For the budget-minded seeking places to stay with quality and value near downtown San Diego; The Pearl Hotel is an authentic, intimate, hip and cool, small boutique hotel close to the San Diego Airport, near the Gaslamp Quarter and local tourist attractions.

Upon entering, guests are greeted by a blue-tiled reception desk adorned with a long piece of driftwood. A planter filled with white fiberglass sticks reminiscent of sea anemone stands in between reception and the quaint lounge. Here white Nelson ball wall sconces and chess and checker boards act as dividers for seats made of tan shag carpeting, tan cushions, and blue pillows that make guests feel as though they are sitting on someone's living room floor.

Reception and the lounge seamlessly flow into the restaurant, with its mirrored brown tiled bar, high tables, and white leather stools. And the only thing separating it and the pool area is an accordion stainless steel door, which remains open at night so dining and drinking can continue in cabanas (complete with with TVs, mirrors for people-watching, and white low tables and modern Bisou chairs), butterfly chairs, and slatted wood booth seating (backed with blue, white, and orange striped cushions) surrounding the oyster-shaped pool. Massive inner tubes hanging on one wall, a 10-foot grass vertical garden, white hammock, and oversized projection screen (the hotel hosts "Dive-In" movie nights) provide whimsical touches, while original stone walls, newly planted uplit bamboo stalks, and Ipe wood suggestive of the original facade's fins surround the space and enhance the outdoor, organic feel.

"It’s friendly, not pretentious," says Soriano, founder of firm Onairos Design. "We were respectful of its original aesthetic but there's also a sense of playfulness". " I want the hotel to stimulate conversation," Soriano says. "That’s the greatest achievement - that for some reason guests like the space, but they don’t know why, it’s just intuitive."

2008 Hospitality Design Magazine Awards Finalist for Best Affordable Mid Size Hotel

2009 SDAF (San Diego Architectural Foundation) Orchid Award for Interior Design