Hotel Shattuck Plaza

I only spent one night here, but would stay again. The hotel is a lovely historic building right in downtown Berkeley, and the staff were attentive and very friendly. The room was on the small side, more European in size, but had what we needed. The bathroom was spotless, the shower and tub worked well, and the bed was very comfortable. There was some street noise on Sunday night, though it didn’t disturb me. The sliding bathroom door could come off its track pretty easily, but that wasn’t a big issue.

The location is excellent, right by BART and a Target, and the staff were kind and helpful. I wish I could say more good things, but the room was so dirty that we wouldn’t return. During our week there, my wife and I became sneezy and congested, then improved as soon as we left. Sitting on the furniture left lint all over our clothes. There was lint in the air and built up on the furniture, stained fabric that looked like it hadn’t been cleaned, dirty noisy windows, and a clogged shower drain. The carpets need replacing, though that felt minor beside the rest. They seemed to vacuum often, but the upholstery and other fabrics need proper wet cleaning. I’d guess that hasn’t been done, or at least not for years. The place has potential, and the staff were nice, but the dirt outweighed everything else. I’ve seen their replies to reviews from years ago promising to address these problems, and the facility still feels neglected. Promising fixes and not following through hurts trust in the brand. We won’t come back, even if they promise it’ll be better next time.

We chose this charming historic hotel from the 1910s because it was close to UC Berkeley, but our stay was disappointing. The staff in the lobby were nice, though service lacked efficiency. Our room wasn’t made up for three days in a row, and the heater didn’t work. After three freezing nights, we had to move rooms. The only compensation was a 20$ breakfast voucher.

Being next to the BART station was especially handy with larger bags from the airport. The location is great. I wasn’t pleased with my first room because a few things weren’t working properly, but Anna at reception kindly moved me to a wonderful room where I really enjoyed my stay. She was also helpful whenever I needed anything.