dpchang

I have stayed thrice in this hotel this year and haven't got an upgrade even once - am marriott platinum. On one occassion, I saw a small board saying "concierge level" in the area near the elevator, but the room was identical to others (non-concierge level) I have stayed in, and there was no lounge. The score on the platinum welcome gift has been one out of three.

Has any one else had a similar experience here? Is there a lounge that provides breakfast/evening snacks etc like other Marriots??

DADISGARYK

have you said anything at all?

bltst2

I don't think there are any 'upgraded' rooms in this hotel. (i.e suite, bigger, etc..)

I have stayed in this hotel almost 40 times last year (Platinum) and it's always the same room. Maybe a bathroom scale and a bathrobe are part of the room, but it is the same type of room as others.

Also realize, this hotel is as old as dirt. But, the bartenders are very nice. I'm gotten liquered up there many a night for next to nothing.

sfpaul900

This was the first Marriott I've stayed in that had a down comforter on the bed. And they let me bring my basset hound who enjoyed the comforter too. As Marriotts go, it's a 6 on a scale of 10 as far as I'm concerned.

jan_az

I stayed in this hotel many times in 2000-2001. I was silver at the time but always got access to the lounge for breakfast and snacks and dessert. The nicest thing was that the lounge had key card access 24 hrs a day for water and soda and yogurt kinda things.

Of course, the fact that they would bring me an ashtray to my non-smoking room made me happy but I kind of wondered about the future guests

kv99

ok -- no offense meant, but i'm nervous about a hotel where a friendly bassett hound enjoys the beds and where ashtrays are put in non-smoking rooms.

zakami

for this very reason, i would never book a stay at this hotel.

sfpaul900

My basset hound is very hurt that he is not universally loved. But for the record, it was a smoking room.

bltst2

There are no upgraded rooms at this hotel. I stayed here about 70 times last year. All grades (silver, gold, plat) get rooms in the tower, which is considered a priviledge, I guess. The hikes to some of the rooms down the halls can be long.

I always enjoyed staying at the San Mateo Marriott. Even though my business was always in the Sunnyvale/Santa Clara area, the San Mateo Marriott has upgraded rooms, is alot cleaner and is only about 4 years old after a major overhaul.

sfpaul900

The San Mateo Marriott is very nice. They took an old motor hotel (looked like a castle), stripped it back to the skeleton and built a new hotel. The only problem is that going anywhere on the Bayshore Freeway towards San Jose can take a long time. If I had morning business in San Jose, I'd stay at the Santa Clara Marriott so I could sleep in an extra hour rather than fight the traffic.

kv99

No offense sfpaul, I'm sure your basset hound is really wonderful and I would probably even welcome him into my home after meeting him

It sounds though like they put animals in the smoking rooms and smokers in the non-smoking rooms!

Anyway, I'm looking for a hotel in the Santa Clara area for the next few months so if any one has any good suggestions, they're most welcome.

bltst2

If you don't mind the drive down the 101, the San Mateo Marriott is probably the best.

Only stay at the Santa Clara Marriott if you have to be close.

cataber

If your business is closer to San Jose, I just stayed at the Fairfield Inn & Suites near the San Jose airport this past weekend after passing on the Santa Clara Marriott and Embassy Suites (near Great America). For a Fairfield Inn, I was definitely impressed - the room was a little small (they called it a mini-suite), but the fixtures and furnishings were VERY nice and even included a 5-CD stereo system. Also, free breakfast was included. The room rate was a very reasonable $54/night, which is tough to beat.

LAXGreg

This used to be my preferred property in the area. I have moved my business elsewhere due to CL downgrades. With the recent "flexibility" that corporate has given, I was going to inquire if they were restoring the previous offerings. I might move back, if so. Does anyone have an email address for someone where I could inquire?

Thanks,
Greg

DJ_Iceman

Isn't the Santa Clara Marriott the one that still calls their tower the "Marquis Tower" in a dated reference to the old elite program? I remember staying there in a rather dumpy, mid-floor room and having the front desk cheerfully tell me that some ridiculous percentage of their guests are platinums so they really don't do much of anything special for them.

My other beef with this property is that during the tech bubble years they never offered a government rate, but then during the post-9/11 travel slump they promoted the heck out of their per diem rate. Then, a few years later, they turned their backs on government business travelers again. I know it's supply and demand, but they way they did it just rubbed me wrong.

My favorite property is the downtown San Jose Marriott--a beautiful, trendy property right in the heart of downtown with a great onsite restaurant and plenty of other fun within walking distance.