Located in the Columbia district of downtown San Diego, Emerald Plaza is a 30-story building with a clustered hexagonal roof, designed by architects C.W.

"[citation needed] "Emerald Plaza’s hexagonal design allows for the maximum number of guestrooms and offices with views, as well as minimizes wasted space typical to rectangular buildings.

Further more, this design utilizes angled window sills, which reflect ambient sunlight into the building, reducing lighting requirements.

The structure itself is balanced on a 9-foot deep concrete block which acts like a floating device, allowing the building ebb and flow, mimicking the movement of water.

[4][6] The ballroom and conference facilities cover an area of 22,000 square feet, and the hotel also contains a law library.