Westgate Hotel (San Diego)

The Westgate Hotel
The building in 2009
Former names	Little America Westgate Plaza Hotel Westgate Plaza Hotel
General information
Status	Completed
Address	1055 Second Ave, San Diego, California, 92101, United States
Town or city	San Diego
Country	United States of America
Opened	August 30, 1970
Other information
Number of rooms	235

Westgate Hotel, formerly known as Westgate Plaza Hotel and Little America Westgate Plaza Hotel, is a luxury hotel in San Diego, California.

History

The hotel was built by C. Arnholt Smith after inspiration from a 1950s lunch with President Dwight D. Eisenhower at the nearby U.S. Grant Hotel. ^[1] Construction began on January 18, 1968 ^[2] and Arnholt's company Westgate-California Corporation built it for $22 million. ^[3] The 20 story building opened with 235 rooms ^[2] on August 30, 1970 ^[4] and Esquire said it was one of the three greatest hotels in the world. ^{[5] [6]}

In popular culture

The hotel was a filming location for the 1979 film Scavenger Hunt ^[7] and the 2025 film One Battle After Another. ^{[8] [9] [10]}

References

1. "Opinion: How San Diego Got Its Finest Hotel—And Why Unions Are Stopping Others". Times of San Diego . 2018-01-18. Retrieved 2025-09-27.
2. Monteagudo, Merrie (2020-08-30). "The Westgate Hotel opened its doors downtown 50 years ago". San Diego Union-Tribune . Archived from the original on 2020-09-30. Retrieved 2025-09-27.
3. "Westgate Luxury Hotel Deal". San Francisco Chronicle . 1974-06-18. p. 52. Retrieved 2025-09-27.
4. "A regal charm in San Diego for those who cherish elegance and service". San Francisco Chronicle . 1970-08-25. p. 47. Retrieved 2025-09-27.
5. "Suite 1904-Westgate Plaza Hotel A top address for your top executives". The Los Angeles Times . 1973-01-23. p. 54. Retrieved 2025-09-27.
6. "San Diego has a surprise for you. California's finest hotel". San Francisco Chronicle . 1972-09-07. p. 32. Retrieved 2025-09-27.
7. Furzer, Summer. "FILMING SAN DIEGO HOLLYWOOD'S BACKLOT, 1898-2002". San Diego History Center | San Diego, CA | Our City, Our Story. Retrieved 2025-09-27.
8. Aere, Jacob; Castillo, Carlos (2025-09-26). "Hollywood in San Diego: 'One Battle After Another' filmed across county". KPBS Public Media . Retrieved 2025-09-27.
9. Hamblin, Abby (2025-09-26). "Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, crew filmed all over San Diego County for 'One Battle After Another'". San Diego Union-Tribune . Retrieved 2025-09-27.
10. Lickona, Matthew (2025-09-26). "Certified: The Westgate goes Hollywood in One Battle After Another". San Diego Reader . Retrieved 2025-09-27.