Aiden by Best Western Berkeley

Our family had a fantastic stay for my wedding. We booked a block of 8 rooms, and everyone loved the place. The shared balcony on the 4th floor was a highlight, especially the bay and hill views at sunset. The hotel was very clean, and the staff were great. Before booking, I emailed and spoke with the current manager, Jeroen. He answered all our questions about what to expect and came across as very professional, so I felt we were in good hands. We chose the hotel because our parents had stayed a couple of years ago and loved it. The location also worked perfectly for visiting UC Berkeley and catching BART to San Francisco or Oakland. Highly recommend it as a place to enjoy the Bay.

The rooms feel modern and are really comfortable, and the location is great. Even though it’s off a busy street, it was quiet inside, with a built-in white noise machine too. Feels luxurious for the price. I’ve already told my friends about this place.

The room was clean and roomy, with a super comfortable bed. The catch is the price during UC Berkeley graduation, which was $560 a night. The area around it felt kind of sketchy, with homeless people hanging around and trashing the front parking lot at the 7/11 across the street. Getting in takes an extra step. The door won’t open as you walk up, so you need to tap your room key or buzz the front desk to be let in. For commencement, bus #51B stops right in front and goes to the campus stadium. Outside the stadium entrance, fresh orchid lei sellers charge $45 or $55 each, compared with $82.69 each with delivery from Ashby Flower. The bus was $2.50 each way with a clipper card. A Tesla robotaxi from Cafe Etoile, near Trader’s Joe, to Wright House near the stadium was $6.70.

The front desk team during my two days were cheerful and kind, and they even tipped me off to the best pizza in town. I had a noise problem from the guest above me late at night, called the desk, and the manager got on the phone right away. He handled it himself within five minutes. That response, after an exhausting day, is what made me write this at 11:45PM. I’m in town for two moving my daughter back to school and wanted to be near campus. There aren’t any 5-star hotels in Berkeley, which is usually where I stay, so I was surprised by how new and spotless my room was. Even the remote was clean, which is often overlooked even in the finest hotels. You can imagine what previous guests might do while holding a hotel remote, so I’ll leave it at that. The amenities are excellent, and it’s in a fantastic spot for restaurants, gas and convenience stores. This was a refreshing stay for a fraction of what I usually spend. Kudos to the manager for his professionalism and for hiring such a good team. I’ll definitely stay again when I visit my daughter and recommend Hotel Aiden to friends and colleagues. Well done!