Oaktown Roost

The stairs-only setup and snug bathrooms are worth knowing about before booking. If those work for you, Oaktown Roost is hard to beat for the price, especially with Downtown Oakland so close. I’ve stayed here more than five times, and every visit has been great. It’s a historic building with plenty of thoughtful touches, but it still feels updated for modern life.

Getting around was easy: Oaktown Roost is right by BART, and the on-site parking lot is just across the street. It felt secure and was still easy to reach. My family and I spent three nights here while visiting Oakland, and we had a wonderful stay. The room was clean and well kept, the city-style decor felt comfortable, and the staff were kind and quick to respond. We’d gladly return, and I’d recommend it to anyone staying in Oakland.

The price and location are hard to argue with. We had a Hallway King room, slept fine, and weren’t bothered by the neighborhood, other guests, or road noise. We live in a busy city and are used to that sound. The AC and heat worked, the TV had lots of channels and app options, and I didn’t mind the lack of an elevator. The common areas were lovely, and there’s good coffee, restaurants, corner stores, and BART two blocks away. Still, I wouldn’t come back. Several things weren’t communicated clearly, and at times it felt close to misrepresentation. The biggest practical problem was having nowhere to unpack. The website says every room has a wardrobe or closet, but ours had a tiny closet that barely held two light coats and a sweatshirt. Its barn door also served as the bathroom door, which I dislike because it doesn’t seal out air. There wasn’t a proper wardrobe with drawers or shelves at a usable height. The TV stand had low shelving, which I assume was meant to count. There were no luggage racks either. I asked the front desk for one and was told they didn’t have any. We put one suitcase on the couch, which made it unusable for sitting, and left the other on the floor where it was awkward to reach and in the way. The room quickly felt cramped. I expected the storage described online to meet our needs, but it didn’t. There was no full-length mirror, which surprised me, and I found the decor hideous. The diffuser in the room had a very strong smell. Housekeeping also isn’t provided by default: you have to request it ahead of time, and it sounded like a request might not always be accommodated. I don’t object to that policy, but it wasn’t on the website, so guests can’t factor it into their decision. A few days before arrival, we were required to sign several pages agreeing to a very strict policy against controlled substances on site, including marijuana, which is legal in California. I occasionally enjoy weed on vacation, so this caught me off guard. I don’t recall seeing the policy on the website, during booking, or anywhere online. By the time I received the paperwork, arrival was so close that changing plans didn’t seem practical, and I doubted I could cancel without being charged a lot. I was left feeling I’d booked one thing and got another.

The stay was cheap, and my room was clean with a comfortable bed and a shower with great water pressure and temperature. Staff were kind and helpful when they were there. The courtyard was cute, and I liked the shared area with a hot water machine, tea, and a pool table. My main annoyance was the limited lobby hours. It’s staffed only from 8am to 11pm, and I found that out by chance in the fine print during online check-in. Since my flight arrived late, I needed to know how to get in after 11. I happened to check in online and notice the detail, but the hotel should make late arrival instructions much clearer, perhaps in a prominent email or text, so people aren’t left outside at midnight trying to get into the lobby. The same hours meant nobody was there when I checked out at 7:30am for an 8am meeting, so I couldn’t ask about storing my bag until my later flight. Not a major problem, just annoying. The room smelled strongly of cleaner or air freshener, and it didn’t fade during my stay, even though it didn’t seem to be cleaned. I didn’t need housekeeping, but I did want the smell gone. There was only a window in the door facing the courtyard, so the room was dark, which made me sad. Maybe the room description mentioned that and I missed it. The surrounding area isn’t especially nice. I never felt unsafe, and there are lots of nearby restaurants, but some of the smaller streets toward the offices where I had meetings had a lot of trash and swarms of flies. I’d recommend walking a couple of blocks to Broadway and using that as the main route around Oakland.