Aloft by Marriott Cupertino

The free, secure garage parking was a big plus, and we had zero problems with it. Our room was spotless, with a roomy bathroom and entry, plenty of space around the beds, and two big windows looking out at trees and hills. We picked this place at random while driving to the Bay Area, and ended up wishing we’d had more than two nights. There are loads of restaurants and stores nearby. Target is just across the street behind the hotel, and Whole Foods is close enough for us to bring back fresh food. We also took day trips to the redwoods and monarch sanctuary. The laundry on our floor was handy and quick, so we could wash and dry clothes before flying home. We paid $257 for both Friday and Saturday nights during the holiday rush. Hard to beat that.

For one night on my own, the rate I got through hotels.com made this a good value. There was plenty of room in the single king room, not much traffic noise, and free self-parking in the garage below the hotel. Target is close by for anything you forgot. The elevator looked a little worn but worked fine, and the window wall faced Apple parking lots. The room was clean enough, though not the cleanest place I’ve stayed. My main problem was the bed: very firm, with four lumpy pillows. Housekeeping started rolling a cart with squeaky wheels around 6am, and I woke up at least three times before 8 thinking I heard a parrot in the hall. It did the job for one night, but I don’t think I’ll return.

I’ve stayed at plenty of Marriott properties, and Aloft Cupertino was the worst experience by far. The room itself didn’t feel properly maintained or inspected: the floors had hair and debris in the corners, the shower pressure was almost nonexistent, and the mini fridge wasn’t cold. Once I got it running, it made a steady trickling sound that I could hear from bed all night. There was no carpet, which would have been fine if the floor had been clean. The first room had ants in the bathroom, and the second had the same problem, so the desk moved me again. By the third room I was already frustrated, and things still weren’t much better. This fell nowhere near the Marriott standard I expect. I wouldn’t recommend staying here unless being close to Target, Whole Foods, or one of the smaller Apple buildings is absolutely necessary. Really disappointing.

We saw what looked like dried blood on the side of the mattress, and the couch had white, crusty stains. They moved us to another room, but that one had ants everywhere, crawling up the walls and turning up in the shower and on our towels. There’s too much else to write, but I’m sharing this as a warning. We read the bad reviews and still booked because it was listed as a 4 star hotel. Please listen to those reviews. If you want to relax, stay away from this place.