Much is happening behind the ornate facade of 500 W. Broadway.
The eight-level structure, built in 1924, operated for nine decades as the Armed Services YMCA before falling into the hands of developers. Today the historic downtown property, known as The Guild Hotel, has evolved into a stylish community hub showing off fresh interior renovations, a newly installed backyard swimming pool and a curated art collection.
In addition, the 149-room hotel recently welcomed the arrival of Zuma, a high-end Japanese restaurant chain that originated in London in 2002. It has since branched into cities across the globe, including New York, Rome, Madrid, Dubai and Hong Kong.
Zuma’s indoor-outdoor presence at The Guild is noteworthy because it marks the brand’s California debut, leaving Los Angeles and San Francisco on the back burner for now.
Known for its contemporary approach to izakaya-style dining—not to mention its elaborate sushi rolls and char-grilled meats—the restaurant can be reached through the The Guild’s main entrance or from a dramatic “tunnel” clad in teak beams that visitors access from Columbia Street.
San Diego-based Oram Hotels rescued the building for $14 million from bankruptcy in 2014. The property at the time was called 500 West Hotel. Several years later the family-run company re-branded it as The Guild Hotel, after having also taken ownership, around the same time, of the historic Granger Hotel in the Gaslamp Quarter.
Oram Hotels founder and managing director, Kevin Mansour, said that compared to past redevelopments he oversaw at The Guild, the latest renovations “better reflect the history and architecture of the building.”
The remodeled lobby, for example, greets guests with a large black-painted wooden panel with tattered basketballs attached to its surface. The eye-catching piece, titled “Glory in the Grotesque” by Detroit-based artist Tyrrell Winston, is an ode to when the building’s basement and first floor served as an athletic center for military service members. It also represents the “blood, sweat and tears” endured within all branches of our armed forces.
Frank Sabatini Jr.)
Throughout the hotel’s common areas are other works from local, national and international artists. Some beckon to San Diego’s maritime culture. Others present sleek, modern vibes amidst the vestiges of a 100-plus-year building that Mansour says “has very good bones.”
New York-based INC Architecture and Design helped Mansour select textures, colors and furniture for several common areas. They include the front lobby, which is flanked by a boutique retail space and registration alcove for overnight guests, plus a spacious lobby bar and a parlor-like lounge behind it.
Some of the areas are separated by partially see-through draperies, allowing each space to retain their own identities while showing off an array of rich colors and symmetrical archways.
The redo has preserved the property’s cherished courtyard, which brims with lush greenery and comfy outdoor furniture. In both the courtyard and lobby bar, the public and hotel guests can indulge in a full range of classic and signature cocktails along with salads, ceviche, Wagyu burgers and more.
In addition, Mansour said the guest rooms are receiving “enhancements that point to warmth.”
He noted that the original columns are exposed in some of them. “We did that intentionally so you can feel the history,” he said.
The same applies to the Italian Renaissance Revival masonry framing the outside entrance and the old double-sided YMCA sign on the roof, both of which capture a bygone era. They remain intact primarily because the building is designated a historical property.
“You are seeing an evolution from the gut renovation we did in 2019. The designs are more timeless. We are enlivening the west Broadway corridor, which has premier office buildings, the RaDD biotech development, and a (new) Whole Foods … a few blocks away. We want to have our own history while respecting the history of the building.” Mansour concluded.
