Possibly the best part of our trip to Berkeley! We opted to stay here after a Livingsocial deal was offered. The building is beautiful, with an interior garden, fresh flowers everywhere, sitting rooms, the original swimming pool and a library. The staff was friendly and helpful, there is always coffee, tea, and hot chocolate available in the lobby, and there's a free breakfast available. We also had an incredible view of San Francisco bay and both bridges from our window. Staying in a building that is a historical landmark was a great opportunity. If we were ever too tired from sightseeing in the SF area, we would take a few hours to explore the building, instead. Our room was elegant and styled in the original fashion. However, it was slightly small and had few electrical outlets. (If you've ever traveled in Europe, you can imagine what i mean.) I would definitely stay there again and recommend it to anyone staying in the area. read more

Beautiful historic building! Lots of common areas to sit, relax and play a game or just enjoy the central atrium with the sounds of running water and greenery everywhere against the neo-gothic building. Reasonably priced, beautiful, walking distance to restaurants, beautiful views. One possibly non-positive thing you should know - no AC in the rooms. I wouldn't stay here on warmer days. Also, the rooms aren't many frills but it looks original and historic which is what we were looking for. read more

Second time to the city club. I think our first experience was much better. -There was construction right by the building, so we couldn't sleep in at all. -The walls are paper thin, so you can hear your neighbors' neighbor and they can hear you... -The breakfast was also better the first time around. -The wifi was surprisingly better the second time, it's spotty but we were on the 6th floor and managed to get a pretty decent connection. I think we'll give another place a try next time around. read more

I noticed most of the five star reviews are from people who had weddings here this review is for the hotel, not an event This place is more "funky' then "charming" What I liked: I loved the old building and the "look" of the place, just incredible. Its a pretty long walk from the bart station, but do-able if you are in OK shape and your bags aren't too heavy. Great food nearby, just go back to Shaduck What I hated: Like others have said, the foriegn front desk guy seemed very annoyed by everyone. When he was explaining to me the crazy key situation that you have to go through just to get in the front door, it almost felt like he was yelling at me for past guests getting it wrong. But I did notice he gave the same angry lecture to everyone, But that sure doesn't say WELCOME to me at check in My room was VERY hot, this hotel has no AC at all so I wouldn't touch it in hot weather. You can open window, but I got tons of bugs doing that. (no screens) old steam radiator kept running all night LOUD. Never did figure out how to shut it off Internet is sketchy at best, the rooms don't have a TV so I thought I'd stream something but that is laughable, internet crawls so three stars seems correct maybe just visit the halls and public areas for the incredible architecture but stay at a normal hotel for comfort and service read more

If you want to stay at a truly unique place, I would try the Berkeley City Club. The building was designed by Julia Morgan and has all sorts of unusual but pleasing architecture throughout the building. Most of the rooms have been redecorated but they have no tv. They do have a room that you can watch tv if you cannot entertain yourself. There are all sorts of places to relax inside and outside. It is a great place to get married and quite reasonable for what you get. There are older and younger people who have memberships here and some just to swim in the beautiful indoor lap pool! read more

WOW! I bought a GroupOn a few months ago for the Berkeley City Club. I had NO idea what I was getting myself into. On Friday, I decided to see if they had any rooms available for Saturday. I gave them a call, and to my surprise, a room was available. This building is STUNNING! Apparently, Julia Morgan, who was also the architect for Hearst Castle, was the architect for the building. Originally, the BBC was a women's club. Today, it is still a club, but also a hotel. The woman who greeted us was very nice and attentive. She made me feel very welcome and encouraged us to explore the first and second story. We could use the pool for a $5 fee. We ended up not using it, but I'm looking forward to experiencing that next time. The pool is gorgeous! Be sure to see all three gardens!!!!Next, we walked up to our room. We had a view of the bay! The room is simply, but nicely, decorated. What a comfy bed! The closet is huge and each floor has a refrigerator to share. We had everything we could possibly need (no TV needed with that amazing view. We have TV at home!) Breakfast was included with the stay. YUM YUM YUM! It was an expanded continental breakfast with much more than I'd expected. Lots of variety! The mini berry/apple cobbler was perfect!!!! The service was very good. I don't know if this is an everyday thing, but the waiter was giving the kids a treat. What a great way to make the kids happy and keep them entertained! I don't think I've ever felt so welcome and at home at a hotel! Free coffee is available most of the day too. I feel very fortunate, to have stumbled upon the BCC! I can't wait to go back! read more

We stayed here after our wedding, and it was about as good as it gets. The building itself was simply breath-taking. It's a Julia Morgan building, and it really feels like it could be one of the guest houses of Heart Castle. It's dubbed the little castle, and every single corner of this place is beautiful. There are two enclosed courtyard gardens in the building as well as a gorgeous indoor lap pool. It's hard to describe the beauty of this place in words. It's very old California, but not the old Mexican/Spanish California style. If you know of Julia Morgan, you'd probably have a good idea of this it's like inside. The rooms in the higher floors also have beautiful views of the bay. And the icing on the cake, they serve Peet's coffee (regular and decaf Major D) all day! We absolutely adored this place and want to become members of the city club just so we can spend time here. PS I would describe this as a classy and luxurious hotel, but it may be different from what many expect of a *luxury* hotel. For instance, our room didn't have a TV (when you're staying in a place like this, why would you need a TV?) and had a bookshelf full of books. We LOVE this place! read more

It's like a castle in there. I didn't get to see all of the major rooms unfortunately. read more

Berkeley City Club - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Berkeley, California

Stayed 1 night at 6th floor hotel room, deluxe queen size room. (TIP: Careful with X01 rooms because they are most likely to be by the elevator= very loud) Highlight: For an architecture fan, it's definitely worth staying. You will definitely be satisfied by the the abundant beautiful design details and and historical information inherited in the hotel. A lot typical Julie Morgan details could be spotted (the Gothic style ceiling, the pool, the decor etc..). It does the best job to preserve the historical legacy and boutiques. Cons: To preserve the history and authentic , there's minimal modernization in the hotel... It's fine without Wifi or TV , but it was a bit annoying we only found one vacant outlet in the whole room.. The heater in the room is the oldest type and was making strange(and loud) noise from early morning. Breakfast selections are limited , compared to some other small B&B styles. In addition, the view from the window is only amazing from one side of the building. Pros: No need to stress more about the history and legacy... Frontdesk lady was nice enough to switch my room upon request of staying away from the elevator; they let you check the luggages for the rest of the day after checking out(which most of the hotels do, too); Bed is comfortable, room is very clean well furnished(with those furnitures you see in old movies) Finally, if you like the antique feeling of being in 1900s, you would for sure enjoy the hotel. read more

I liked staying here - not the usual type of hotel for me but it was a nice experience. The continental breakfast wasn't anything special and I had oatmeal that I could have gotten at a holiday inn. I would have given 5 stars but a staff member didn't make me feel welcome one evening when I was looking for a place to fill up my water bottle. I thought maybe the big brass jugs outside of the restaurant were filled with water so I walked over & touched the spout - someone from the restaurant came out and said the water is downstairs & I felt silly and gave her a smile and walked down. On my way up, I heard her telling my mistake to a coworker & laughing and I turned the corner to see her reenacting it. It was one of those moments when you feel like you don't belong in a place and just want to leave. read more

This is a hotel and although it is very beautiful on the outside and the common/lobby area. However, it is very old (they call it historic). So please do not stay here during the cooler seasons because the heater in the rooms DO NOT work at all. The bedroom floor is hard cement that is painted over with paint. No carpeting except for a raggedy old rug right under the bed. It will get extremely cold at night. I could not get any sleep at all because of the cold temperature in the bedroom. I finally gave up and called the front desk at 2 am in the morning and informed them that the heater is not turned on. The front desk guy told me that this is a very old (historic) hotel and so the heating system is old. They would have to send someone down to the basement boiler room to turn the heat on. And when I told that guy, that it is very cold and I can't sleep at all, I am shivering even with a thick blanket over me. All he can say is that "I can happily get you an early check out right now." WOW. Yeah so I almost suffered from hypothermia and all he wanted to do was send my ass out in the middle of the night in the cold. I just sucked everything up and said goodnight to him. Crawled back into the most uncomfortable bed and pillow in a very cold ass room. The room also had a weird smell too. There was also no tv at all! I was pretty disgusted with the way it smelled because it felt very dirty and dusty. No matter how pretty the outside and lobby area looks. The room, the service, the quality and the hospitality was the worst I have ever experienced. It felt like I was sleeping in a extremely cold, dusty and a smelly closet. I am pretty sure the bed is as old as the hotel. read more

Berkeley City Club - This old heater that was not turned on at all in the extremely cold room. They refused to turn heat on as I suffered. Dirty room - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Berkeley, California

I'm pretty sure I wrote a review about this place before, and apparently it has been deleted. So I will write it again. When my fiance and I inquired about the Berkeley City Club in 2008 for our wedding, we were received by a quite distracted and uninterested wedding coordinator (I won't name names) who was also 30 min. late. She didn't get back to me for weeks after I made contact indicating that we were interested in having our wedding at the City Club. We eventually decided to have our wedding at the Brazilian Room (and it was gorgeous). I would think twice about having a wedding at the City Club. Also, it seems like they are somehow able to delete reviews that are not favorable to them. Watch out! read more

I recently got married at the BCC, and all of my out of town guests stayed there, so I have spent a lot of time there, and it was great. I think all of the reviews have covered what a GORGEOUS building it is. Just beautiful. My wedding pictures are to die for, it's tough to beat arches, beautiful courtyards, all the fabulous detailing, and of course that pool. It's a nice hotel to stay at. Again, gorgeous, claw-foot tubs, etc. The pricing is killer for downtown Berkeley, plus free parking, complimentary breakfast, use of the pool. No, the rooms don't have TVs, but there is a room with a TV with cable and DVD player that nobody ever uses, and plenty to do in and around the hotel. The rooms are a little small, as are the twin beds. But the beds are super comfortable and the rooms nicely decorated. The hotel is trying to retain Julia Morgan's vision in all of the rooms, thus the lack of updating, which is fine by me. My husband and I stayed in one of the suites, which was beautifully decorated and quite spacious. If you're looking for a modern hotel that feels sterile and cookie-cutter, this is not the place for you. If you're looking for a place with character, that makes you feel as though a ghost could round the corner at any second, then you'll love this place. It's also a great place to get married. Jennifer and Crystal, the event coordinators, are very nice and super helpful. The entire planning process was painless, and they thought of every detail. There are many beautiful rooms to choose from, in a variety of sizes, and the rental prices aren't bad at all. There is a huge ballroom for large gatherings, and lots of little rooms for smaller events. We had a small wedding, with the ceremony taking place on the outside terrace (it's covered, and the "ceiling" is covered in ivy and little white lights, very nice) and the reception in the Member's Lounge and Julia Morgan Room. I guess it depends what you're into, but it was perfect for us. Bookcases full of old books, huge candelabras, hard wood floors covered in plush red carpet, wrought iron detailing. The whole place is already so nicely decorated and detailed that we didn't have to add much in the way of decoration for it to look gorgeous. The food is amazing. We had a multi-entre vegetarian buffet, and there were many good options to choose from. There are also lots of fish and meat choices. Everybody raved about the food. Overall, we had a great experience at the Berkeley City Club and planning the wedding. read more

We had our wedding here this past weekend. It was fantastic, and the Berkeley City Club was a key element in making it so. The interior and exterior of the place is stunning, so beautiful, and the staff was lovely and helpful. Big props to Sarah, our events contact. She was so easy to work with, so friendly, so accommodating even when we had little nitpicky requests. We got so many compliments from our guests on the venue and the food. We could not have asked for anything more. Wonderful place; I just wish I had a new reason to throw a party here! read more

Hotel stay review only. First off, let's be honest: if you're after amenities or luxury, this will NOT be the hotel for you. No TV in rooms, no A/C, Wi-Fi passable but not great (maybe bring a DVD if you insist on trying to watch a movie, or better yet walk to one of the nearby theaters). If, however, you are after historic ambiance and proximity to Cal and to Telegraph Ave this may be the place. Spectacular (on the Natonal Register!) Julia Morgan architecture. Reasonably comfy room (I'd politely call the decor granny chic) and very clean. 1920s bathroom but everything worked and it had a nice deep vintage (original?) tub. Actual keys instead of key cards. Windows open to catch the breeze so it never got unbearably hot, even in August. Priced about the same as other hotels (it's Berkeley, so none are exactly cheap) but I don't think you can get a hotel any closer to Cal. I didn't bring a car on this trip and was able to walk everywhere I needed to go. Decent free continental breakfast (muffins, cereal, coffee, etc). Quite quiet: based on the other reviews here noise seems to only be a problem when there is a wedding or other reception downstairs, so maybe avoid June? Or bring ear plugs just in case? If you find old buildings spooky, stay elsewhere; to me it felt actually quite cozy and snug. Tl;dr: if you can do without a couple of the usual hotel bells and whistles and like the idea of your money helping to support a historic landmark, check it out. read more

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Wow. I was really interested in this venue for my wedding, but after emailing and leaving voicemail messages for the Sales and Catering Manager (Crystal Myers) and receiving absolutely no response, I decided to check out the Yelp reviews. It seems like this is a pattern! I'm not quite sure how someone keeps her sales job if she doesn't return the phone calls or emails of people that are prepared to pay thousands of dollars for a service, but apparently that's what's going on here. I don't need this headache while planning my wedding. Thanks for the warnings everyone! read more

I'm on the fence about the Berkeley City Club. We were in town for a wedding and stayed here. Our first room was insanely small. I was willing to live with it until I turned on my computer and realized we had no wifi. Wifi is fairly important to me so I called the front desk and they moved us to a room closer to the elevator. That room was substantially bigger and the wifi was pretty good. The pros are it's a great location and there are lots of restaurants and shops in walking distance. The staff was very nice to us and the continental breakfast was included in the price. The cons include room size (some are really, really small), lack of wifi in the wings, and no hot breakfast even for purchase. In the end we were very happy with our stay and got a great wedding rate. If I would have been stuck in the back room this would probably be a 2 star review, so just beware when you book to ask for a room with good wifi (if that's important to you) and make sure you get a suite or a room that didn't at one point serve as a closet. read more

For an expensive hotel in downtown Berkeley, you'd expect great customer service and friendly staff. This is NOT what you get at this hotel. The staff (especially the manager, Kelly) are unreasonable, rude and difficult to deal with. I've honestly never spoken to a ruder manager than Kelly, and I was an event planner for 4+ years and have spoken to dozens of hotel managers. All in all, my experience was so bad that I certainly will not be staying here, ever. read more

Right in the heart of Berkeley, found this gem online, ample parking right next to the hotel. Includes a continental breakfast in their huge, Victorian room. Beautiful decor if your don't mind the absence of a tv and an air conditioner. The remodeled bathroom was nicely decorated. Highly recommended it. read more

We had our July 4 wedding -- both ceremony and reception -- at the Berkeley City Club, and I do believe that our choice of venue was a critical factor in making our event such a success. I was planning my wedding while finishing grad school on the East Coast, so a venue with event staff was a big factor in my decision. I worked with Crystal, who patiently went back and forth with me over the course of months whenever I had long e-mails full of questions. I found the overall attitude of the City Club to be flexible and accommodating. I have heard of venues and event coordinators who are militant about deadlines or what you can and can't do, and that was never the case with the City Club. I felt that we got very good value for the level of staff support we received. The room rental and banquet prices were very reasonable, particularly in comparison with some of the are-you-kidding-me prices at other Bay Area venues. Thanks to Crystal, the banquet captain, Mario, and the rest of the professional serving staff, our ceremony and banquet went completely smoothly. At the wedding, we heard over and over from guests that they loved the venue. Even our photographer, who hadn't shot there before, thought it had terrific character and plenty of indoor and garden places for posed shots. Having a beautiful venue put less stress on us to "dress up" the place -- we really did not have to do much to make our wedding elegant. In addition, my husband and I stayed for several nights at the City Club's suite on the top floor with sweeping views of the Bay. There was a minor issue with an ongoing radiator leak that made our stay a smidgen less than perfect. But that's somewhat to be expected given the historical building. Overall our stay was very pleasant and we are considering going back for our anniversary. read more

I absolutely LOVE this place! I have nothing negative to say. Julia Morgan is an architectural genius when it comes to what women love. I'm not just saying that because it was originally built to serve as a Woman's Club. I had originally found out about this place with my girlfriend through a Groupon offer and we absolutely fell in love with it. Psssh with the no tv in each room! With this place, there is SO much to adventure around, one doesn't need television to become occupied! What is pretty amusing is that there IS a TV somewhere there. It's located on the first floor at the end of the hallway to the left of guest services. Once you get there, it is completely overtaken by some of Ms. Morgan's highlights in life and career. The TV is a mere inadequate contraption compared to everything else going on at the BCC. The rooms are quaintly small and intimate. The comfy bed is the first thing you see upon entering the room followed by the breathtaking view of the city, including the UC Berkeley campus and the bridge in the distance. Berkeley City Club's employees strongly encourage their visitors to roam freely and to not hold back on taking as many pictures as one wants. It is truly a work of art frozen in it's own time. I am so glad to say that it is amazingly untouched by modern-day needs. Yes, they have free Wi-fi, but only on the first floor near the check-in area. Yes they have a salon, and a beautifully captured swimming pool open to its guests. Please, please, please pay close attention to Ms. Morgan's detail on the inside of the structure as well as the outside. The whole experience made our stay there truly worthwhile. Will we ever come back to this place? HECK yes, with a conviction! The views are amazing, the complimentary breakfast was darling, and the peace emitted through the place was so refreshing, it really was a shame to get back to the real world. I salute you, Ms. Morgan. I thank the staff for such a wonderful experience. I only hope to come back soon! read more

Other reviewers have covered some of the main attributes: amazing architecture of Julia Morgan, and the pool, which is the crown jewel of the place. If you've been to San Simeon, this pool is a smaller version of it. Amazing tile work. Arched ceilings. My first swimming lessons as a child were here, so when I went back as an adult, the smell of the place brought back all the memories. The food quality changes over time since they seem to regularly need to hire a new chef. the reason you'd go there is for a large function where you wanted a big beautiful place to hold it, not because the food was great. read more

I wanted to love this place, and I see from all the Yelp reviews from a wedding perspective what a beautiful location it'd be for such a momentous occasion, but we only stayed one night for a 24 hour date day and have to say overall we were just satisfied. Here are the pros and big CONS: Pros: Great location - we walked to the movie theater to catch a matinee and afterward had a nice walk along downtown Berkeley. Check-in staff was very friendly and helpful. The architecture goes without saying is breathtaking - yes, I see now what a visionary Julia Morgan was and cannot wait to see her other design - Hearst Castle. The heated indoor pool is spectacular. You can just smell the history here with its viewing area and the grandness of the space. The waitstaff for the dining room were very friendly and professional. Dinner was splendid - I had the Mixed Grill (tri-tip, shrimp and bratwurst served with a yummy chutney sauce on the side) and my husband had the NY steak (he liked it but remarked that it was the thinnest steak he ever had), and we both started the meal with a delicious white bean and ham soup in a tomato-based broth. Breakfast was also lovely where they had the continental spread but also a plate of eggs and corned beef and hash you can request. It was the best corned beef and hash we ever had with a nice mixture of potatoes and spices. Cons: The biggest CON of all - we got very little sleep because as much as we admire the history of the building it was making as much noise as an old person. The constant thump and crank sounds heard throughout the night probably gave us a total of a couple of hours of sleep. The room was small, which was fine since it was to be expected, and we had a nice view of the city and the bay but the sounds coming from the hotel was just awful. I would suggest anyone staying there to bring extra strength ear plugs. Seriously. Lastly, I was also taken aback at how expensive our dinner was. With two entrees and two glasses of wine the bill came out to be $95. It was shocking to see a warm spinach salad going for $19.50! Be warned about the dining room prices. read more

Just reserved a room for this weekend and Mary was absolutely wonderful and resourceful!! We are excited for our stay. The beautiful architecture, pool, and location is what made this hotel stand out from the rest! read more

We stayed here for one night. It is a historic building, which means it's old but well maintained. I could see how you could call it charming, but it's also kind of creepy, in a "The Shining" kind of way. Weird paintings depict things like a group of children standing together, with one girl a step away holding a hammer and looking at them ominously. It's also on busy streets and there is no A/C, so you have to open the window and deal with street noise. Any time a hotel provides earplugs by the bed, you know it's not going to be a quiet night. On the other hand, they provide breakfast, the front desk was very nice, and we got a very cheap rate. They also had a list of classes and meetings you could attend if you were there at the right time. So, overall, I wouldn't recommend it highly, but I didn't hate it either. If you're looking for a charming, historic experience, it might be perfect for you. If you're looking for a quiet, normal place to stay, I'd look elsewhere. read more

I would not stay here again. They have weddings on weekends and the DJs play very loud music until at least 11pm. The old windows in the hotel allow all of the sound in making it impossible to sleep when there's a wedding or other event. I was unable to sleep despite more than hour of conscious effort to do so. The old, hard full size beds don't help either. On top of that, the hotel feels old and haunted in a bad way. read more

We used the hotel tonight app to find a place in Walnut Creek this week and the only place close was the City Club in Berkeley. We drove 20 minutes to get there at midnight, circle 3 times to find the place and made our way inside. This place was super creepy at first, its was like a very old monastery, something out of the 1800's. Once we settled in, slept the night and then walked the entire building in the morning we were so impressed we will totally come back. The service was great, the landscape and architecture was amazing, this is a place everyone should stay at at-least one time. Breakfast is complimentary, coffee is flowing and the rooms are perfect. Pleasantly surprised. read more

This is a painful review. First of all, I love Julia Morgan's work. 5 stars to the building itself. This review is for the event coordinator, Crystal Meyers. I was seriously considering BCC for my wedding despite reading some pretty scary reviews on yelp & other sites. We personally had issues trying to get a hold of Crystal, just like other yelp-ers, but Crystal assured us this was just a temporary under-staffing problem. (Not true. Check the yelp history. Been going on since 2008.) We also had seen first hand how unorganized she is. Every time we came into the office, she'd start a new sheet for us because she couldn't find our original file. But despite the red flags from personal experience and fellow yelpers, a few days later, I email her asking for a contract to review. She responds same-day that she will get back to us with the contract within a week. We think initially things have changed. But then...radio silence... ...3 weeks, 2 reminder emails from me, and an automatic response message that she's out of the office later...I send a pretty scathing message to Crystal asking why it has taken so long to receive the contract and how can we trust that we will have a better experience over time. 3 or so days later all she offered were poor excuses and a cookie-cutter contract. ...So tell me...why did it take +3 weeks to fill in our names, a date, and rooms we would use? Still not sure. But I'm glad that this happened before we signed, otherwise me and my fiance would have had a miserable planning experience. But more likely of a scenario, we would have canceled our contract and swallowed the deposit. Crystal seems like a sweet girl, but I wouldn't want to deal working with her professionally. Instead we have taken our business to a friendly, responsive staff elsewhere. In the end, you can't use a venue if you can't get a hold of the event coordinator. But you CAN have a beautiful wedding at several different spaces around the bay area. Skip the stress and move on. read more

This is a beautiful place. Though the rooms themselves are modest, the building has so much character and style you feel like a guest in some European cloister. One caveat, though, if you plan to stay on Sunday night; their restaurant and bar are closed on Sunday and Monday. Try to pick at least one other night for your stay so you can get the full experience, which includes swimming in their lap pool! read more

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Meh. This hotel makes me appreciate the advancements on technology in the last 80 years. It is a beautiful and historically significant building, but oy is obsolete as a hotel for a business traveler. Small room, lack of outlets, especially grounded outlets, unfunctionally small desk make it inconvenient and uncomfortable for a business traveler. No TV, marginal bed and single pane windows that let the noise in all made for am unpleasant stay. The staff was nice, the breakfast ok, I was looking g forward to dinner there, but the restaurant was closed the night I was there. My suggestion... Keep the charm. Upgrade amenities to the 21st century read more

Ya know.. All it would have taken to give it 3+ is a simple apology. This place is antique, quaint, and all those other words to describe a hotel from 1930. Problem is, they treat it like the 1930s. No AC, which is fine so I have to leave my window open. No biggy, right? Until you hear the sound of a skill saw fire up at 6:30am. This is absurd, can't they make a deal with the construction company to start at 8am next door? It was the worst sleep I've ever had and I used to camp at the desert all the time with dirtbikes flying by. The parking around here is terrible as well, as to be expected.. But ya know, it was a nice place for the age. Clean(ish).. Good closet space, interesting bathroom. Oldschool key to get into room instead of the auto key. All I wanted though was a warning and at the end a "sorry, the noise is terrible and we hope that you return". None.. So, 1 Star it is until future notice. They could have warned me when I booked. read more

Pros: - good food selection. When I played for a wedding back in June 2013, they had a nice buffet of different sorts, and they even packed my pianist and me sandwiches! :) - AWESOME ACOUSTICS. Upstairs where the wedding reception was held, the violin & piano could be heard playing above 150-200 guests. This is due to the fact that the upstairs room where it was held is stone/concrete and resonates really well. - Architecture. I'm more of a simple modernist when it comes to architecture & design, but I guess the old look isn't bad. Cons: - That crabby old nasty gray long-haired witch who serves as the receptionist. She is the primary reason that this review gets a two-star reduction. I went to the BCC in April 2013 to scope out the place to see how the acoustics were for violin. She was very rude and very abrupt with a reply that went something like this: "Look, all the event rooms are full right now, so you might as well just leave." - Location. It's on a one-way street WAAAYYYY on the other side of Berkeley with metered parking and no nearby freeway access. Bust out your change wallet, BOY! Bottom line: Not bad, but I'd go here only if I had to. read more

Five of us made an 11:30 reservation for lunch today. We had the worst dining experience ever. Took 30 minutes after being seated to get water in our glasses. We had to ask for bread and butter for the table. 5 people and 1 pat of butter! Our meals were finally served one hour after we sat down to the table. We all had the steak-frites. One order was sent back since it was rarer than my rare steak and she had ordered medium rare. We had to ask for salt and pepper to be brought to the table and for more water in our glasses. There appeared to be enough staff to accomodate the dining room. We had planned on a lovely lunch before the 1pm lecture in the Club. However, we barely could get the check even though we had told our wait person we had the 1pm lecture to attend. When the check arrived, it was incorrect. Instead of 3 glasses of wine, the bill had three bottles of wine. We paid the bill and left since there was no manager available to speak with. Last year we had lunch at Julia's and it was so pleasant and the staff was attentive and knew what was needed to keep their patrons happy. So disappointed. I have never written a bad review, but today's lunch experience left me little choice. I will be calling the City Club tomorrow to express these thoughts as well. If I could have given no stars, I would have. read more

I got a coupon from Living Social for this hotel and took my hubby here for the evening of his birthday. It's aesthetically gorgeous but I think because of the preservationist attitude it makes the hotel feel a little cold. The rooms were small but cozy and this certainly isn't a place for the modern traveler, no TV's in the rooms. I'd maybe return but likely not. read more

I am writing to give a huge thank you to Heather Ratner. COVID has made traveling increasing complicated. When I booked my stay, I was very concerned about logistics and safety. Heather was so patient and understanding; it felt like she was working out my plans with me and I left that phone call feeling reassured and extremely confident in my decision to stay at the Berkeley City Club. Unfortunately, the day before I was supposed to arrive, I found out that my flight had been canceled due to COVID concerns. I called the hotel, and didn't know what to expect but, once again, the phone was answered by Heather and she provided the same stellar and understanding service. Although plans were unfortunately changed, my interactions with this hotel has made it my first pick for any travel to the Bay Area. I'm now a loyal fan and look forward to staying here and seeing the amazing architecture in person when travel conditions are a bit more stable. Thank you Heather and team for all of your thoughtfulness. The experience with your hotel was a silver lining to an otherwise frustrating situation and I truly appreciate the kindness. read more

We had our wedding at the BCC in June, and we're still getting compliments on the great venue, food, and service from our guests. It was absolutely the perfect place for us- the building has so much character and beautiful architecture, a covered ceremony location, and was easy for our out-of-state guests to get to. Sarah, the event manager, was so attentive, thorough, and accommodating. She returned emails and phone calls right away, and was SO organized and professional! She did a great job of keeping us on track with regards to planning and decision deadlines, and didn't forget a single detail or request that we made. I think she's also really dedicated to making the space as perfect as it can be. Between our first visit and our wedding, there were a number of really great changes to the terrace and overall upkeep of the courtyards and interiors. The in-house catering was delicious, and the chef was also flexible with a few changes we wanted to make to some of the dishes. We visited the restaurant a few times before the wedding. Whenever we mentioned that we were getting married at the BCC, the restaurant staff would go out of their way to let us try a new wine that we might serve and otherwise made us feel super welcome. It was also so fantastic to work with a venue that had a great rapport with our other vendors. Sarah and our florist, Erica Rose Designs, worked together to design layouts for the various rooms, and our DJ (Mark from Denon and Doyle) was so familiar with the space that he knew the perfect place to set up his equipment and lighting. Sarah also worked really well with our coordinator, Colleen from They So Loved Events, to finalize the timeline and all of the big and small details for our wedding. All of this freed up so much time (and eliminated a lot of stress!) for me and my husband. There are just a few small things I would change or suggest to the BCC: I second another reviewer's idea about draping the side of the terrace that faces the parking lot/clinic, maybe with the same white sheer fabric that now covers some of the red awning. We tried to block this with some large plants for our ceremony. Staff involved with room reservations were not as attentive as Sarah. Setting up our room block was mildly frustrating at first due to lack of response, but all worked out in the end. Definitely start communicating with them early. Although we provided rooms at the BCC, we used the Hotel Shattuck Plaza as our main wedding hotel. The chairs the BCC offers look a little worse for the wear and are not very comfortable. We rented chairs through our florist. All said, we're so happy we found the BCC, and highly recommend this unique, beautiful venue with an amazing staff! read more

I hate to add yet another 5-star review - I feel like one of the crowd. But I just can't say anything about about the place. I was married here, and it was wonderful! The building is unique - truly historical, beautiful architecture that still feels warm and alive. The people are wonderful - our event planner Crystal (for our wedding) was very sweet and walked me through the process of wedding planning. I imagine she's seen quite a few new brides, and she is excellent at handling them. The food at the reception was delicious, far better than I could have asked for. The price was very reasonable for the wonderful fantasy of a wedding that we had here. We had a suite for the night after the event, and I even loved that! I love this place. I want to live here. read more

Our wedding at the club was AWESOME. Crystal, our day-of coordinator, was a huge help planning the wedding. The food was amazing - better than at our tasting - and everyone at the club was great to work with. Thanks to Crystal and Co. for making our wedding perfect! read more

I'm in a grandma brothel looking room. If you're into small rooms with nothing then go for it. NEVER AGAIN!! What a waste of money for a room that has absolutely nothing to offer. I am so heated I spent money on this room. The guy at the front desk didn't even act surprised when I just walked out. I guess if you're having a wedding here then it's worth the shitty rooms but if you need a room over night this is the worst read more

I booked a room with The Berkeley City Club to attend my niece's wedding which took place at The Berkeley City Club on Sunday August 9, 2009. My niece had made prior arrangements with The Berkeley City Club for a discounted rate for dates near the wedding date for guests attending the wedding. When I booked my reservation, I indicated that I was there for the wedding and was offered the discounted rate. I booked for 2 nights, arriving Saturday, and departing the following Monday morning. I provided my email address and was told that they would email me my confirmation which I never received. Three days prior to the wedding, I received a telephone call from my nephew. Because of the arraignments my niece had made with the hotel, he became aware that my reservation had me leaving prior to the wedding date and called to ask me about my strange reservation. This is when I first became aware that something was wrong with my reservation. I called the hotel on the Thursday before the wedding and asked to verify my reservation. I was told that they had me coming in that very evening and leaving Saturday. I explained that my reservation was for Saturday and Sunday nights as I would be attending the wedding. They said that they needed time to see if they could find me a room for those days and asked me to call back in a little while. When I called back, I was told that there were no rooms available for those days and that the manager might charge me for the room for Thursday night when she saw that I did not show up. I asked if a note could be left for the manager explaining that an error was made and to not charge me. The representative would not agree to do this. On the Thursday following the wedding, I called The Berkeley City Club and spoke with a manager named Kelly. I explained to Kelly that the reservation was apparently taken down incorrectly, that I called the hotel as soon as I became aware of the error, that I did not stay at the hotel, and that I did not think I should be charged. She said that it is the hotel's policy to charge for no shows. I tried to explain that an error was made and asked her twice, the direct question, "Are you saying that you think that I made a mistake when I made the reservation?" Both times she answered, "No. I'm not saying that." But she held firm and would only repeat that the hotel's policy is to charge for no shows. I told her that she left me no choice but to dispute the charge with my bank. She said, "Go ahead." I disputed the charge with my bank (MasterCard) and they gave me a provisional credit for the full amount of the charge. I then sent the bank my claim along with supporting phone bills, plane ticket receipts, and the booking from the replacement hotel. I was told by the bank that they would notify the BCC of the details of my dispute. The BCC then had a certain amount of time to counter my claim. The bank would make a decision after they received input from BCC. Well, BCC never responded and so my bank made the provisional credit permanent. Sometime later, I received an apology in the mail from Kelly. Thanks a lot Kelly. I think the apology was for you, not for me. read more