Berkeley City Club - Berkeley, California

FLUID B.

I recently had the opportunity to work as a hairstylist and officiant for a wedding at the Berkeley City Club, and it truly exceeded all expectations! The venue is stunningly beautiful, showcasing the exquisite Julia Morgan architecture that adds a timeless elegance to any event.

Everything was impeccably clean, and the atmosphere was warm and inviting. The staff were incredibly attentive, making the entire experience enjoyable for everyone involved.

The only minor drawback was the parking situation due to its inner-city location, but the charm and beauty of the venue more than made up for it. I highly recommend the Berkeley City Club for anyone looking for a breathtaking wedding venue!

Tonya P.

No AC at all. Rooms had a Victorian vibe and pretty. Service was great and quite friendly. The architecture was amazing! Built in 1929, maybe an old monastery or church. A great venue for a wedding!

Paris-Berkeley

At over $300 per night, the BCC is a disappointment. The bath-shower piping and water temperature are of poor quality and some windows are drafty. However, the beds are comfortable enough and the rooms are fairly quiet. The breakfast, included in the room price, is OK, though the one hot food, egg timbales, never changes. The front-desk staff could be more professional and welcoming.

Vlogsoryx

The worst staff I’ve ever encountered – avoid this place at all costs! I honestly don’t even know where to begin with how awful our experience was. We had a reservation clearly stating check-in was at 3:00 PM. We arrived right on time, expecting a smooth check-in like any normal hotel. Instead, we were greeted with a dismissive attitude and told our room wasn’t ready, and that it would be another 30 minutes. No big deal—we figured maybe they were running a bit behind, so we agreed to wait and were told they would call us once the room was ready. Well, guess what? Thirty minutes came and went—no call, no update. So we went back to the front desk to check in, only to be met with eye-rolls and an incredibly rude tone, as if we were being unreasonable for simply asking about our room. No apology, no empathy, just cold and condescending service. They told us again that it wasn’t ready, with no timeline and no explanation. At this point, we decided to leave and walk around the area to kill some more time, thinking surely it would be ready soon. We ended up walking around for another hour and a half, still no call. That’s two full hours after our scheduled check-in time. When we returned—clearly frustrated—they said, “Oh yeah, your room is ready now.” No apology, no sense of urgency, and worst of all—no acknowledgment that they failed to notify us like they promised. When we asked why they never called, it was painfully obvious they had just forgotten. Rather than admit to it and apologize, they deflected the blame onto housekeeping, claiming they were busy and short-staffed. Still no apology for the inconvenience or the two hours of our time completely wasted. And then came the cherry on top—the manager at the front desk. Honestly, one of the rudest, most unprofessional individuals I’ve ever had to deal with in any customer service setting. When we expressed our disappointment and asked if anything could be done to make up for the inconvenience (a simple gesture of goodwill would’ve gone a long way), she was completely dismissive, condescending, and borderline hostile. Not only did she refuse to offer any kind of compensation, she acted like the entire situation was somehow our fault for expecting the service we were promised. There was zero accountability, zero understanding of how to handle guest relations, and a stunning lack of professionalism across the board. It was clear that this is not a one-off issue—this staff operates with a total lack of courtesy, organization, and customer service standards. Save yourself the headache and the frustration—book literally anywhere else. This hotel might look decent on the surface, but the way they treat their guests is completely unacceptable. If you’re expecting a smooth, respectful, and professional experience, you will be severely disappointed.

TracyTraveler

We wanted to see this Julia Morgan hotel/city club and thought it a perfect time when we had a short visit with friends in the area. The hotel is old and the structure reflects that: the radiator heat bangs when it starts up, the windows are single-paned, and the bathroom shower is kind of cobbled together. But the location is great, the breakfast was good (little quiches, meat, cheese, instant oatmeal, granola, pastries), the "coffee corner" is accessible all day, and the building was fun to explore. The queen bed was comfortable and the room was quiet. There is metered parking on the street, but it is often full, so we opted for the $39/night hotel lot. We had a city view room and enjoyed seeing both the Bay Bridge and the Golden Gate highlighted by a lovely sunset the night we arrived.

Jiong W.

The location is close to Berkeley campus, about 10min walking distance, hotel is converted from a historic architecture so it is with history and style and the interior is updated so it is historic but not old. My only unhappy is the room is small, especially the toilet space, otherwise I am all happy with the hotel.

Abel M.

The room was way overpriced for what we got. It was over $330 for one night in a queen bed. The room was charming and antique, but quite small and with less amenities than standard (i.e. no fridge or TV). The bathroom door didn't shut and the toilet is RIGHT by the door. All this and they still have the gall to charge $4 for the bottled water in the room. The service also wasn't great, about half the staff we interacted with seemed to be having a miserable time.

The building (lobby, pool, etc.) is beautiful and historic, but spending so much on one night makes you hope that you're getting more of an experience, and that at least you aren't met with stingy amenities and indifferent staff. If I had spent half of what I did, I think it would have been worth it.

Ati

It is an amazing historical building, with beautiful rooms. There are multiple very nice spaces to use for relaxing and even working. The rooms are quiet and beds are comfortable. We had a lovely view to the Golden gate bridge and the whole area around which was pleasant; we had picked it when booking the room. The breakfast was also quite nice, with a variety of fruits, sweets and savoury options. The staff were also very friendly and nice. As a hotel, we felt like they are abit cheap in service. The room does not have a TV or fridge, and not even a glass you could drink water.
The shower was a disappointment; there was barely running water in our bathroom, and the water was constantly getting cold, so no proper shower was possible. The Wifi was also not so stable, on the 6th floor in our room. We had the “don’t disturb”sign on the room as we didn’t want room service, but they still intruded and tidied up the room, which we thought was strange. The bathroom was also not well maintained; those moldy grouts between tiles could be cleaned.
There is parking for a fee of 39$ a night, which is pricy but convenient.