Story and photos by Eric Noland > Travel Editor

SAN DIEGO -- Business people who travel frequently - especially those who patronize a particular hotel chain - have probably had this disconcerting experience at some point: stirring groggily at a predawn hour and, for a brief moment, being unable to peg the city. Is this the hotel in downtown Chicago, or the one at the Kansas City airport? Denver? No, definitely not Denver. Boston. Yeah, that's it. (Related: San Diego Interactive ; Hotel Dining in San Diego)

Major hotel chains provide the comfort of familiarity (and rewards points, of course), but they rarely surprise you, or have any sense of place. That's undoubtedly why independent hotels or smaller chains - bringing the term "boutique" into the lodging lexicon - are flourishing in the hospitality industry.

San Diego is a textbook case. In the last year-plus, it has seen the opening of 10 hotels - whether radical renovations, major expansions or brand-new construction - and the common thread is that each endeavors to be not a bit like any of the others.

At the Pearl in Point Loma, flea markets were scoured for lamps and other furniture so that no two rooms would be alike. The Hard Rock chucked the whole idea of a front desk, and instead built check-in "pods" in front of giant LED screens with ever-changing rock images. The Beach Village at the Hotel del Coronado went for gated exclusivity with an enclave of villas and cottages. The Grand Del Mar, just up the coast, sought to be not a typical resort but the Mediterranean estate of some distant, wealthy relation.

"People are looking for something more stylish than a cookie-cutter hotel," said Thomas Mohrlock, manager of the Pearl.

In that quest, a traveler may opt for any number of manifestations: hip, midcentury quirky, old-money exclusive, party pad. All can be found among San Diego's new lodging options. See the back page for a rundown on six of them.

The Sofia

It's always encouraging when a developer finds a way to save a crusty old downtown building rather than just razing it and starting fresh. The Sofia is housed in the former Pickwick Hotel, a Gothic brick edifice that opened in the late 1920s to serve a motorized stage service (which was quickly rendered obsolete by the marketing of the Model T Ford to the masses).

Inside, the transformation is impressive, with new plumbing and electrical guts and high-end fixtures, linens and amenities. Because of the age of the hotel, the rooms are small, but clever retrofits maximized space for such 21st-century imperatives as big bathrooms. The original space might be big enough for a toilet and shower-tub, but rather than trying to cram a sink in there, too, the designers simply tiled the floor outside the bathroom and installed the sink and mirror on an opposite wall. It works.

The bones of this old beast are sound; we didn't hear a creak or a peep from an adjoining room. And although the Sofia is on West Broadway, in an area of downtown that is still a little rough around the edges - the Greyhound bus terminal occupies the ground floor - it is spotless, friendly and affordable (from $169), with a fireplace and Wi-Fi in the lobby, a free business center, a good-size gym and even a yoga studio. The Amtrak train station is a walk of six short blocks.

The Ivy

The rooftop deck is a de-rigueur feature for any hotel in San Diego's lively Gaslamp Quarter (other nice ones can be found at the Solamar, Omni and Hard Rock). The Ivy, which represents another major renovation of an existing building, boasts of having the largest rooftop gathering place in the neighborhood.

It is impressive, with couches, day beds, cabanas, a bar and a pool atop the six-floor hotel, with views of the downtown towers and the bay beyond. This is a natural magnet both day and night, and guests have priority when a line has formed.

But this isn't the only place where people congregate at the Ivy. There is also Envy, an ultra lounge where a group can settle into a VIP seating area and have a cocktail waitress assigned exclusively to them. Other innovative public spaces are glassed-in atriums off the lobby where smokers may gather.

Come to the Ivy expecting to embrace the frolic, as demure sensibilities don't survive long here. One weekend afternoon during our stay, an inebriated young man on the rooftop, egged on by his friends, stripped down to his underwear and jumped in the pool. Staffers looking on didn't raise the slightest objection. And that night, the din from the perpetual street party that is the Gaslamp - whooping crowds, blasting music, work crews setting up for the next day's events - lasted deep into the wee hours.

Grand Del Mar

Ever fantasize about being invited to a sprawling country estate, as in a Merchant Ivory movie? Poking around in the wine cellar. Settling into a winged leather chair with the morning paper. Tramping off into the countryside for a bit of exercise. This might be the closest approximation you'll find.

The Grand Del Mar was built in an arroyo just east of Interstate 5, and the owners reportedly had in mind a Mediterranean estate rather than just another golf resort. I was skeptical when I first heard of this concept, but they've pulled it off remarkably well.

The lobby, for example, feels more like an expansive living room, with fireplaces at each end and a door that opens into a cozy, clubby library. (Tea is served in there on the weekends.) The adult pool is in a courtyard, bordered on three sides by the balconies of guest rooms, and it's intriguing that the paving stones of the deck appear to be weathered, cracked and pocked, with the grout eroded away in spots - new construction made to look age-old. The wine room is dark, bordered on all sides by floor-to-ceiling, glass-faced coolers, with a long dining table in the center - what an ideal setting for a lavish wine-pairing dinner.

But we were probably most impressed with the great number of gathering nooks in the public rooms and on the grounds, where two people or a small group could settle in for conversation, refreshment or relaxation. One evening we lingered for some time before a crackling wood fire on a second-story patio, gazing across the Grand Golf Club to the wilds of Los Penasquitos Canyon Preserve beyond. Couldn't help but wonder if our gracious host had retired for the night yet.

The Pearl

The midcentury vibe resonates with a broad range of travelers - baby boomers who experienced it firsthand while on car trips with their parents, and young hipsters intrigued by the devil-may-care indulgences of the era (martinis, steak, cigarettes).

The Pearl in Point Loma delivers a degree of authenticity, since it is housed in a 1960 motel, the former Sportsmen's Lodge. It's a couple of blocks inland from the bay, but nautical colors create soothing decor in the guest rooms, and the pool is an inviting place to relax, shielded as it is from the busy vehicle traffic on Rosecrans Street.

On Wednesday nights, the pool is also the site of the Pearl's "Dive-In Theatre." Movies are projected on a big, sail-like screen along one wall of the pool area, and guests and bar patrons get comfortable under the stars with a cocktail in hand. "In summer, guests will watch from the pool," Mohrlock, the manager, said.

Another dose of whimsy: Each guest room comes with a pet; it's just a goldfish in a bowl, but all of them have names.

As for the late-night scene in the restaurant and bar, the Pearl offers what it calls Play & Stay. After midnight, any available room may be secured for the night for just $79. On one level, this might be admirable in keeping drunks off the road. On another, it is swinging-singles creepy, bringing to mind the Skid Row flophouses that charge by the hour.

Hard Rock

Trading on its success as party central in other cities - notably Las Vegas - the Hard Rock pulses with the energy of a rock concert (even in the early morning, when you wish it didn't).

Concert images of iconic figures - Springsteen, B.B. King, Tom Petty, Elton John, Slash - silently scream from the massive video screens behind the reception pods, setting an unmistakable tone as you check in. "We wanted to have it be more open and interactive, rather than a big, long front desk," said spokeswoman Sabrina Wilson as she guided a visitor past the scene.

The hotel, built new from the ground up, is at the foot of the Gaslamp Quarter, just a few steps from both the Convention Center and the Petco Park baseball stadium. It's a big place, with 420 rooms, 224 of which are suites of some sort. The Moonstone Lounge, on the roof of the fourth floor, is a popular open-air hangout with fire pits and a pool.

The lobby, as with all Hard Rock properties, is a veritable museum of rock memorabilia - photos, guitars, extravagant performance outfits worn by Madonna and others, a scribbled Soundgarden set list (accompanied by a cheat sheet of the guitar chords). My favorite was a concert rider for Big Brother and the Holding Company, Janis Joplin's band in the 1960s. A lawyerly clause stipulates "vocal reproduction concurrent with loud electronic musical accompaniment."

Beach Village

High-rolling travelers didn't seek detached, private accommodations when the Hotel del Coronado opened in 1888, but they sure desire it now. So the venerable Del carved up a bit of its rear parking lot, knocked down a couple of old cottages (including the one Marilyn Monroe stayed in for the filming of "Some Like It Hot"), and created a tony, gated enclave of 78 cottages and villas. It has a separate front desk, concierge, parking valet and room-service kitchen, and is priced accordingly - the lowest-category room, with a garden view, is $675 a night.

The location is superb, right on Coronado's wide beach, with views out the mouth of the bay toward Point Loma. The Beach Village has its own pool, but some accommodations also have plunge pools and hot tubs.

Bear in mind that a public walkway passes between the village and the beach, so the first-floor, oceanfront digs might present a fishbowl existence - with passersby gazing into patios, living rooms and soaking tubs, a bit like along the boardwalk at Pacific Beach. For greater privacy, specify the second floor.

eric.noland@dailynews.com

(818) 713-3681

WANT TO GO?

BEACH VILLAGE: At the Hotel del Coronado, 1500 Orange Ave., Coronado (that's the main hotel address; the entrance to the village is actually at the rear of the building, off R.H. Dana Place). Room rates at the Beach Village from $675 (discounts, packages and promotions available). www.delbeachvillage.com; (619) 522-8809. Hotel del Coronado: www.hoteldel.com; (800) 468-3533.

GRAND DEL MAR: 5300 Grand Del Mar Court, San Diego. Room rates from $450. www.thegranddelmar.com; (858) 314-2000.

HARD ROCK: 207 Fifth Ave., San Diego. Room rates from $265. www.hardrockhotelsd.com; (619) 702-3000.

IVY: 600 F St., San Diego. Room rates from $249. www.ivy hotel.com; (619) 814-1000.

PEARL: 1410 Rosecrans St., San Diego (Point Loma). Room rates from $159. www.thepearlsd.com; (877) 732-7573.

SOFIA: 150 W. Broadway, San Diego. Room rates from $169. www.thesofiahotel.com; (800) 826-0009.