Bayview Café - Berkeley

From the initial welcome at the front desk with Laurie, my friend and I were excited to begin our overnight stay at the Claremont. She was great. Also, as this... read more From the initial welcome at the front desk with Laurie, my friend and I were excited to begin our overnight stay at the Claremont. She was great. Also, as this was a gift from my employer a colleague would also be staying. We all were given an early check-in and we hurried to our room to get ready for a personal training session and a message we had booked. I would be sharing the personal training session with my colleague. The training was just alright. I wouldn 't recommend the trainer. The trainer seemed to not have read the forms we filled out about our specific interests. Before we ended I reminded her, as had I stated in the beginning, I specifically asked for Pilates. She informed us since the area for this activity was a little congested she would show us some Pilates movement on the mats. She then showed us stretches that were not related to Pilates at all. After leaving the Club we got a bite to eat at the East Bay Provisions The friend getting the message met us there and we enjoyed the food, the service, and the atmosphere! Definitely a highlight of our stay. The Limewood Restaurant was also a very nice experience. After dinner Saturday night, we followed the music and found a small group of electricians celebrating their recent graduation. They invited us in to dance and celebrate with them. it was a fun evening all around. That would soon change. Returning to our rooms we prepared to watch a movie together. My colleague was coming to our room and the movie had been paid for. Suddenly, there was a fire alarm going off and an announcement over the P.A. to evacuate our rooms along with a suggestion that the alarm was possibly in error and to stay in our rooms. This message repeated on a loop for approximately 10 minutes. About this time I answered a knock on the door expecting my colleague. it wasn 't. It was an employee of the hotel who accused us of having smoke coming from our room. I immediately told her, No, it 's not! She pushed past me where my friend was in bed in her pajamas and proceeded to look around the room and up at the ceiling. My friend quickly pulled the covers up over herself, and after looking around the woman left the room with me on her heels. I complained to her and another hotel staff member in the hall that this was not acceptable. And, it was not the proper way to address a concern by making an accusation against a hotel guest and then barging into their room without permission. This was an invasion of privacy. Other hotel guests were standing in their doorways asking what was happening. People seemed confused and concerned. By now the P.A. was still on a loop but only contained the first part of the message, leaving off the suggestion to stay in your room. My colleague had shown up and we prepared to evacuate. After standing outside with guests for approximately 45 minutes people started going back into the hotel and to their rooms. There was no announcement nor did anyone come out to tell us it was safe to return to our rooms. Very disappointing experience at the end of the day.

Unexpected stay due to both parents we were supposed to visit having Covid. We enjoyed the location close to our needs. We love Peets coffee and the bakery acro... read more Unexpected stay due to both parents we were supposed to visit having Covid. We enjoyed the location close to our needs. We love Peets coffee and the bakery across the street. The health club and variety of classes and activities was excellent. We had a fabulous room for most of our stay. The hotel is clean and charming.

Reserved a suite with bay view. Ended up with room on the first floor (basement) with a view of the tennis courts. Only had 1 comfortable place to sit. Being a... read more Reserved a suite with bay view. Ended up with room on the first floor (basement) with a view of the tennis courts. Only had 1 comfortable place to sit. Being a Fairmont Hotel, expected more. The staff are very good. Food and service in the rest were great.

Check in process was awful no room available when we arrived after reserving three weeks in advance. Front desk was not helpful at all receievd room only after... read more Check in process was awful no room available when we arrived after reserving three weeks in advance. Front desk was not helpful at all receievd room only after returning many times. Took over three hours to get a room almost 6 pm.

From the beginning, it was a very disappointing stay. The parking lot was a mess i asked to valet so that i could get help with my suitcase.. there was one good... read more From the beginning, it was a very disappointing stay. The parking lot was a mess i asked to valet so that i could get help with my suitcase.. there was one good attendant that felt sorry for me Andrew but still no help w/ suitcase..had to pull it up the road and then in to a line that took over 20 minutes to check in for a 600 dollar room First thing the gentleman whispers to his associate and came back to me to say he did not have my room. I showed him my confirmation and voila.. I got to schlep my bag up to a very tired room w/ curtains not even hung properly..with tired linens… the hostess in the dining room was lovely, the food was ok.. i checked out and checked in to the hotel shattuck for 1/2 the price … i will let you know how it goes..