Lafayette Hotel
University Heights, San Diego
“Maximalist retro playground”
MICHELIN Guide · Condé Nast Traveler
“…it’s experiencing its second golden age. The property was renovated by a local hospitality group… and reopened its doors in 2023 as the Lafayette Hotel & Club, an urban resort steeped in retro glamour…”
Vibe
Hand-painted ceiling murals, velvet banquettes, and leopard print set the tone for an exuberant, cocktail-fueled playground.
“Maximalist retro playground”
Maximalist interiors featuring custom leopard carpets, rich velvet drapery, and bold hand-painted ceiling murals.
A buzzing nightlife hub featuring Lou Lou's music club, a vintage bowling alley, and poolside cocktail bars.
A 1946 mid-century landmark originally built as a Hollywood getaway around a Johnny Weissmuller-designed pool.
On El Cajon Boulevard in North Park, moments from craft breweries, retro diners, and Balboa Park
“…a 1940s movie star, that is—wandering between your cushy room and the pool, multiple restaurants, and boisterous bars in this mini neighborhood of a San Diego hotel complex.”
Rooms
Canopy beds and wallpapered ceilings channel Victorian maximalism, paired with custom craft-spirit bar carts loaded with over forty bottles.
Wellness
Striped cabanas frame the iconic pool designed by Olympian Johnny Weissmuller, alongside a Roman- and Turkish-inspired bathhouse and hammam.
Backstory
Built in 1946 as a Hollywood haven for Frank Sinatra and Bob Hope, its former Mississippi Room later hosted Top Gun's bar serenade.
Eat & drink
Sip mezcal inside Quixote's salvaged church pews, order late-night malts at Beginner's Diner, or catch jazz beneath Lou Lou's clamshell stage.
The neighborhood
Set along El Cajon Boulevard at the edge of North Park, vintage diners, record shops, and craft breweries sit right outside.
The app
Hotel Please was drawn for the phone in your hand — and this is the flat version of it.