Golden West Hotel

I worked next door at a hookah lounge for around six years and the amount of drugs I saw being sold or asked if I would like to buy is ridiculous. I’ve seen people walk out of the place completely naked and then go on to fight bartenders and pee on cars before getting tapered in the street by cops. Not to mention the shared bathrooms look like something out of a nazi gas chamber. We even had one dude stick a m16 put the window and threaten to shoot if we weren’t more quiet. There were times I had to go in and get people who were lost and had residents of the hotel holding them at knife point. It’s just a horrible place full of drugs prostitution violence and sex offenders I suggest you just never go here.

It’s a hell hole full of registered sex offenders.

Stay away… far, far away unless you do not have any standards. One of the worst places downtown unless you are the less fortunate.

First of all Unilocal friends, if I ever update this review to five stars, please come get me. Seriously, it is not a place I would recommend to any one unless they’ve been unfortunately living in some place worse like prison, a shelter or under a crowded bridge.
At the same time, I am not going to bash the place for its unkempt décor or the number of seedy looking people hanging outside or in the lobby. I am not above being in such a situation and my heart goes out to anyone who has to call this place home. I just hope it’s temporary. God bless us all.

The rent is cheap. The rooms are old but clean. There’s an elevator. Staff are friendly. The lobby is AWESOME!

I am giving this a high mark because of its historical significance. Rent for a month is around $ 550.00 with common shower and bathroom (you are also in one of the best spots in downtown). If you are down on your luck and don’t want to be homeless, or adventurous (like me), then this is your place.
Again, my high rating is for its history. When you are downtown you must take 10 minutes and walk into this hotel. For history buffs like me it is a Gem! You will be walking back in time. It was built in 1888 and designated an historical landmark in 1977. Due to the difficulty in changing a building in this classification, I suspect that is why the owners have not opted to change anything.
Going inside you have stepped in the 1920’s. Not much has been changed — no nothing has changed! You will never see an elevator like the one there, and virtually everything is original. The people are one step above homeless, but trying to better themselves. Therefore, you will be surprised by their friendliness and penchant to discuss the hotel and San Diego — like anywhere when traveling, just be prudent with your interactions with people. You will love it! If you just like new places with piped in Britney Spears music and everything being glass: skip it. Otherwise, if you are like me and enjoy history, it is a must see that will only take a few minutes of your time when downtown. And, if you are real adventurous, stay there!

Crazy ass place! We didn’t stay there but what an adventure walking in. It looked like something out of a Stephen King Novel. I was glad I was with my husband, I would not walk in there alone.

highest concentration of registered sex offenders in San Diego county!

I had to check in here to confirm what kind of rat hole it really is. I can not believe places like this really exist in San Diego and the fact that it’s actually called a hotel!
I felt like if I walked in then I would have entered that super sketch movie that took place in Europe… Or in the movie Derailed and I was the person Jennifer Aniston was (spoiler alert!) screwing over/​scamming.
When you look in you’ll notice a group of homeless men sitting on the benches inside and very low speed fans spinning. I could have sworn I even saw a cockroach, but who knows… I could have been very well planning the scene in my head haha

I didn’t actually stay at the Golden West. I visited a friend who lived there and brought him Thanksgiving dinner. The place is disgusting. The rooms are tiny, and there are cockroaches crawling on the walls. Good luck using the bathroom! It’s communal. You have to share a shower with everyone who’s on your floor. The manager requested my I.D. because I was a visitor, and my friend managed to get it back for me, but I was still up in the room. Well, the manager (or whoever was running the front desk) called the room and tried to tell me that he still had my I.D. (it was in my hand) and that if I didn’t leave, we would both be kicked out of the hotel, with my friend being evicted! Upon entering and leaving the hotel, you will notice an overwhelming stench of cigarette smoke and will have to pass groups of people who give the place the feel of an old insane asylum. It figures that I would later find out what a scumbag my «friend» was… the hotel where he lived says it all. Just avoid this place at all costs. I couldn’t imagine spending a night in this filth bucket.