San Diego County hotels and their guests weathered the power outage with aplomb, making do with candles, flashlights, limited elevator service and in some cases, plenty of alcohol.

Because they're equipped with powerful generators to take over when electricity is lost, hotels were able to keep some elevators operating and salvage food stored in refrigerators and freezers.

At the Hilton San Diego Bayfront, filled to capacity with 2,000 guests, complimentary dinner and breakfast buffets were served -- at a cost of more than $100,000, said Donovan Henson, area director of sales and marketing for Hilton hotels.

On the positive side, beer sales Thursday night soared, he added.

"The hotel leadership team felt this was the right thing to do under the circumstances and it reinforces the hotel’s commitment to taking care of our valued guests," Henson said.