Residence Inn Sunnyvale Silicon Valley I

We were left without a home after a fire on Easter Sunday, and our insurance approved this hotel while repairs were underway. The hotel manager, Yvette Paredes, was terrible to deal with. We have a service animal, but felt unwelcome, and were charged for the dog’s stay as well. A guest visiting us had a chihuahua that had an accident on the bathroom floor, which we missed. When housekeeping reported it, staff said the mess was on the carpet. We disputed that. Before the next cleaning, we filmed the room as we left to show there was no accident. Our dog is trained not to go indoors. Still, we were blamed again. Management later said they’d told someone who answered the door, but that person wasn’t the one they’d asked for. We recorded the room another time with the blinds open, so there was plenty of light, and again saw no mess. Then the manager contacted our insurance company and said our stay should be terminated because of “continued issues with the dog.” When I spoke to Yvette Paredes, she said they’d found dog feces on the carpet and might need to replace it. She wouldn’t take back what she’d told the insurer, which then cancelled any further stays for us anywhere. I told her we had videos, but she dismissed me. I came back and pointed out that, as I understood the Americans with Disabilities Act, if there’s a mishap with a service animal, the hotel must let us choose to stay without the animal or leave without consequences if there’s no damage. She said she didn’t know about that and would get back to me. Later that day she came to our room with the cleaning manager and told friends helping us pack that the complaint wasn’t about us, but another room with a dog. Before leaving, we arranged one last inspection with two maintenance workers and one of our people. We also recorded that walkthrough. The workers said the room was clean, with no stains or mess. The following week, though, Yvette Paredes made the same claim again, and maintenance also said the carpet needed replacing. It was old and needed a good cleaning, but we felt they were finding a way to get it paid for instead of covering it themselves. This was disgusting behavior, and her claims left us without a place to stay before our home repairs were finished. We have the videos; she has employees backing her story. I believe charging us for a service animal also violated the law. Don’t stay here if you have a service animal or your family doesn’t fit a conventional mold. We didn’t feel accepted. During one conversation, we were also uneasy about the manager’s tight-fitting clothes. Shame on you Marriot for letting this happen!

We loved the loft and little kitchen, and there was enough room for our family of five. Breakfast was good, with yogurt, cereal, oatmeal, eggs, sausage, biscuits and gravy, plus more. We stayed last night, and honestly, it was one of our best hotel stays.

The location worked for us, and the penthouse was perfect for our group, with a kitchen. Those are the only reasons I gave two stars. We’d stayed here once before and expected a good visit, but this was my worst hotel experience. I’ve traveled around the world my whole life, and I’m a Gold Elite member. I checked in online the day before and requested an early arrival because we were coming for a football game and hoped to tailgate. We got there at 2 pm, an hour after the requested time, and were told no rooms would be ready before 3. That was disappointing, but we accepted it. When I returned near 3, I found out there was a sign-up list. Nobody had mentioned it earlier, and at least 20 people were already waiting, so we had to wait longer. Other guests hadn’t been told either, and some had been waiting for hours. The whole process was disorganized and the service was awful. I’ll probably use another hotel brand next time. My stay in DC a few months earlier wasn’t great either.

It’s an okay place, but breakfast was average too. There are better options nearby, so it’s a competitive area. The main area could use some work, and breakfast could be better.