Background:
My friend Josh headed up to Berkeley and Silicon Valley for President’s Day weekend and asked me to find him a place to stay under $120 a night. I was surprised to find out that the long weekend was actually quite pricey, even though I knew the Bay Area normally has higher than average room rates. So, the Sheraton was the best priced 3.5 star pick at $110, so my friend decided to choose this hotel in Pleasanton.
SHORT REVIEW WITH SCORES (OUT OF 5, 5 BEING THE BEST):
Josh’s Overall Score: 4
5: Excellent, Highly Recommend
4: Very Good, Solid Choice to Consider
3: OK, Check other options before booking
2: Below Par, Try to Avoid
1: Terrible, Run far away
Rooms: 4/5
Service: 4/5
Location: 4.5/5
Cleanliness: 4/5
Sleep Quality: 4/5
The Hotel:
Well, Josh didn’t take many pictures of the hotel (except for the room). I’ll make sure he does next time if I’m going to review his stay on the blog 🙂 (rookie mistakes).
He said the lobby was quite nice, as it was spacious but it was just too ordinary for his taste. At check in, he said that the front desk staff was friendly and helpful.
The Room:
The room was a decent size, and the bed was really comfortable. The major downfall of the room was that there was really no view as the room was on the first floor and you could hear people walking to the parking lot (Tip: Don’t get a ground floor room if you plan to stay here). On a plus side, the room itself and the bathroom were both really clean. Also, the bathroom was recently updated and water pressure was good. Room to room insulation was either good, or there were no next door neighbors as the room was quiet.
The Location:
The location was really good in terms of a “base” to explore the Bay Area with a car. It is only 23 miles to Oakland, and 35 miles to San Francisco. The area is upscale and right off the intersection of the 580 and 880 freeways with convenient access to Silicon Valley and Walnut Creek. It was right across the street from the Stoneridge Mall that has restaurants like Cheesecake Factory and PF Changs.
The Verdict:
Overall, the Sheraton Pleasanton met the expectations for a standard 3.5 star hotel. Josh said he would definitely consider staying here again if the price was right. The location is excellent, and the hotel is quite comfortable for the value.
Cheers,
theresorttraveler
I live less than 15 minutes from this hotel, and believe it to be pretty much as reviewed. Only correction is that it is near the junction of Interstate 580 & 680, and also next to a Bay Area Rapid Transit station with direct connections to OAK and SFO airports.
Thanks for the reply and additional info on the public transport! Oops my bad, I fixed the 580 typo, thanks for the catch!
-theresorttraveler
Honestly…this review shocked me. I have stayed at this hotel at least a dozen times and hated every stay. It’s an incredibly dated hotel. Yes…the bed is comfortable, but the praise ends there. If you get a room facing the freeway, then all you’ll get is road noise all night. It’s RIGHT NEXT to the freeway. The rooms on the freeway side all have white noise machines because of that. The furnishings are in dire need of replacement, and the place just has an overall sad feeling to it. If you didn’t get to experience their “Club Lounge” then you didn’t miss a thing. Compare this to the Marriott (also adjacent to Stoneridge Mall) and it’s like night and day. I would give this 2 stars tops.
Thanks for the comment and suggestion! My friend did not face the freeway, so perhaps that helped make his experience better.
-theresorttraveler