Name: Holiday Inn Express San Diego - Sea World Area by IHG
Address: 3950 Jupiter Street, Midway-Pacific Highway, San Diego, California, United States of America, San Diego, San Diego County, US
Price range: US$143–US$327 per night
Rating: 8.63

What guests think

At Holiday Inn Express San Diego - Sea World Area by IHG, guests frequently praise friendly service, clean, comfortable rooms, and a better-than-expected free breakfast, while noting tradeoffs like tight parking, small pool, and a sketchy surrounding area.

The location is very convenient to SeaWorld, beaches, and the airport, but it is not very walkable and rooms facing the road or nearby businesses can be noisy. Breakfast is widely liked for variety and value, though the area gets crowded with limited seating and the menu or equipment can be repetitive or temperamental. A few guests also report elevator outages and occasional inflexible policies or billing issues. Overall, expect a practical base for visiting attractions rather than a quiet retreat.

Facilities

Cleanliness

Rooms

Service

Location

Dining

Was this helpful?

AI-generated summary based on recent guest reviews

Facilities

Free parking is a plus, but the garage is very tight and spaces are limited. The outdoor pool and hot tub are small and can be crowded, and there were occasional elevator outages and reports of inconsistent pool cleanliness.

Related guest reviews

6

Rachel

14 Jul 2024

·

Stayed 4 nights

Parking was not easy in the garage due to narrow parking spots and concrete pillars. Dog boarding next door so lots of barking by 6:30 am. Pool and hot tub need to be remodeled. Convenient location to attractions if you plan on being out and about all day.

8

ELENA

25 Feb 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Very clean, nice hot breakfast, only bad thing is parking, very tight

8

Wendy

31 Dec 2024

·

Parking is very hard to manuever in parking structure.

2

Jarret

30 Jul 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

One of the worst hotel stays in recent memory. From the misleading ad that stated two pools with an indoor and outdoor pool (there is only one outdoor pool) to pictures of the pool that are taken at a very deceptive angle to present it as a large pool - it’s only about 20 feet long the experience was a disaster. If we were staying longer we would move. The one pool was unusable the entire time due to foul filthy water that would likely get it shut down by a health inspector. The jacuzzi was also deceptively advertised. The actual size was for maybe 3 people. The parking spaces were sized for golf carts. If you do not have to stay at this hotel… Don’t.

6

Vincent C

29 Apr 2024

·

Stayed 5 nights

The hotel itself was neat & clean. The staff were helpful, kind & informative about the area. The pool area could be better, very small pool & hot tub and no kept very clean. Location was convenient to free way, there was plenty of shopping & eateries in the area. Surrounding area had some undesirables & a bit run down.

8

Ivon

2 May 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Good breakfast variety! Small parking space for big cars

10

Holley

26 Mar 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

The parking spaces were to small and not enough parking stalls

10

Jania

14 Feb 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Great service, different variations for breakfast. Very comfy beds. Welcoming staff as well. Downside was the elevator not working but that didn’t matter with the great service and clealiness

10

Jessica

16 Jun 2023

·

Pool and pool area could use an upgrade and parking is not ideal for large vehicle's.

8

Hector

28 Jan 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

The elevator didn’t work at the time, so it was a bummer. The staff was great

Was this helpful?

AI-generated summary based on recent guest reviews

Cleanliness

Most guests find rooms and common areas very clean with reliable housekeeping. However, several reviews cite issues like bathroom mold, pests (ants or roaches), stained or dirty carpets, and occasional odors or maintenance lapses.

Related guest reviews

4

Adrian

27 May 2023

·

Stayed 2 nights

Small roaches crawling on top of the bed. I actually took a video and showed it to the front desk Vivien

4

Cherrish

7 Jul 2025

·

Stayed 4 nights

We did not have a pleasant time staying at this location. The bathroom had mold on the walls. The A/C unit rattled all night it was miserable to try to sleep- tossed and turned the bed you can feel it slopes in the middle. The room and the whole hotel smelled like “old people” like a hospital or old folks home. (Love old people but this is the best way to phrase it) When asked for extra towels they said we need to write down how many and sign them off they track towels very seriously. The clean towels they restocked in the bathroom had long black hairs inner twined - very gross. We paid a decent amount for what we hoped for a pretty basic experience. One women was very sweet at the front desk but we did get a rude staff member at the front desk that was short and gave attitude. Did not take pictures but spend a little more and go somewhere else

6

janet

29 Jun 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

When we got to the room there were long hairs around the restroom and a stain by the restroom door. I always carry disinfectant wipes and jad to cleam the room down. Also the carpet didnt seem clean.

2

Kerry

18 Nov 2024

·

Stayed 4 nights

Everything was going ok… room floors were sticky, wouldn’t walk on them barefoot… we had snacks in the room for our late night returns. We came back to a bag of chips on the coffee table completely black with ants. We inspected all the other food that appeared to be infested with ants. We threw out all the food then tossed the garbage can in the hallway. We woke up find ants in our bed. All the front desk had said was they will be in all rooms but we can help move you or we can clean and assist in removing ants from the room. We came back that evening and the squashed ants were still all over the coffee tables.

10

Elizabeth

4 Jul 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Great clean rooms, and breakfast!

6

Larry

26 Oct 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

There were ants in my room.

6

Erica

12 Jun 2024

·

Stayed 4 nights

To start, this facility was very expensive. Pros: free parking, decent continental breakfast Cons: toilet did not work properly (asked not to flush toilet paper but instead throw it in the trash), very expensive, small swimming pool, dirty carpets in room, tile in bathroom was dirty, dirty tub (I bought bleach spray and cleaned it prior to use). Definitely not worth the money.

6

Monica

23 Sept 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

Breakfast was a sweet surprise. The negative point is the cleanliness of the bathrooms, where you can see mold in the corners.

10

Bibiana

4 Oct 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

The room was spotless, very friendly staff, flavorful food. Definitely a 5 star rating. Thank you :)

10

Elizabeth

8 Aug 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

This property was well maintained and the rooms were fresh and comfortable. The staff were friendly and did a great job keeping the property clean and inviting. We really enjoyed the free breakfast...great select each day and plenty to go around considering how busy the dinning area became.

Was this helpful?

AI-generated summary based on recent guest reviews

Rooms

Many describe rooms as spacious and comfortable with modern touches and supportive beds. Downsides include thin walls and traffic or kennel noise, occasional rattling A C or dated furnishings, and minor issues like TV signal drops or slow temperature response.

Related guest reviews

8

Laura

21 Apr 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Staff was very friendly and the property was very clean. My only complaints are that it’s tricky to find, it’s not the best neighborhood and there is a dog daycare next door (poolside room) that was loud with dogs barking. If that would bother you, ask for a room far away from the pool.

10

Patrick

29 Oct 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

The staff was friendly and helpful, allowing us to check in about 30 minutes early without an extra charge. The room was clean and spacious and seemed fairly up to date. Even though our room faced the highway, we did not notice a lot of noise. Breakfast what's better than anticipated with plenty of hot and cold choices. The only minor complaint was the first night we were there, the cable TV would lose signal on all channels for random amounts of time and then come back on. Problem was resolved by the second day.

4

Mustabin

19 Feb 2025

·

Stayed 4 nights

The furniture was bad shape, sofa was torn and discolored. And for some weird reason they had an inch of gap under the door to my room, so that I could hear everything going on in the hotel. Having my room right next to the drain didn't help either. Not to mention the big aircon unit INSIDE the room. Oh and the elevators were no working but my room was only on the first floor, so can't really complain. Although the property itself was actually decent, but the neighborhood was definitely sketchy.

6

Ana paulina

1 Jul 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

The mattreses too soft. They were very uncomfortable

8

ABIOLA

13 Feb 2024

·

Stayed 5 nights

The hotel met our needs- clean, continental breakfast, gym and pool. Room gets cleaned daily and sheets & towels get replaced daily. The only negative is the noise from the cars given the hotel is close to the road and the windows don’t shut out outside noise.

10

AMIT

27 Jan 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

The property boasted spacious rooms, and the beds were wonderfully comfortable.

8

jaime

20 Oct 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Front desk was very friendly and professional! Breakfast was pretty good - they were very helpful and replenished often. Unfortunately, security was a bit of an issue as the outer doors didn’t lock/unlock properly. So other people would prop the door open. The room was nice but I wish they put a little more into noise reduction. Street and freeway noise was quite high. Walls and doors are very thin so you can hear everyone all the time.

10

Juan

6 Oct 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

We were surprised as to how clean it was and breakfast was delicious. My only complain was it was sometimes loud because it’s right by the freeway.

10

Shawn

9 Jul 2025

·

Stayed 4 nights

The rooms are not soundproof at all, but they are clean as is the hotel.

8

Anthony

11 Oct 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Air conditioning rattled all night long.

Was this helpful?

AI-generated summary based on recent guest reviews

Service

Service is frequently praised as friendly, welcoming, and helpful across the front desk, housekeeping, and breakfast teams. There are occasional complaints about rudeness, inconsistent early or late checkout flexibility, or unresolved billing or deposit issues.

Related guest reviews

10

beverly

20 Sept 2024

·

Stayed 3 nights

Staff was fabulous from front desk to housekeeping to esp breakfast kitchen!!!

10

Aileen

21 Sept 2024

·

Stayed 3 nights

We were on a couples' vacation. The hotel is very clean and modern. Excellent staff-very friendly. Mike at the Front Desk was very helpful and Lydia make sure we were good every morning. The free breakfast was amazing-plenty of selections. There was ample free parking. Hotel is quiet and close enough to everything. We will surely stay here again.

6

Shannon

13 Apr 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

The front desk is rude. We were at a sleepover. I paid for the room online. My husband and small kids checked in and they wanted payment again so it held funds we needed for our trip because even though they charged me the insisted on charging us again on a new card. I even talked on the phone and offered a photo ID and card picture. Little kids wait for me to have to come and take care of it. Ridiculous.

10

Fernanda

15 May 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

All the staff was great!

8

Macarena

25 Oct 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

Receptionist at the front desk had a very bad attitude. We were early for check-in and she told us we couldn't check-in early, we needed to have our laugage stored, so we could be on time for an appointment. She was not happy about it and wouldn't give us tags for all our bags. Then she made us wait while she checked another family in, who arrived after us and LET THEM check-in EARLY!! when she just TOLD us "IS NO CHECK IN EARLY"!! Terrible customer service.

2

Oksana

31 Aug 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

The stay was good, however our deposit hasn't been returned. I have followed up many times and still nothing. It has been almost a month since we have stayed.

4

Mariana

25 Feb 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

We were not notified that the elevator was not working, we got booked on the third floor even though I asked nicely to the front desk staff if she could move us to ground floor and she said she could not that if we wanted to leave we can look for another hotel, I think that was extremely rude and unprofessional, the front desk staff was just live-less and somewhat seem robotic, we had traveled 8 hours from Arizona to be received that way with no form of consideration to our needs she just shrugged it off. A little more of training and empathy that is what they need. The breakfast staff saved the day, I will have to say the ladies there were so nice to everyone always smiling and eager to help in whatever anyone needed.

10

Wade

23 Sept 2024

·

Stayed 3 nights

The staff was so friendly, helpful and went above expectations while we were there for our son’s graduation. They made sure we had everything we needed and took great care of us. The rooms are cleaned daily and that doesn’t happen at all hotels! The breakfast was great. The hotel was close to the airport, MCRD, beaches and restaurants.

10

Guadalupe

11 Aug 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Great staff at lobby and breakfast area.

4

Vinh

6 Jan 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Friend desk staff was unfriendly. No late check out allow. Cleaning staff and breakfast staff were friendly. Bathrooms were grimy.

Was this helpful?

AI-generated summary based on recent guest reviews

Location

Very convenient for SeaWorld, beaches, and the airport, with easy highway access. Many note the surrounding area feels sketchy and is not very walkable, with visible homeless activity, so most guests drive or use rideshares.

Related guest reviews

8

inna

7 Aug 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

overall this hotel served the purpose of our trip, literally 3 mins from Sea world and very close to other attractions we visited. Clean hotel, nice and friendly staff. Hot breakfast in the morning, clean and comfortable beds. however, it is not the hotel to stay and relax in, little rough area around, parking was tight if coming later at night, but lots of space if parking during the day.

10

Arusia Oksana

23 Aug 2024

·

Stayed 5 nights

Great location for sight seeing but you must take an Uber not walkable, very friendly helpful staff. However there is a dog daycare across the street and they started barking at 6 am . Also kinda scary homeless people in the area which is not at all walkable . But Phil’s BBQ is5 min walk and we’ll worth it amazing food!

10

MaryIrene

9 Nov 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

Our room felt like home. The hotel was close to Sea World and had lots of restaurants nearby. The staff were friendly. Our room was tidied up daily and was restocked with fresh towels. Breakfast was well stocked and had good variety. We stayed at several hotels during our vacation and this was our favorite. Would stay here again if we come back to San Diego.

8

Jaden

24 Apr 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Nice place and pretty close to seaworld but looks a little sketchy

8

John

13 Apr 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Hotel is very convenient for SeaWorld. Very clean and spacious rooms with nice breakfast included. Area around hotel is unremarkable for a first class city like San Diego.

8

Vicky

8 Sept 2024

·

Stayed 3 nights

The stay at the inn was really nice, they have free parking and breakfast compared to the other inns and hotels in the same area. However, this area is unsafe to walk around, me and my partner were followed after a concert walking back to the inn on Hancock St, luckily we were able to run to different and bigger groups of people. Our stay at the inn was great but unfortunately the area is not.

8

Sam

19 Feb 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

Hotel was nice enough- commensurate withwhat you canexpect for a Holiday Inn express at $200/night.The parking was very tight.. it's a small garage under the hotel and the support columns of the hotel made the parking tricky. The location was not so hot though.. the Hotel is in a seedy part of town.. Definitely would not walk anywhere nearby at night.

10

Mayra

28 Apr 2025

·

Stayed 4 nights

We enjoyed our stay at the hotel. It’s in a very convenient area. Close to food/restaurants, and stores all within walking distance. The beaches and Sea World about 5-7 mins driving. The airport is about 11 mins driving with no traffic. Staff are very friendly. Hotel is a little hidden from main street view and parking area can be difficult to park your car due to pillars/posts in the way. Breakfast was good every morning. Go around 7:00am to get good seating as it has limited seating. If you find breakfast area seating full just take your food to your room. I give it a 9 out of 10 rating.

10

Brian C.

12 Apr 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Great location.

10

DEBORAH

27 Nov 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Great location next to the airport as well as Sea World, and the property is in great condition. The breakfast included was well stocked and some excellent food options. The parking was free, which is a huge plus, considering downtown hotels are charging $40/night to park. Loved our short stay!

Was this helpful?

AI-generated summary based on recent guest reviews

Dining

Breakfast earns strong praise for variety and value, including hot items and all day lobby beverages. Downsides include crowded seating, occasional equipment issues or repetitive items, and a few comments about temperature or limited specialty options.

Related guest reviews

8

Zainal

11 Nov 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

Good breakfast and kids didn't complain about the internet so i guess it was good.

8

Jessica

11 Jul 2024

·

Stayed 4 nights

Hotel has great location for closeness to attractions. Parking is horrific. Neighborhood is not one to go for a stroll late at night. Room was clean and large. Staff was very friendly and helpful. Free breakfast was good, with lots of options. Great value for the price. They did have a hard time having coffee available, always seemed to be empty.

8

Carol

10 Feb 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Excellent breakfast! Very clean!

10

terri

14 Jul 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Easy quick check in and check out. Breakfast was good.

8

Angela

13 Aug 2025

·

Stayed 4 nights

Everything was fine except pancake machine wasn’t working for at least two of my days and no bacon available. Breakfast was same every day. Could change up menu. Staff was very nice and courteous. Always cleaning up.

10

Paula

21 Jun 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

It was amazing, the breakfast is always delicious!

10

James

24 Nov 2025

·

Stayed 6 nights

Clean room, housekeeping was excellent. Solid breakfast. We atayed for 6 nights and the menu had daily variations

10

Magdalena

1 Jan 2025

·

Stayed 4 nights

Always available tea , coffee, water in the lobby. Also hot chocolate and freshly baked cookies in the evenings. As well as excellent mini shop.

10

Meredith

1 Aug 2023

·

Stayed 2 nights

Great hotel and value. The staff is so nice, lots of accommodations including 24hr herbal tea in addition to coffee for people who need to avoid caffeine. At night we could watch the sea world fireworks from our hotel window. Also- so family friendly! It’s rare to find a hotel that can actually comfortably sleep a family with more than 2 kids. The breakfast were really crowded, but it was a full breakfast with lots of options. I was hesitant about booking a hotel (we usually use bnb) but I am so glad I did and will be booking here again next time.

10

Elizabeth

8 Aug 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

This property was well maintained and the rooms were fresh and comfortable. The staff were friendly and did a great job keeping the property clean and inviting. We really enjoyed the free breakfast...great select each day and plenty to go around considering how busy the dinning area became.

Was this helpful?

AI-generated summary based on recent guest reviews

Month	Average price
January	US$144
February	US$171
March	US$185
April	US$182
May	US$176
June	US$227
July	US$270
August	US$207
September	US$171
October	US$180
November	US$161
December	US$153

Su	Mo	Tu	We	Th	Fr	Sa
		1	2	3	4	5
6	7	8	9	10	11	12
13	14	15 $233	16 $261	17 $252	18 $282	19 $327
20 $156	21 $143	22 $151	23 $157	24 $157	25 $244	26 $283
27 $154	28 $158	29 $156	30 $155

Su	Mo	Tu	We	Th	Fr	Sa
				1 $175	2 $300	3 $317
4 $160	5 $160	6 $160	7 $168	8 $168	9 $268	10 $292
11 $178	12 $168	13 $171	14 $157	15 $157	16 $244	17 $261
18 $149	19 $145	20 $145	21 $149	22 $149	23 $187	24 $199
25 $160	26 $145	27 $149	28 $148	29 $149	30 $237	31 $266

Select dates to see prices and availability

Monthly average prices

About this property

Location

Room options

Standard Room, 2 Queen Beds, Accessible (Comm, Mobility, Access Tub)

Standard Room, 2 Queen Beds, Accessible (Communications, Mobility, Roll-In Shower)

Standard Room, 2 Queen Beds

Suite, Multiple Beds

Standard Room

Standard Room, Multiple Beds

Guest reviews

Fabulous

Who stays here?

What guests think

Property policies

Check-in instructions

Good to know

FAQs about Holiday Inn Express San Diego - Sea World Area by IHG

Have a question?

Prices for upcoming dates