Ramada by Wyndham Oakland Downtown City Center

The photos didn’t match what I found. As soon as I entered, the room smelled of cigarettes so strongly it gave me a headache. The bathroom wasn’t clean, and the layout was odd, with the sink separate from the shower. It’s cheap, and the upkeep shows it. There didn’t seem to be much checking of people coming in, even though I arrived after 9pm. I was with a group and someone else checked me in, so I entered through the front door without a key and went upstairs to my room. I stayed one night, then left for the Marriott City Center, where I was much more comfortable.

We were close to where we wanted to be, and breakfast was nice. The room wasn’t ready at check-in, but they comped our parking for the delay. It was an old building, and the room was a bit small and not very pretty, though clean and with a nice bed.

The area felt a little sketchy, though there’s not much you can do about that. I liked that the front doors lock at 8pm and you need a room key to enter, which made us feel a bit safer. The hotel was clean and the staff were friendly.

Nice service and a great location, though I wouldn’t recommend a woman walk alone after 10pm. You can get to and from the airport or central SFO without trouble. Cleaning and the rest of the stay were very meh. The coffee was terrible, and the gym has only three pieces of equipment, two of which don’t work. There are no weights or room to exercise, and the AC there doesn’t work either.