Residence Inn Berkeley - Berkeley, California

JCW888

As a Marriott loyalist, I’ve stayed in many Marriott hotels including their Residence Inn hotels. For the most part, Residence Inn tends to be a few notches lower in quality and aesthetics compared to Marriott hotels, but this Residence Inn Berkeley was completely different! Let’s start with service. The front desk staff have been some of the nicest Marriott employees ever and this was consistent throughout our stay! Upon check-in, the person helping us was so nice and even recommended that we ask for late check out knowing that we were in town for a college tour of UC Berkeley and might be cutting it close with the 12pm check out time. Staff greeted us each time we walked out or back into the hotel. Our room was AMAZING! It was modern, clean, and felt more upscale compared to any other Residence Inn or Marriott that we’ve stayed in. The partial bay view from the 10th floor was wonderful. If you’re in town to tour UC Berkeley, the university property is a block away and is a climb up the mountain to the UC Berkeley visitor center (about a 15-20 min walk), but it’s a great unguided tour through the university. There are lots of restaurants nearby and the area in front of the hotel feels safe.

JoshE1241

Even though we live in SF, I love coming to this hotel. I've been several times, and this recent stay was a favorite! First, a big shout out to the spectacular Kiyera, who checked my son and I in. She was so friendly, personable, and very sweet to us. Huge thank you to her Great recommendations and her generosity, of what we should order at their awesome rooftop bar and restaurant. Great cocktails, and I really enjoyed the fish and chips. Go up there if just to go outside and take in the views, but you Have to order a slice of their chocolate torte, might be one of the best I've ever had. |The location of this hotel is perfect. Literally across the street from the Downtown Berkley Bart station. Walking distance to hundreds of fabulous restaurants, bars, cafes, and shopping. There's a Trader Joe's walking distance too, which is great, as every room comes with a full kitchen. Just a block away from the gorgeous UC Berkley campus too. |Awesome, large clean suites, we'll be back- thank you!!

Mimi L.

Centrally located in downtown Berkeley with many restaurants and shops nearby. The rooms are comfortable, clean and spacious. They all come with a mini kitchenette fully stocked with cutlery, dinnerware etc and a full size fridge. Great for a few days or weeks. And generous breakfast buffet

Debbie S.

Very clean, great breakfast, and well equipped workout facilities. Bed was comfortable. I personally didn't care for pillows; down and very fluffy. Pullout sofa bed not good for long term stays, as one would suspect. Main complaint is bathroom light is on motion sensor and super bright. Getting up to use it in the middle of the night is blinding, a dimming function would be great.
Less that 1 block walk from BART Station and a very walkable area.

Rajesh K.

Nice and clean hotel walking distance from UC Berkeley. Rooms were spacious and clean, although the humming noise from the AC was a bit of an inconvenience. Showers and bed were good. 24hr gym was a nice touch. Breakfast had a decent variety and the rooftop bar has a great view. Overall, a nice comfort hotel.
visited again in April. Similar experience, the noise from the AC was certainly there in other rooms as well.

Kate C.

The hotel its self is amazing and in a place surrounded by shops and restaurants.
The elevators didn’t always work.
To have on site parking it would cost $54 a night which it advertised as free.
The breakfast was the second best I’ve ever had!
My bathroom door was hard to lock but the shower was really nice.
The pullout sofa bed was honestly more comfortable than the real beds (I prefer to not sink into the bed).
Really accommodating service!

William

Positive: Great location, very large room, breakfast was the usual microwaved stuff but they had nice options like tofu scramble with gochujang sauce. Oatmeal bar had nice selection of toppings, and nice to have oat milk. Negative: Poor lighting in rooms especially kitchen/living area, fitness center had room for more equipment like weight machines, parking much too expensive with valet only which with tip and taxes is over $60/day.

Amanda W.

I had an extremely disappointing experience with the valet services at The Residence Inn – Berkeley during our stay in late October when we came to watch the Cal football game. While the hotel itself was fine, the valet service was a nightmare. When we picked up our car upon departure, the valet had parked it haphazardly and rushed us off without any care or professionalism.

Two hours later, we stopped to charge the car and noticed two massive gouges on the passenger-side rim, still coated with cement residue. It was obvious the damage happened under their care. I immediately called the hotel but was told the valet manager wasn’t available. Over the next several weeks, I called repeatedly, leaving messages for the valet manager, the front desk, and even the general manager. No one bothered to call me back until mid-November, when the valet manager left a single voicemail saying they would open a claim.

Despite this, I heard nothing else. After being ignored for weeks, I had to escalate the issue to Marriott customer service, who finally pushed the valet service, Towne Park, to open a formal claim. But even after all this effort, Towne Park denied my claim, claiming their valets weren’t at fault. This is completely unacceptable, as the damage occurred while the car was in their possession, and the cement residue was clear evidence. This is a brand-new car that had been spotless before our trip. Adding to my frustration, the rim they damaged costs over $1,000 to replace—this isn’t a minor issue, and I wouldn’t be nearly as upset if it were.

The lack of accountability and abysmal communication made this experience infuriating. Besides that single voicemail, no one returned my calls despite my repeated requests for a phone conversation. This was by far the worst customer service I’ve ever encountered.

I will never stay at this hotel again, and I’ll make sure to warn anyone who is thinking of staying there. If you care about your vehicle, avoid this valet service at all costs.