Everything about the Cowper Inn was charming. We stayed in the Carriage House, which felt like our…read moreown little apartment. My friend is a yoga enthusiast and loved having access to the yoga loft. We visit Palo Alto on a regular basis and will happily be calling The Cowper Inn our home away from home!

Our family of four loved our stay here! It's charming and homey while also including a modern bath…read more Beds were comfortable and we were so pleased with coming back from our daily excursions and finding fresh towels and beds made. It's the little things that make a big difference on a stay. It's walkable to everything downtown (University Ave). It doesn't have the breakfast but no biggie for us, we love going to Hobees anyway! Next time we're in Palo Alto we'll stay here again.

Keen was clean, beautiful and centrally located. The small…read moreroom completely worked for me as a single person who needed a quick rest before returning to the hospital. There was one thing that might deter others. There was some sort of night club close because I could hear and feel the bass. Luckily I was really tired and had ear plugs. The breakfast bar was lovely appointed with a nespresso machine!

This hotel was amazing. Friendly staff, clean rooms great amenities. Late check out was awesome.read more

Stayed here for two nights while moving my college freshman (I'm now officially an empty nester!)…read moreonto Stanford campus, and while the accommodations themselves were quite satisfactory, there was a recurring issue with our room keys failing to work that took away from the overall experience. To be fair, each time we had to go back to the front desk to get one or more of our cards rekeyed, staff was quick to do so. In general, service at the hotel was great, including valet parking charging our Tesla for us. Pro tip: use the app (Hotel Citrine is part of the Marriott Bonvoy program) to make requests and get fast responses - it's very efficient!

Hotel Citrine is a chic, trendy hotel accessible via the Marriott program. It has a tiny pool but…read moresurprising popular with locals looking for an urban getaway, afternoon kids / family fun outing. The pool connects with an indoor/ outdoor dining area - perfect for a drink (a glass of bubbly perhaps) plus a small bite. The bar area also has free Equator (local North Bay beloved coffee) for patrons. The rooms are small but efficiently designed. Modern design with some mid century modern style metal bars, decors, and motifs. Front desk sells glass bottles of Evian water if you want to have something fancy. It is not quite in the Stanford part of Palo Alto but is a quick uber ride or a drive away. Perfect for reunion, campus event or silicon valley tech events. We stopped by for a staycation. Loved it. Beautiful, boutique, well designed, also minimalist, efficient - perfect for a business trip

This is my go-to hotel when I am visiting my daughter at school. I even have a favorite room if it…read moreis available. The front desk staff is amazing and friendly. Breakfast is always tasty. Free parking is available even when it's a busy time. This is where my family and I will stay for graduation next year! I would not have it any other way.

Fairly all-around terrible stay…read more (1) Drinking water is a real problem at this hotel! The room comes with just two bottles of complimentary water. The sundry shop in the lobby has various snacks and drinks, but NO bottled water for sale. (WHY??) The front desk can offer you free room temperature bottled water, but all they have are those tiny 8oz bottles, which are worthless if you're really thirsty. I walked out to buy water in the neighborhood, but there is nothing close. The Chevron station across the street closes early. Even the fitness center had no bottled water, just a water dispenser that offered just a trickle of water. I had to fill a couple glasses of tap water and put it in the fridge to make it palatable. BRING YOUR OWN WATER!! (2) The shower products absolutely suck. After just one shower, my skin and scalp were dry and itchy. BRING YOUR OWN SHOWER PRODUCTS!! (3) I booked and paid in full for my stay in via booking.com. But of course, the hotel double-charged my credit card for the two night stay. So I had to spend time the next morning on the phone hashing that out. CHECK YOUR BILL UPON CHECKING OUT!! They do offer a pretty legit breakfast spread, however. So two stars for that. But there are plenty of better options in Palo Alto.

Hard to find this place, it's in the middle of nowhere. From the exit off I-5, it's a 20-min drive…read moreon a two-lane highway, and the road is poorly lit. The air was so smelly I had to roll up the windows. Reasons for bad rating: 1. I requested a no-smoking room, but it smelled musty and dank like cigarettes. Management tried to tell me it was something called "colitas"?? I have no idea what that is but I don't want to smell it in my hotel room. 2. Too noisy. Woken up at 3 AM by loud voices coming from the hallway. 3. Tried to order some wine from room service and guy at front desk told me they ran out of wine around 55 years ago. They've had plenty of time to restock, obviously poor management here. Guy at front desk apologized and tried to give me a class of cheap champagne instead. The color was off, looked to me like it was roofied. Guy claimed it was "pink" champagne LOL. Plus he wanted me to call him "Captain". This is supposed to be a hotel, not a boat. I asked to talk to his supervisor and a fat guy in a rented tuxedo comes down the stairs. He'd obviously had too much to eat and drink. The "Captain" was calling him "Master". These people are living in some kind of alternate universe. Probably high on meth or something. Not only that but "Master" was holding a stainless steel knife in his hand. He tells me to "calm down" and I say "dude you're holding a f****** knife" and he casually says oh, well sometimes we have to deal with "wild animal problems." Ok... Unbelievable... Obviously this kind of thing happens regularly around here. Reasons for three stars instead of just one: 1. Mirrors on the ceiling are a nice touch. 2. Flexible on the checkout time. 3. Judging from the vehicles in the parking lot, it seems to have a fairly upscale clientele, surprisingly. And BTW, there are a lot of pretty good-looking young men hanging around, if that's your thing. Just don't fall for the whole "friend" bit, they are NOT your friends, believe me. Oh and if your spouse calls, the front desk won't cover for you, better come up with your own story about where you been. Summary: Very weird hotel. Sketchy as f***. A few nice touches but frankly I couldn't wait to leave. I was practically running for the door. That's about all I can remember. But it's not the worst hotel I've stayed at. That'd be the hotel I'm in right now, which is also very weird. Reminds me a little of the last place -- the one I'm talking about in this review -- but even worse. In fact, if I can find that road again, I'm going to go back to the place I was before. Pretty sure I smelled that "colitas" again on the drive over here, there must be a factory somewhere around here. What the hell is colitas anyway...

I stopped here for a night, because my head grew heavy after driving down the dark desert highway…read moreall night. This hotel really is a lovely place. There was plenty of room when I checked in. The lady at the counter was very nice. She lit up a candle and showed me to my room. The room had a mirror on the ceiling, and the window was open. There was a nice smell of colitis rising up from the air. I was thinking to myself, "this could be Heaven." When I got to my room, I was hungry, so I ordered room service. I called up the "Captain" and placed my order. He was very friendly, but I was a little disappointed that he didn't have the wine a really wanted. Oh well. After eating I took a stroll out to the courtyard. They had a band playing and people were dancing. The lady that checked me in was even dancing with a bunch of pretty boys. I can't recall if I was dancing, but then again, I dance to forget. As I was walking back to my room, I ran into the night man. He was an older man. His English wasn't too good. He told me to relax and enjoy my stay. He reminded me that I could checkout any time the next day (I was quite surprised), and that he hoped I would never want to leave (although, he said it kinda funny, like, "you can never leave." Again, his English was bad). The next morning I gathered with other guests in the Master's Chambers for a free breakfast. You just can't beat that feast. All in all, you really do 'live it up' at the Hotel California. It was a nice surprise. When I go back, I hope that the "Captain" really gets that spirit I wanted from 1969.

I stayed at The Nest in Palo Alto recently, and it's basically a refreshed motel-turned-hotel right…read moreoff El Camino and Ventura. It's about a mile and a half from the Stanford Shopping Center, which is super convenient. Honestly, the location is the biggest selling point here--being so close to the university and the hospital makes things really easy. The Good Stuff I actually really liked the hardwood floors; they felt much cleaner than gross hotel carpet. The price was also pretty reasonable for this area, and like I mentioned, you can't beat the location. The Not-So-Good Stuff Unfortunately, the stay had some pretty annoying downsides: * Zero Privacy: The walls are paper-thin. I could hear every single thing happening in the next room. Someone nearby left their TV on all night, and it felt like it was playing right next to my head. * The Bedding: There's no real blanket or duvet, just this one thick bedsheet. It didn't feel cozy at all. * Climate Control issues: The heater wouldn't stay at the temperature I set. It kept resetting itself to 60°F, so I woke up freezing. * Spotty Tech: If you're staying in the back half of the building, good luck with the Wi-Fi. It kept cutting out and was basically unusable in my room. It's fine if you just need a spot near campus for a night, but bring some earplugs and maybe your own blanket.

Nest is a deceptively average motel-like experience. The main photos on here show the office/lobby,…read morea couple specific shots of the flashy outdoor space by the lobby, and creatively cropped images of the rooms. My experience didn't really align with the expectations that the photos set in my mind. The room I got didn't feel that different from any other cheap motel. The fake wood flooring was bubbling up, the heater in the room sounded like a junk car engine firing up whenever it kicked on, and there was barely any lighting to speak of. Oh, and the mattress was kind of disgusting... Needless to say, I wasn't impressed. That said, the staff was kind and welcoming. So, no complaints as far as that goes. They were lovely. Just don't go into your experience here expecting anything glamorous.

We had a medical schefule change. We notified them days in advance for the cancellation. They…read morerefused. What a Scam. Rude staff, obviously. We'll never ever use them.

My partner and I arrived in the Bay Area a few days before my sister's wedding. Although there were…read moremany options, I chose this place because it was only an hour from our destination--and honestly, it was a random pick. They offer breakfast, have a gym, and had good reviews. Luckily, we checked in early thanks to availability. The weather in Palo Alto was cool, so we didn't use much AC, though it was a bit loud at times, it wasn't an issue. The gym had enough machines for a solid workout, and breakfast was great; eggs, sausage, hash browns, yogurt, oatmeal, cereal, coffee, tea, juice, and a filtered water fountain. The bathroom felt a bit old-school, but small touches like cotton balls, Q-tips, a Keurig in each room, shampoo, conditioner, and cute mugs made it cozy. The area felt safe and quiet, with restaurants within walking distance. Overall, a great spot for a night or two!

Great location. Comfortable and clean. No over the top fancy frills. Walking distance to…read morerestaurants, coffee houses, bookstore. We are happy there!

Stayed here for one night for a quick visit to the bay and needed somewhere cheap, but safe and…read moregood quality. I loved the space here! Very cute little archway and comfy bed. Continental breakfast was a huge plus and they were able to accommodate me for both early check in and late check out. Only complaint I would have is that the TV is a little old and the channels they offer. I did try to rebook the following week for the next day (short notice) and the lady told me the room would be $400 a night. I don't care how short notice it is to get a room, no motel should cost me $400 a night. Hence the -1 star

This place is cute. Cute game area, they offer free breakfast which was ok. Great customer…read moreservice. But the only bad part is the ac was broken, so we left the window open all night and can hear the cars and conversations of other people when they walk by. Also noticed that the drawers weren't cleaned. They had previous customers clothes in there. I did report this to the front desk. Also did notice the mold in the showers like the other reviews. They have great customer service.

I am so grossed out by this hotel and that's saying something since I have done my fair share of…read morecollege-budget international traveling. My husband's company had a conference and as all hotels in this area do, Hotel Lucent raised their prices to almost $500 a night during the conference- this is a badly remodeled motel and even on conference weeks, not worth a quarter of that rate. I am giving two stars for the kindness of Eve at the front desk and the fact that it was a roof over our head. The good ends there. Please see attached pictures: the carpets are tearing, stained and faded; there are dirty handprints on the walls in the rooms; when we arrived we found feces in the toilet and broken glass in the bathroom sink. There was spilled/splashed food on the walls behind the desk/work station; an old, dusty coffee maker; no fitted sheets on beds; mold in the shower; a musty, dirty smell in the hallways and in our room; scraped and damaged furniture in the room and in the lobby area; a non-heated outdoor pool; a broken jacuzzi with no guest access; and two slime-covered "water stations" (they only provide bottled water once upon check-in), and the "mini-fridge" in our room was non-operational. We tried our best to find other accommodations once we realized the state of our room but by that time, all the hotels in the area had been reserved for the conference. I will say, once I kindly spoke with Eve about my concerns, she assured me that they would take care of the issue and while they did use some mold-killer in the shower and cleaned the feces off of the toilet's sides- our fresh towels still had lipstick and makeup marks on them from the prior guests' use; they left a dirty coffee cup on the table and didn't take out all the trash in the room. I asked if I could have some cleaning products to try and wipe the room down on my own but I was refused, I am sure this is due to liability and I understand but as a guest paying $500 a night, I would really have expected not to have to go to the Safeway next door and purchase my own cleaning supplies to try and get the room to a more comfortable level of cleanliness for myself, my husband and my child. I am baffled by the positive reviews and feel truly led astray.