The former Hotel Z at 521 Sixth Avenue in San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter is being renovated and rebranded as Stellen San Diego Gaslamp, part of a strategy by Portland, Oregon-based Stoa Lodging to refresh a property that had not been updated since it opened in 2015.
The 100-room hotel will feature redesigned guest rooms, a new ground-floor café that doubles as a check-in desk, and a warmer, more residential design aesthetic. Managed by Evolution Hospitality and designed by San Diego-based architecture firm Delawie, the renovation is scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2027, with the hotel remaining open during construction.
“Our goal is to create a hotel to serve downtown’s diverse mix of business, convention and leisure travelers, while delivering the warm service-first hospitality and local character of a boutique hotel,” said Michael Murray, vice president of operations at Evolution Hospitality, as reported by the San Diego Business Journal.
The biggest change in the renovation is the addition of a ground-floor café in a redesigned lobby. The space will function as a coffee shop by day and a light cocktail lounge by night, creating what Stoa Lodging founder Taylor Jacobs described as “a really warm, hospitality experience.”
“We have a lot of folks that are coming in for conventions. We want to be a great base camp,” Jacobs said. “We’re also focused on becoming a neighborhood spot for coffee. Coffee is a great way to connect with people.”
The café will curate coffees from different roasters throughout the year, offering guests and locals a rotating selection. Stoa Lodging opted to forego a full-service restaurant, preferring to refer guests to nearby dining establishments in the Gaslamp Quarter.
The building’s façade along Sixth Avenue is getting more windows to bring in natural light and create a stronger streetside connection. The lobby will feature warmer tones than the blue-and-white palette of the Hotel Z era. New valet parking has been added as an amenity.
Room rates for the renovated hotel have not been set, but Jacobs said the property will be competitive. “The property performs very well. We expect our renovations to improve on that,” he said.
Stoa Lodging, founded in 2024, is a privately held investment and development firm that acquires, develops, and repositions hospitality properties throughout the western U.S. The company has 10 employees.
Jacobs said San Diego’s hotel market “continues to be strong” and that the mid-term to long-term outlook is “very compelling,” making the Gaslamp Quarter property an attractive investment for the firm’s growing portfolio.
