el PRADO Hotel — Hotel in Palo Alto

We found el PRADO Hotel through WeddingWire in the summer of 2021 when we first got engaged; they were going through a remodeling and let us stop by for a quick tour even before they were reopened. We had already toured other wedding venues but we were pretty impressed by the layout of the boutique hotel and fell in love with the architecture and all the little cute nooks that we knew would be absolutely fantastic for photographs. When they had a soft reopening later that year in the fall, we visited again for another tour just to see how things had been updated and heard about all the plans.

The Director of Events, Jesse Bresnahan, has been such a key player in our decision to book our wedding at el PRADO. el PRADO was probably the 6th or 7th venue we had toured and we hadn’t really been to one that we really walked in and felt comfortable saying yes to right away. el PRADO was exactly that. The combination of a super sweet staff and lovely setup and environment of the hotel even before setting up any wedding decor really vibed with us. We were pretty set on booking el PRADO after visiting a couple times and speaking with Jesse. Jesse has been extremely patient with our millions of questions, is always professional about everything, was such a positive force during our planning, and guided us through a lot of decisions we had to make for our wedding.

Sarah Rennert also started helping us with rooming blocks and wedding planning questions mid-2022 in the midst of all of our planning. Both her and Jesse were just phenomenal pillars of support for us. It was so great to meet her on our wedding weekend and she helped us get what we needed whenever we needed it.

el PRADO as a wedding venue is an absolute dream! The entire staff was extremely hospitable, everyone we encountered was so warm and welcoming and always put a smile on our faces. They let us set up for our wedding ahead of time (we did a lot of DIY decor since our wedding was so specifically themed to a particular video game) and went above and beyond for us from setting up some decor day of for us, plating our dessert donuts (which we were totally just planning to have in the boxes they came in with labels from our vendor), cleaning up our room (the bridal party got ready and made an absolute mess in the Penthouse and by the night of the wedding they had cleaned up the bedroom area and sprinkled a bunch of rose petals on the bed and in the shape of a heart!), and helping us clean up and pack things away after the reception ended.

Jesse kept checking in on me and my partner whatever floor we were on (1st floor lobby/reception, 2nd floor bar area or Biblioteca, 4th floor Penthouse, etc.), made sure we were fed and hydrated, and kept the event going and kept us aware of timing (when to come down for the processional, when to get ready for the reception grand entrance, when do start going around making toasts at all the tables, etc.). Seriously could not have appreciated him more!

During and after our wedding, our guests were just gushing about the venue, staff, and food. We’ve heard from multiple guests that the food for dinner was some of the best, if not the best, food they’d had at a wedding, and they loved how the venue looked!

We had our rehearsal dinner, wedding, and weekend stay at the hotel. If we ever need to hold another big event for whatever reason, we would definitely do it at el PRADO, and we’d absolutely try to find a reason (perhaps an anniversary) to stay at el PRADO again. The Penthouse is gorgeous with its outdoor patio (where we did our first look photos) and has such a lovely bathroom with a rainfall showerhead and a deep soaking tub.

After we booked for our wedding, they opened a Tapas Bar on the 2nd floor and we visited frequently in the months leading up to our wedding. The drinks and bites available daily are delicious!

Highly recommend el PRADO as a place to check out, have an event, do a weekend getaway, grab some drinks, or all...

We used Garden Court Hotel for our wedding venue and could not be more pleased with how everything came out. The staff and coordinators are very accommodating and flexible when it comes to getting your event just the way you want it. The front office managers and coordinators (shout out to Tammy, Krista, Tiffany and especially Jose) were all extremely helpful to us. My wife and I were very relaxed in our wedding planning approach so we recommend coming in with a clear vision for how you want your wedding. That being said everyone we worked with was very professional and helped us flesh out our special day. Let me make this clear: half of our guests were below 30 and this was the first wedding they've attended as young professionals. All our guests enjoyed the food and could not stop raving about the slider hors doeuvres also the mango avacadoe cones. We got the AV package that includes a microphone, projectors and PA system. The AV technician was very helpful in instructing us in the use of the equipment. We did not hire a DJ. Shoutout to Spotify. Our wedding party was about 130 people and the ballroom fit everyone very comfortably. With only a little bit of empty space. The dance floor could have been bigger but we think it made the event more intimate. The hotel was also very generous when it came to valet service, room and porter service (shoutout Donovan and Joel). Overall, as a young couple we were very impressed and would recommend them to anyone looking for a wedding venue with a lot of amenities. Thank...

I stayed at El Prado for an academic meeting at Stanford last October. The hotel infrastructure is clearly well-invested. The rooms are clean, comfortable, and have the feel of a high-end establishment. Breakfast and other meals are served in-room only (although there’s a restaurant nearby), and the food and drinks is of high quality—delivered quickly and efficiently.||That being said, the overall vibe of the hotel feels extremely impersonal. I don't think there was a single request or question I addressed to the staff that was met with a positive or helpful response. Everyone was polite, but no one smiled, followed up, or made any effort to assist with the information or support I needed.||Everything at the hotel comes with an additional (expensive) charge. There’s supposedly a coffee and tea station in the hallway, but it’s packed up under strict operating hours—I never managed to use it even once. Perhaps the typical clientele are high-income travelers in Silicon Valley who don’t mind this kind of service, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that I simply wasn’t welcome.||The location is also not the best for access to Stanford, but on the other hand it is right in the center of Palo Alto.||Overall, I’d say this is a well-run hotel with solid infrastructure, with nice design, but is overpriced. They really need to rethink the guest experience and invest more in customer service—it’s not enough to look high-end; guests should also feel...