Hotel Valencia Santana Row, Valencia Hotel Collection — Hotel in San Jose

I am writing in regards to an incident with the staff at Hotel Valencia on the weekend of February 16th. I booked this hotel for my birthday weekend with my girls. It is so sad and disgusting with we had to face. My girlfriend called on Saturday, February 16th asking what the hotel does for birthdays. The agent, who answered the phone said , sorry we don’t do anything unless we are given an 48 hour advance notice. One, when we booked the room on the website it didn’t ask if we were celebrating a birthday. He put her on hold for 5 minutes, then another agent answered the phone asking what we were calling about. Didn’t seen like the gentleman wanted to help us. However, we let this go. We checked-in and got to our room. Everything was amazing, there was champagne to welcome us. The problem on that night of February 16th at 1am, we were coming back to the hotel. There was a large party getting off two buses as well. We went straight to elevators, and one of the staff members tell us “can you please step aside?” We asked him for a reason, and he said, “I can't give you a reason please step aside”. There were three elevators, and only two were being occupied. We asked him again, “How long would we have to wait and why are we the only ones stepping aside. Is there another way we can get to our room?” He informed us that there was no alternative way and to just stand there and wait. There were 5 girls in dress at 1:30am standing in the cold for no reason. There was a gentleman from the large party said it was okay for us to share the elevator. The staff member said, no its okay they can wait. This just became ridiculous, we asked to speak to a manager. He said, “he is the manager, and wasn’t going to do anything about it” We got on the elevator with the large party, and told the manager, “this is very unfair”. I have worked in customer service for 8 years and traveled to so many different place. However, never, in my life I felt so put down. This was straight up discrimination and sexist. No respect for us, even though we were equally the paying guest staying at the hotel. I feel so disgusted at the fact this happened. Just because there was a large party does mean you make other guest felt like there are nothing. There were three elevators, if two were being used, then the third elevator could have been for hotel guest only. This ruined my birthday and the whole experience at Hotel Valencia.

Even after making this incident aware to the staff, I am not very pleased at the service I am getting. I have left multiple voicemails for the Director of Rooms, and contacted Stefanita this few weeks. Unfortunately have not heard or received any emails or calls. That is a little disappointing that this is how I am being treated even after the incident. I have been kindly, and patiently waiting for Hotel Valencia upper management to deal with this situation. It seem as no one really cares about what really happened that night. I will be reaching out to Social Media to bring this incident attention. People need to know how we were treated during our stay. Like I have stated in earlier, I have worked in customer service for 8 years, never in my life I felt so put down. This was straight up discrimination and sexist. There was no respect for us, even though we were equally the paying guest staying at the hotel. We were told to set aside while two bus full of white males were allowed to go up the elevated. I feel so disgusted at the fact this happened. The feeling my friends and I felt during that moment is undecidable. I had heard so many great times, and it's an ashamed that the staff is not properly trained to try people with respect. Now, that I am reaching out to the upper manager, I am getting no response....

Day 1 of my 6 day/5 Night stay. I am not impressed at all.

The Good: Location. I was immediately greeted without stepping foot on the ground as I was getting out of the car.

The Bad: No Early Check-in. Even when I called 7hrs in advance to request it. Check-in is at "3pm" officially whether you sit in the lobby & wait for 1.5hrs (hopeful that maybe they'd get you in sooner). 3pm comes....room is not ready. Not just for me, but for other guests. In fact, at 3pm Housekeeping states they need another half hour to finish. I was patient, but was completely turned off that a "Luxury boutique hotel" has horrible Turnover times and throughput. If check out is 11am for guests, they should hire enough staff to ensure every guest is able to check in at THEIR designated time. They are simply unable to honor their own times. And honestly, other hotels have been able to accommodate an early check-in for me in SJ.

Another annoying "bad" is that the building and area, has poor phone cell service for AT&T and Verizon. I have 2 cell phones (1 for work, the other personal), neither had service and if I did, it was 1 bar but not enough strength to have internet. Does Hotel Valencia have wifi??? Well.... Yes, but it requires a Room # or Access code. I had neither while I was waiting. Even when I finally got into my room, the Room # & Last Name did not connect me to the Guest WiFi. I had to call and they gave me access code: vgsrw15.

The Bad- Room: The room is very spacious, with a King sized bed and my own private balcony. BUT.... No microwave, no refrigerator (except the mini-bar fridge that you need a key for but nothing else would fit in there), no free water bottles, and they placed the coffee machine on the highest shelve possible....I don't even know if there is any coffee or tea bc I'm only 4'11.5 ft tall and I can't even reach!!!

Even 3 star motels has a fridge, microwave, and coffee maker with coffee & tea within reach!!

So let me get back to the mini-bar...I was asked if I wanted the key for it. I said no, bc I don't drink. I asked if there was a fridge in the room, the guys says "yes." Turns out, the only fridge in my room is the mini-bar fridge. If you were a recovering Alcoholic, this place would tempt you! But I thought.... There's gotta be room in there for guests to put stuff in it, so I'll ask for the key. Got the key, opened the fridge, and ooook there is barely any room for me to put MY own drink and any leftovers I want to bring with me.

I'm sorry, but this room does not welcome anyone.... I'm here for a week and I get no fridge and no microwave, from a LUXURY hotel?!?!?

I'm not impressed. I'm annoyed. I get treated at the DoubleTree in Campbell faaaaaar better (which is where I usually stay for business trips but decided on some place different).

Here's another thing that annoys me.... There are 3 water bottles (1 bottle in the bathroom, on the sink) but not one bottle is complimentary. I know not all hotels offer that, but I HAVE been offered at least one complimentary bottle of water in San Jose... again, if you claim to be a Luxury hotel, then act like it. I don't see where the Luxury is as a guest staying in your rooms. The place looks luxurious in the architecture and decor of the overall establishment, but it's the small comforts that even 2 star motels provides yet Hotel Valencia does not which I find insulting. Yes, insulting.

The 2 stars I gave them are due to having some basics: a bed, AC, shower, toilet.

I'd rather get a smaller room and get a fridge and microwave, than a big room without those things.

So, this is my Day 1 review. Let's see how the rest of...

At the beginning of every year, our colleagues from around the world gather in Los Gatos for a week long work function. We always begin the process by searching for accommodations and attempting to make recommendation to each other. My experiences with properties in the area have been sub-par due to a variety of factors including outdated properties, cleanliness of rooms, pest issues, uncomfortable bedding, and noise.

This year I tried a new property near the Pruneyard hoping it would provide the comfort and privacy needed to get a good nights rest. Our days generally involve an average of 12 hours of work followed by dinners and obligations so being well rested is a top priority. Unfortunately my expectations were not met and it left me in a state of being restless for two days not being able to operate at full capacity. On my last day of the function, I made a last minute decision to switch to Hotel Valencia. It had been one of my initial choices but I wanted to be fiscally responsible because the hotel was just for sleeping and the extra amenities were not needed. The property exceeded any expectations that I had and none of the properties that I have stayed at come even close to what it offers.

Firstly, the ambiance, meticulous attention to detail, and the staff's attentiveness are outstanding. As the saying goes, you get what you pay for.

Secondly, I felt genuinely heard by the receptionist when I mentioned that noise significantly affected my ability to rest. She spent around 20 minutes assessing room availability, property layout, and deliberating on the best room to meet my needs. We settled on a high-level room facing a back alley, where noise would likely be minimal. She also provided additional insights into external factors that might contribute to noise, demonstrating a genuine concern for my comfort.

Thirdly, every aspect of the room was impeccable. The bedding, pillows, comforter, and throws were neatly arranged without a crease in sight. The flooring was spotless, and amenities were arranged symmetrically, enhancing the aesthetic appeal. It was evident that the staff put in considerable effort to ensure the rooms were presented flawlessly. Additionally, the room layout was strategically designed for maximum comfort, with air conditioning units discreetly placed near the door to minimize noise. Even the choice of air conditioning units was quieter than those typically found in traditional hotels. The TVs featured a user-friendly interface, allowing guests to watch local channels or access their favorite streaming services. Room service was prompt and attentive.

Lastly, I could not believe that the shower had responsive temperature control. It sounds silly to call this out but every property that I have stayed at to-date have controls that are not responsive when you change the temperature. They either have a significantly long delay of 30 seconds to a minute before the temperature kicks in or have lukewarm water when the heating runs out. I felt like I could get unlimited hot water when I wanted from the showers at Hotel Valencia.

After my final night, I felt thoroughly rested, experiencing some of the best sleep I've had in a long time. As a business traveler, this is crucial for operating effectively at work. I intend to stay at Hotel Valencia again during the next function and will highly recommend it to my...