SAN DIEGO — The Marriott San Diego Gaslamp Quarter appeared quiet Tuesday morning as some travelers rushed out to make their Thanksgiving plans, but the calm won't last long.
The hotel is close to sold out for Thanksgiving and will be completely booked Friday and Saturday after the holiday, according to General Manager Jeffrey Burg.
Jose Francisco was among those heading out Tuesday morning, traveling to Chicago for work on Thanksgiving Day.
"The day of Thanksgiving I'm gonna be traveling to Chicago for work so I'll be with a lot of peers, a lot of coworkers, and we're, I guess we're gonna have a Friendsgiving on the road," Francisco said.
While the San Diego Tourism Authority reports 2025 has been a flat year for tourism, Burg says it's been a very busy month for his hotel. That trend is set to continue through the holiday with multiple events pulling visitors into the city.
"On Saturday, of course, we have the WWE event at Petco Park and prior to that there were numerous concerts in Gallagher Square," Burg said.
When the hotel is booked, it helps keep staff earning money through the season and supports goals for Measure C, a plan that aims to increase taxes on hotel rooms.
"It goes into the pot and so more the city is able to do more things for the citizens of San Diego take care of the roads, hopefully get the convention center online, take care of the unhoused," Burg said.
For travelers heading out for the holiday, Burg wants to remind people to be kind to those working.
"Please just take a little extra moment to say thank you and please and that goes a long way with the staff because they work so so hard," Burg said.
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