TownePlace Suites by Marriott San Jose Santa Clara — Hotel in Santa Clara

We were recently on a family trip where we stayed at 4 different hotels. I just saw the rating for this one and was baffled at how the hotel we hated most from our recent trip (big gaps around the door, light and noise from the hallway, unsafe area, bad smell, uneasy about the cleanliness, etc) was rated higher and considered in the same hotel class as this one, when this FAR exceeded the other hotel and our expectations, so I had to write a review. ||||We had had a bad trip leading up to this, so we desperately needed our luck to turn around. We were in a gap where we had nowhere to go and I was travelling with 3 kids (two teens and a 5 year old). The young lady at the front desk was super helpful and accommodating and allowed us to check in 2 hours early, which I SO appreciated. The lobby is very nice and welcoming. They do a cute little theme with the candy on the reception desk every day which the kids loved. And they put out fresh baked cookies in the evening. I desperately needed to do laundry and their laundry facilities were very nice and clean, and of course locked, which made me feel safe leaving my belongings to wash. There was a filtered water machine in the lobby as well to refill water bottles, which I thought was a nice touch. ||||When we arrived in our room I was so happy to see how lovely it was. We got a 2 bedroom/2 bath suite which had a living area, sofa bed, dining table, and a full kitchen with all the amenities. This was super helpful when travelling with a family, to be able to do some shopping and stock the refrigerator and cook if needed. It was incredibly helpful to be able to spread out and not all be sleeping in the same space or taking turns with the bathroom. I appreciated finding this option more than I can say. The internet, TVs and cable worked really well (which, trust me, was not the case at the other 3 hotels we stayed at). You wouldn't think I'd have to give kudos for clear television and channel guides lol! but like I said, it was a bad trip.||||The room was super clean and very well appointed. There was a laundry basket in the closet to my surprise. Little things like that make all the difference. The bed was comfy, there were plenty of pillows (4 on each bed) and lots of drawers, even in the bathroom, which I loved. We didn't have any issues with noise at all and I felt like the area was really safe. There are restaurants nearby - literally a very short walk - as well as a Whole Foods and some other shops across the street. It's close to the freeway and Great America, which is nice and convenient. I liked that there was a recycling bin in the room as well. ||||The hotel staff were all friendly and helpful. Breakfast was pretty good. I really appreciated that they had almond milk and even chocolate almond milk as options. Both of my girls have lactose issues so they were excited about that. ||||All in all, this is one of my favorite hotels so far. It's not the Five Seasons, but it's really nice and comfortable. They don't charge for parking, unlike the Embassy Suites next door. There really is no reason to gouge your customers like that when they're already paying hundreds of dollars a night. The one thing I wish they had was a pool, but regardless, I'd definitely...

We were recently on a family trip where we stayed at 4 different hotels. I just saw the rating for this one and was baffled at how the hotel we hated most from our recent trip (big gaps around the door, light and noise from the hallway, unsafe area, bad smell, uneasy about the cleanliness, etc) was rated higher and considered in the same hotel class as this one, when this FAR exceeded the other hotel and our expectations, so I had to write a review. ||||We had had a bad trip leading up to this, so we desperately needed our luck to turn around. We were in a gap where we had nowhere to go and I was travelling with 3 kids (two teens and a 5 year old). The young lady at the front desk was super helpful and accommodating and allowed us to check in 2 hours early, which I SO appreciated. The lobby is very nice and welcoming. They do a cute little theme with the candy on the reception desk every day which the kids loved. And they put out fresh baked cookies in the evening. I desperately needed to do laundry and their laundry facilities were very nice and clean, and of course locked, which made me feel safe leaving my belongings to wash. There was a filtered water machine in the lobby as well to refill water bottles, which I thought was a nice touch. ||||When we arrived in our room I was so happy to see how lovely it was. We got a 2 bedroom/2 bath suite which had a living area, sofa bed, dining table, and a full kitchen with all the amenities. This was super helpful when travelling with a family, to be able to do some shopping and stock the refrigerator and cook if needed. It was incredibly helpful to be able to spread out and not all be sleeping in the same space or taking turns with the bathroom. I appreciated finding this option more than I can say. The internet, TVs and cable worked really well (which, trust me, was not the case at the other 3 hotels we stayed at). You wouldn't think I'd have to give kudos for clear television and channel guides lol! but like I said, it was a bad trip.||||The room was super clean and very well appointed. There was a laundry basket in the closet to my surprise. Little things like that make all the difference. The bed was comfy, there were plenty of pillows (4 on each bed) and lots of drawers, even in the bathroom, which I loved. We didn't have any issues with noise at all and I felt like the area was really safe. There are restaurants nearby - literally a very short walk - as well as a Whole Foods and some other shops across the street. It's close to the freeway and Great America, which is nice and convenient. I liked that there was a recycling bin in the room as well. ||||The hotel staff were all friendly and helpful. Breakfast was pretty good. I really appreciated that they had almond milk and even chocolate almond milk as options. Both of my girls have lactose issues so they were excited about that. ||||All in all, this is one of my favorite hotels so far. It's not the Five Seasons, but it's really nice and comfortable. They don't charge for parking, unlike the Embassy Suites next door. There really is no reason to gouge your customers like that when they're already paying hundreds of dollars a night. The one thing I wish they had was a pool, but regardless, I'd definitely...

I really don't have any complaints! From the moment we walked up to the front desk (where we were cheerfully greeted), it was a pleasant experience all the way around. All 3 groups in our party were placed on the same floor, in close proximity to each other ... nice to be able to pop back and forth between the rooms. Our room in particular was so comfortable -- extremely well laid out, with all the amenities (and more) than we could have wanted or needed. The daily breakfast had a really nice selection; the oatmeal on a cold morning was a nice touch!

One small thing; when the heat unit kicks on, it blows extremely cold air and then turns warm. The problem with this is, if you happen to be sitting on the couch, the cold air just blasts you right in the face. The louvers on the unit are not adjustable, so you can't move the stream of blowing air upward or downward (or anywhere except for directly at the couch). This made it a bit uncomfortable to try and sit on the couch to read or watch TV.

Overall, however, I would highly recommend this TownePlace Suites to anyone looking for a friendly, quiet, safe, comfortable place to stay. While we were there for only 2 nights, I can certainly see how comfortable it would be if you needed an extended stay (including having onsite laundry facilities). While this is not the closest hotel to my family in the Santa Clara area, it's worth the extra couple of minutes of driving time. I imagine my next trip to Santa Clara will find me checking into...