Sonesta Emeryville - San Francisco Bay Bridge — Hotel in Emeryville

Considering the number of times I've stayed at a Courtyard Marriott, I was utterly shocked and appalled at the egregious treatment I received at the Courtyard Oakland Emeryville, from the moment I approached the check-in desk. On the evening of Thursday, August 3, 2017, I walked up to the check-in counter and announced to the front desk associate, "Richard", that I was there to begin my stay; I had already paid for the first night via Priceline, so he had asked for a credit card from me to file in case of incidentals, along with a photo ID. Of course, given the endless number of hotels I've stayed in for both business and personal reasons, I was fully expecting this and immediately handed to Richard my valid Illinois driver's license along with my American Express charge card. After looking at the front of my card, Richard, stunningly, told me--without hesitation--that he could not accept my card and that I needed to provide "another card". Befuddled, I gave him a clearly confused look and asked exactly why he couldn't accept my card; specifically, I had asked him if for some strange reason Marriott had stopped accepting AMEX cards, but he told me "no, we accept AMEX, but I've never seen YOUR particular AMEX card before, so I will need you to provide a different card." I then calmly explained to Richard that I've been an American Express cardmember since 2010 (which is clearly marked on the front of the card, as most AMEX cards are). Regardless, I told him that I've never had an issue using my AMEX card ANYWHERE, including at several Marriott stays in the past, but that didn't phase him at all. He then began telling me about some "fraudulent credit card purchases" that "recently" occurred at this particular hotel, and that he was "taking precautions"! Unbelievable! As a young, black working professional, I shouldn't have to go the extra mile to prove my legitimacy when spending MY money. I shouldn't even have to mention race, but that is exactly at the root of this entire debacle that never should've happened in the first place. I knew where Richard was angling when he even mentioned the "fraudulent credit card purchases"; I asked him exactly what in the hell does any of that have to do with me, and of course whatever he responded with at that point didn't even matter to me, as I felt completely profiled, embarrassed, stunned, and helpless--simply waiting to check in using the same credit card that I used to pay for my room upfront. I even asked him why he wouldn't just swipe my card and see it charge as "approved" if he actually felt that I was pulling a fraud scheme, but he was too disrespectful to even reason with. Refusing to acquiesce to his racially-inspired request for me to use a "different" card, I implored him to accept my card, at which point he had me wait in line while he "checked" with his manager if they would actually accept my AMEX card for the incidentals. RIDICULOUS!!! Your employee Richard didn't even CHECK to see that I was a Marriott Rewards member with a history of stays--including on this AMEX card that he gave me so much trouble with. I can go on and on about how upset and angry I am with the entire Marriott brand now, simply because of one AWFUL and embarrassing experience that your employee insisted I receive. After realizing my card was in fact valid and NOT fraudulent as he had accused me of, Richard attempted to "apologize", but obviously by that point I had enough. I also thought it was totally unprofessional and disrespectful for Richard's manager that he supposed went back to chat with, had never even come out to apologize to me for such terrible treatment. I certainly will NEVER return to the Courtyard Emeryville Oakland, and at this point, I have no intentions of choosing to stay at any Marriott hotel for that matter. There are more than enough lodging options around to take my business elsewhere, where I hopefully won't be subjected to profiling and falsely implied as a...

Read all the reviews and look at the consistent feedback. It's all true and there are great tips here.

The reason I picked the Courtyard Oakland Emeryville even after reading all the reviews was because it had a decent price for at least two of the four days I was staying in the Bay area. You see, when the lights go down in the City, and the sun shines on the Bay. Do I want to be there in my city? Okay. I'll stop, but I'm sure you have that earworm going in your head now.

The good things about the Courtyard. It's a Marriott and I've been a loyal rewards member for over 15 years. There is so much to do within walking distance, which is great for shopping or dining. If you have a car, while it's a bit cumbersome to navigate the streets, it's worth it to make a Target run or go to Doyle Street Cafe, which is under 2 miles away. For me, it totally was worth paying extra to have a Bay View room. I promise not to quote Journey again. The two hotel staff who checked me in (even though I checked in online) were very friendly. I think one of them was going through training, and that was fine. No hassles there.

Pay heed to everyone's tips! Park in the short-term parking to check in so you don't have to hassle with parking tickets. Your room key also serves as the gate key. There are only four spots for short-term parking, so you may have to park creatively. Some knob parked poorly when pulled up and was there for more than 10 minutes. That plays into the other reviews.

I don't understand what makes this hotel a party hotel, but it is. For a Marriott, it had to have been one of the loudest where I've stayed, especially for a Courtyard which typically caters to business travelers. Not so here. It's party central.

Both mornings, I was woken up by the rap music coming from the room next to me at 6:00 AM. I'm usually an early riser and wouldn't mind, but I was on vacation. For me, sleeping in is usually 6:00 AM, but after two weeks of working long days and late hours, I was hoping to catch up on some sleep. It was even worth complaining because of the next reason.

I was in San Francisco for four days. The weekday rate jumped substantially from the weekend rate. So much so that after two nights, I moved to the Hilton Garden Inn near the San Francisco Airport.

Like other reviewers noted, there is a 'no party policy' everyone is supposed to sign, but I wasn't asked to sign it. I saw it, but I didn't offer to sign it. Obviously signing it doesn't stop people from partying. The other minus, like other reviewers noted, was there was a spot for a refrigerator, but the room didn't have one. Not the end of the world for me, but it would have been nice for water and my medication.

Would I stay there again and recommend this hotel? That's a tough call. The pros and cons are almost equal. If I was staying there any longer, especially with the price going up, I totally would have complained about the noise. The room was clean, updated and didn't have bed bugs, but the hole in the wall above the headboard should have been another indication that this was not your typical business hotel. The WiFi was a bit spotty at times, but better than some hotels.

On other thing to note, but not a deal-breaker, is you have to wait and pay a $5.00 toll crossing the bridge from Emeryville to San Francisco. If you are making several back-and-forth trips, that adds up.

One other plus is that it's 1.5 miles away from Pixar Animation...

SERVICE & TRANSITIONS -- 👍 ok An "empty" vibe, forgettable customer service, & dreary atmosphere. I didn't get the impression anyone 'wanted' to be here. Furniture has also seen better days. No negative interactions, just a severe case of "going through the motions". Parking was conveniently located. Coin-operated laundry services were available onsite. MVP employees: N/A

ROOM [Deluxe King]-- 👎 ok https://youtu.be/9M4e4YsQ7GI Turnover seemed rushed, or the cleaning standards just aren't particularly high: visible dust bunnies & debris on the carpet 🫤. The layout was rather odd & the design just didn't seem to fit the space. Lighting was also weak. tl;dr accommodations aren't as "dreamy" as depicted online. We did appreciate the modern aesthetic & functional windows; great vantage points for people watching.

BED -- 👍 good satisfactory. Nothing screamed "WoW", but sheets were clean, mattresses were in good condition, & comforters were... well, comfortable.

BATH -- 👎 poor Dimensions were generous & the space was clean, it's just woefully underutilized. Completely lacking in (any) design. Plumbing was frustrating: the temperatures were wildly unpredictable-- ⚠️scolding hot water occasionally ran when using the cold setting⚠️. Water pressure was weak everywhere else.

TV/ENT./ACTIVITIES -- 👍 ok Great display; bad mount... Not a great viewing experience due to the 90 degree angle from bed to TV. This installation wasn't fully thought out & it shows. Otherwise, it's a gorgeous Samsung model, programmed with a feature-rich TV OS & streaming functions. Clean gym facilities & a decent-sized indoor pool, open 6am-930pm, can be found in the back.

WI-FI & CELL RECEPTION -- 👍 good Unencrypted (free) WiFi has great QoS, although speeds are meager. This was good enough for us so we didn't bother with Premium. There's also a business center in the lobby, so plenty of options for connectivity & computing👨‍💻. Cell reception was great (Verizon). --Performance-- Video streaming - great Online gaming - great Video chatting - great --Nerd Stats-- 9-15 Mbps download 9-16 Mbps upload 0% packet loss 5 ms latency 25 ms jitter

FOOD & DRINK -- 👍 ok Breakfast takeout was available onsite (Bowline Canteen). Their menu was accommodating for dietary restrictions, however the convenience doesn't justify the price tag (2 entrees = ~$40). The Market sundries shop offers enough snacks to hold you over if needed (water was overpriced, use the fountains instead💡). The community microwave is located here too. There's a Trader Joe's + a number of restaurants within walking distance. in-room: ❌ microwave ✅ mini-fridge (small) ✅ coffee/tea ❌ wet-bar ❌ mini-bar

NOISE -- 👍 great One thing I do enjoy about Sonesta's are the designated quiet hours. As expected, noise was not an issue.

LOCATION -- 👍 great The height of this stay was discovery the many restaurants, clothing stores, grocers, movies, & mall nearby. We felt safe here & the surroundings were well-patrolled at by night.

RECOMMENDATION & RATING Final Price: $130.20/night Was it worth it: yes Best part: Location An underwhelming property in a heavily underrated location. For the experience we had, this stay was overpriced & hollow. It's a great area for shopping & a movie date, so I don't regret it. The suites & other configurations seem enticing but I don't see myself returning. Lukewarm...