The Granger Hotel in San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter, a private oasis and the city’s first Design Hotels member, blends historical architecture with contemporary design, offering an exclusive retreat for its guests.
Newly opened in San Diego, the Granger Hotel Gaslamp Quarter honors the history of the city and its building while offering an exclusive contemporary oasis – one that is open to only its guests and their friends. The city’s first hotel of its kind and first Design Hotels member, the Granger Hotel combines original architectural details dating back to 1904 with custom contemporary artworks and a curated selection of vintage and bespoke furniture. Here, guests are joined only by fellow travelers in a playful, private urban retreat.
In the center of San Diego’s downtown Gaslamp Quarter stands a grand Romanesque building with arched windows and a carved stone entrance. Commissioned by Ralph Granger, a prominent banker and influential figure in San Diego, the building was designed in 1904 by William Quayle, a renowned architect of the era. Throughout its history, it has housed some of the city’s most important – and wild – inhabitants: the Merchant’s National Bank, a precursor to today’s Bank of America; Joseph Jessop, one of San Diego’s most important jewelers; and, under the supervision of Dr. Harry Wegeforth, founder of the world-famous San Diego Zoo, an array of animals that stayed in the building until the zoo’s completion. Today, this historic architectural gem has been reimagined as the Granger Hotel, San Deigo’s first entirely private, guest-only hotel, offering an exclusive urban retreat with a design that meaningfully nods to the city’s past and present.
“A deep passion drives us to define the future of boutique hospitality in San Diego, the city where we were born and raised,” say brothers Alvin and Kevin Mansour, the hotel’s Originals. “Our vision stems from a desire to blend the charm of intimate service with distinctive design, catering to the modern traveler who seeks more than just a place to sleep. Inspired by the rich heritage of our location, every element of the hotel reflects the cultural nuances of the surroundings. From handpicked local art to furnishings crafted by artisans, each space tells a story – one that invites guests to immerse themselves in the local narrative.”
To create the Granger Hotel, the Mansour brothers worked closely with Erika Baker, the lead designer and in-house creative director of Oram Hotels, who selected a tasteful mixture of vintage and custom pieces and artworks. Guests are greeted in a lobby with a vintage Philip North painting as well as two custom murals created collaboratively by Baker and local muralist Taylor Wilson. A ceiling mural depicts an abstract elephant and lion, while a floor-to-ceiling textured plaster wall artwork extends over 50-feet in length and creates a sense of movement throughout the space. Original 12-foot-tall windows bathe the paintings and lobby areas in natural light, augmenting the overarching color palette of blush, chartreuse, and cerulean. Such bold tones, as well as the rich textures found in velvet and animal-print upholstery, contrast materials like organic stones, handcrafted tiles, marbles, and lime wash, creating a feeling that is both mature and wildly playful.
The sultry design, which references eras from the 1920s to the 70s, extends throughout the 96 guestrooms, including four corner suites. Wide and dimly lit corridors, lined with the building’s original 120-year-old doors (retrofitted for sound and safety), give way to studio loft-style rooms with handcrafted built-ins and custom rattan armoires, vintage books, and unique artworks juxtaposed by original tin ceilings and windows. Baker made many of the artworks herself, blending watercolors, cartography, and collage, matching perfectly with the hand-selected vintage pieces, such as pottery and bedside lamps. The light, airy, and minimal bathrooms feature colorful Italian marble mosaic flooring and are stocked with bespoke Le Labo amenities.
Guests are treated to traditional American comfort foods, artisanal pastries and seasonal fruits for breakfast in the lobby café 5th & Lox, while The Parlor Room, an intimate lobby lounge, tastefully reinterprets the neighborhood’s history as a place for adult indulgence. Here, specialty espresso drinks are the focus in the morning; come sundown, handcrafted cocktails imagined by a world class bar team at Granger Hotel’s sister property The Guild Hotel, are served at a Cristallo-glass bar, backdropped by a stunning historical nude painting by artist M. Negus. Throughout the Granger Hotel guests can cozy up and settle in, knowing it is a place reserved for those who call it home.
Location
The Granger Hotel is located in the heart of the historic Gaslamp Quarter, a lively neighborhood in downtown San Diego. Just steps away are some of the city’s most renowned restaurants, bars, and theaters. Highlights range from the Tijuana-style tacos at Tacos El Gordo to the creative cocktails at Noble Experiment, a speakeasy with a Prohibition-era ambiance. Also nearby are the House of Blues, Balboa Theater, Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, and Gaslamp’s artisan market. Guests at the Granger Hotel also have access to Aqua V, a local gym known for its modern facilities, state-of-the-art equipment, group classes, personal training options, and rooftop pool.
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.
She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.