb, boutique hotel, or hostile type accommodations this would be a perfect experience for you. If you’re looking for a commercial standard hotel room, where you are going to spend lots of time inside the room this probably would not be...