When Warner Bros. came looking for the perfect backdrop for their latest action thriller, they found it right here in downtown San Diego. For a full week, The Westgate Hotel transformed into a Hollywood film set for One Battle After Another, the new Paul Thomas Anderson film starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Benicio Del Toro, and Sean Penn.
A Setting Worthy of the Silver Screen
If you’ve seen the trailer, you’ve caught a glimpse of Sean Penn descending our iconic grand staircase—a moment that perfectly captures The Westgate’s cinematic elegance. Our European-inspired architecture, with its palace-of-Versailles grandeur, caught the eye of Warner Bros. producers who knew they’d found something special during their site visits.
“The Westgate has this European-inspired charm and elegance that stood out as a screen-worthy backdrop,” explains Annie Fitzgerald, our VP of Operations and General Manager. And she’s right—where else in San Diego will you find hundreds of crystal chandeliers, over 500 miles of crown molding, and timeless artwork that transports you to another era?
When Hollywood Comes to Town
The production was no small undertaking. Warner Bros. booked the majority of our rooms for cast and crew, and filming took place throughout the property—from the grand staircase and Governor’s Suite to the lower-level lobby, garage, and even some behind-the-scenes employee areas.
But here’s a detail that truly showcases the technical precision of filmmaking: our engineering team spent weeks swapping out bulbs in more than 300 chandeliers. Why? LED lights flicker on camera, so the film crew needed special bulbs that wouldn’t interfere with their shots. Countless man-hours, ladders, and carefully lowered chandeliers later, the lighting was perfect. And once filming wrapped? Everything was switched back.
“It gave us a real appreciation for the technical precision of filmmaking and all the hard work that goes into it,” Fitzgerald notes.
A Hotel with Two Lives
During that remarkable week, The Westgate lived a double life. Our regular guests enjoyed their stays while, simultaneously, loading trucks arrived, cameras were positioned, wardrobe racks lined hallways, and film crews brought an electric energy to every corner of the property.
“It really did feel like a second layer of life was happening inside the hotel,” Fitzgerald recalls. “For our team, it was fun to watch the hotel transform into a film set while still remaining the same beautiful hotel that we visit every day.”
See The Westgate on the Big Screen
One Battle After Another is now in theaters, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to share our home with audiences worldwide. As Fitzgerald puts it: “Even seeing it in the preview was surreal. We know the space so well in daily life, and seeing it on the big screen is larger than life.”
There’s something magical about seeing a familiar place transformed by cinema—suddenly, the spaces you know become part of a larger story, certified as somewhere truly special.
Experience The Westgate for Yourself
While Sean Penn and the crew have moved on to their next projects, the timeless elegance they filmed remains. Our grand staircase still sweeps dramatically from the second floor to the lobby. The Governor’s Suite still showcases those countless layers of crown molding. And those 300+ chandeliers? They’re back to their LED bulbs, sparkling just as brilliantly as ever.
Come stay where Hollywood stays. Experience the European-inspired luxury, the family-owned hospitality, and the one-of-a-kind charm that made Warner Bros. choose The Westgate Hotel as the perfect setting for their latest film.
After all, in a city as cinematic as San Diego, shouldn’t you stay somewhere that’s officially certified by the silver screen?
Scenes from Warner Bros. Pictures’ film One Battle After Another were filmed at The Westgate Hotel in San Diego. The Westgate Hotel’s reference to the production is for informational purposes only. The hotel is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by Warner Bros. Pictures, the filmmakers, or the film’s cast.