Good hotel in Emeryville/SF?

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Bierboy

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We're taking the CZ next October to EMY for a weeklong vacation in the SF area. Any suggestions on a decent hotel to stay at without breaking the bank? I notice there's a hotel within walking distance of the Amtrak station (Woodfin Hotel), but we also plan to rent a car while we're there, so distance isn't an issue. Thanks!
 
We're taking the CZ next October to EMY for a weeklong vacation in the SF area. Any suggestions on a decent hotel to stay at without breaking the bank? I notice there's a hotel within walking distance of the Amtrak station (Woodfin Hotel), but we also plan to rent a car while we're there, so distance isn't an issue. Thanks!
Aloha

I stayed at the Jack London Inn in Oakland for the OTOL NoCal Fest. Wasn't fancy but it was clean and cheap. A short walk to the Bay Ferry. Best of All it had trains running in the street in front.

I saw the Woodfin when I was there, but its price was 3 times that of the Jack London Inn. Also the Woodfin is a better neiborhood. When on the first day I walked to the Bart system, away from the bay, the area got real bad before I reached the Bart, one reason I used the Bay Ferry.
 
We're taking the CZ next October to EMY for a weeklong vacation in the SF area. Any suggestions on a decent hotel to stay at without breaking the bank? I notice there's a hotel within walking distance of the Amtrak station (Woodfin Hotel), but we also plan to rent a car while we're there, so distance isn't an issue. Thanks!
Eric is first rate on giving tips, check it out! Also I always say check out Orbitz/Priceline/Hot wire etc. etc. I prefer Orbitz cause you actually get to see the actual hotel and they really do send out checks if the price goes down, I got three this year! :D Oct. is a grand time of year in the bay area, really their summer, if I visited which I used to do alot thats a wonderful time to go! Have fun and keep us posted, it's the next best thing to being there! ;)
 
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We're taking the CZ next October to EMY for a weeklong vacation in the SF area. Any suggestions on a decent hotel to stay at without breaking the bank? I notice there's a hotel within walking distance of the Amtrak station (Woodfin Hotel), but we also plan to rent a car while we're there, so distance isn't an issue. Thanks!
Eric is first rate on giving tips, check it out! Also I always say check out Orbitz/Priceline/Hot wire etc. etc. I prefer Orbitz cause you actually get to see the actual hotel and they really do send out checks if the price goes down, I got three this year! :D Oct. is a grand time of year in the bay area, really their summer, if I visited which I used to do alot thats a wonderful time to go! Have fun and keep us posted, it's the next best thing to being there! ;)
We've stayed at the Woodfin Suites a couple of times before taking the CZ eastbound. We liked it and would stay there again. It was very convenient to just walk out the door, across the parking lot, and across the railroad bridge (with elevators) and get on the train.

If you have a rental car, Avis is right next to the station, and I believe this is also true for Enterprise. Hertz is a couple of blocks away in another hotel.
 
If I remember correctly, there are several good hotels in San Francisco, including a Fairmont, a Ritz-Carlton, and an Inter-Continental. You can't possibly go wrong with any of the three.
 
I'm not sure if this helps in your quest for a "good" hotel. But I'm always looking for rock-bottom one-star hotel deals in the Bay Area.

The last San Joaquin of the evening train departs Oakland at 5:50pm. Miss that and I'm out of luck.

The best deal I found recently was

Bay Bridge Inn

683 West Macarthur Boulevard, Oakland, CA

(510) 655-5817‎

"Positive: Location and price were ver good" - booking.com ... "The hotel staff seemed reluctant to clean the room" - booking.com ... "Positive: It has a convenient location" - booking.com ... "This did not make us feel safe" - booking.com ... "Negative: No shampoo offered" - booking.com ... "Convenient to MacArthur bart station" - booking.com

Seems accurate.

Also...they have parking.
 
The Mark Hopkins Hotel is part of the Inter-Continental family. For all it's fame and fanciness (Top of the Mark lounge, etc), it is surprisingly affordable. We ususally jump on the California Street cable car and ride all the way up to the top of Nob hill and jump off right in front of the Mark Hopkins. That cable car line is never crowded and leaves from the Hyatt Hotel which also happens to be the Amtrak bus stop. Not only convenient, but loads of fun.
 
Woodfin is very nice and convenient. The Waterfront Hotel at Jack London Square is nice and right next to the ferry. It's pricy bur once in a while you can get a special. I WOULD NOT stay at the Jack London Inn. Last I heard they were booking tons of homeless into the hotel.
 
I WOULD NOT stay at the Jack London Inn. Last I heard they were booking tons of homeless into the hotel.
Aloha

My stay was July 2007, and was very comfortable there. Most guest appeared to be "trveling salesmen" types. The rates were 49.95 before taxes, and as far as the neighborhood from the hotel to ths bay was quite nice. Going the other-way it deteriorated pretty fast, also very convenient to the Oakland Train Station.
 
I'm not sure if this helps in your quest for a "good" hotel. But I'm always looking for rock-bottom one-star hotel deals in the Bay Area.
The last San Joaquin of the evening train departs Oakland at 5:50pm. Miss that and I'm out of luck.

The best deal I found recently was

Bay Bridge Inn

683 West Macarthur Boulevard, Oakland, CA

(510) 655-5817‎

"Positive: Location and price were ver good" - booking.com ... "The hotel staff seemed reluctant to clean the room" - booking.com ... "Positive: It has a convenient location" - booking.com ... "This did not make us feel safe" - booking.com ... "Negative: No shampoo offered" - booking.com ... "Convenient to MacArthur bart station" - booking.com

Seems accurate.

Also...they have parking.
That part of Oakland is not safe there is a good deal of drug activity and prostitution in that immediate area and all of the things that come with that. You couldn't pay me to stay in that neighborhood.

In Emeryville besides the Woodfin there is also a Four Points by Sheraton kitty corner to the Woodfin across Powell Street. There is also a Hilton Garden Inn a little further west on Powell from the Four Points on the west side of I-80.

In Oakland the only hotel I would recommend is the Mariott Oakland City Center.

In San Francisco proper there are a number of excellent hotels some of which have already been mentioned prior. I would add the Mandarin Oriental to the list.
 
The Golden Gate Hotel a nice bed and breakfast on Bush Street, a half block to cable cars, six blocks to SF Shopping Center bus stop on Market Street. $105 a night. Check out their website goldengatehotel.com. Nice family owned place.
 
My experience in August staying at the Woodfin was very interesting. I checked in early on the day before my CZ trip, and was given a room at the northernmost, track-facing side (it was #500 or 501) of the building. My balcony and bedroom were nearly straight across from the station. Doing lookups on their EMY arrival times, I was able to walk over and watch the afternoon terminating Zephyr, evening NB Starlight, and morning SB Starlight arrive. Got some great pics of all three, and it really built my excitement for the trip.

There's an international food court next door and a Trader Joes within walking distance to pick up some trip snacks. It was a fun, train-filled launching pad for the Zephyr!
 
We're taking the CZ next October to EMY for a weeklong vacation in the SF area. Any suggestions on a decent hotel to stay at without breaking the bank? I notice there's a hotel within walking distance of the Amtrak station (Woodfin Hotel), but we also plan to rent a car while we're there, so distance isn't an issue. Thanks!
If you're going to be in SF for a week and will have a car, why not look at a vacation rental apartment? There are plenty available at rates that equal or are better than hotels, and you get more-or-less fully furnished living quarters with kitchen, etc. An added plus is they usually are located in unique SF neighborhoods, which is OK since you will have a car.

I live in SF and am personally acquainted with a couple of them. Check out the Noe Valley/Mission Garden Apartment at http://www.bemyguestsf.com/pages/nv_apt.html as an example. This is a lovely apartment with an entrance off the garden in a beautifu Victorian single-family home. Noe Valley is one of SF's best neighborhoods, centrally located with easy access to the Muni Streetcars and BART. The rate is $125 per night, but after every six nights, you get the seventh night free.

You can find lots of SF vacation apartment rentals through Google. I have been in the one I mention above, but I assure you I have no personal involvement, so rest assured I'm not shilling. :lol:

Good luck on your search!
 
We're taking the CZ next October to EMY for a weeklong vacation in the SF area. Any suggestions on a decent hotel to stay at without breaking the bank? I notice there's a hotel within walking distance of the Amtrak station (Woodfin Hotel), but we also plan to rent a car while we're there, so distance isn't an issue. Thanks!
If you're going to be in SF for a week and will have a car, why not look at a vacation rental apartment? There are plenty available at rates that equal or are better than hotels, and you get more-or-less fully furnished living quarters with kitchen, etc. An added plus is they usually are located in unique SF neighborhoods, which is OK since you will have a car.

I live in SF and am personally acquainted with a couple of them. Check out the Noe Valley/Mission Garden Apartment at http://www.bemyguestsf.com/pages/nv_apt.html as an example. This is a lovely apartment with an entrance off the garden in a beautifu Victorian single-family home. Noe Valley is one of SF's best neighborhoods, centrally located with easy access to the Muni Streetcars and BART. The rate is $125 per night, but after every six nights, you get the seventh night free.

You can find lots of SF vacation apartment rentals through Google. I have been in the one I mention above, but I assure you I have no personal involvement, so rest assured I'm not shilling. :lol:

Good luck on your search!
George - Thanks for the excellent idea! We will certainly look into that possibility. Sounds like a unique twist to the vacation!
 
We're taking the CZ next October to EMY for a weeklong vacation in the SF area. Any suggestions on a decent hotel to stay at without breaking the bank? I notice there's a hotel within walking distance of the Amtrak station (Woodfin Hotel), but we also plan to rent a car while we're there, so distance isn't an issue. Thanks!
You might want to consider the Le Meridian San Francisco off Travelzoo for $99

http://hotels.travelzoo.com/california-hotels/710495
 
We're taking the CZ next October to EMY for a weeklong vacation in the SF area. Any suggestions on a decent hotel to stay at without breaking the bank? I notice there's a hotel within walking distance of the Amtrak station (Woodfin Hotel), but we also plan to rent a car while we're there, so distance isn't an issue. Thanks!
You might want to consider the Le Meridian San Francisco off Travelzoo for $99

http://hotels.travelzoo.com/california-hotels/710495
Thanks, but, unfortunately for the dates we want, the rates are $300+....the rate you quote is for this month and parts of January.
 
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All of the suggestons are good so far... I live in Oakland (commute the Capitol from OKJ to SAC daily) and while the stuff west of the tracks is pretty cool (nice restaurants, shops, etc., including one of my favorite bars, Heinholds, where Jack London did a lotof writing.) going toward town is pretty dicey. Do NOT stay at the JLL (bad area at night)... IMO if you're doing SF for a week (and this is difficult because of my fondness of the Oakland Embarcadero) , do the bus txfr out of the EMY transfer point to SF and stay there. Someone mentioned the mark Hopkins - I also like this place - excellent value for the $$$. ALso there are a BOATLOAD of good B&B's in SF.

That said - it's 15 rail minutes from EMY to OKJ... if I did the trip, I'd stay in Oakland a day or 2 then jump north to EMY and to the bus bridge to SF and then at the end of the trip leave via to the EMY back from whence I came!

Only downside - you'll wish you spent *2* weeks in SF!!!

Happy (t)rails!

Susanne
 
All of the suggestons are good so far... I live in Oakland (commute the Capitol from OKJ to SAC daily) and while the stuff west of the tracks is pretty cool (nice restaurants, shops, etc., including one of my favorite bars, Heinholds, where Jack London did a lotof writing.) going toward town is pretty dicey. Do NOT stay at the JLL (bad area at night)... IMO if you're doing SF for a week (and this is difficult because of my fondness of the Oakland Embarcadero) , do the bus txfr out of the EMY transfer point to SF and stay there. Someone mentioned the mark Hopkins - I also like this place - excellent value for the $$$. ALso there are a BOATLOAD of good B&B's in SF.
That said - it's 15 rail minutes from EMY to OKJ... if I did the trip, I'd stay in Oakland a day or 2 then jump north to EMY and to the bus bridge to SF and then at the end of the trip leave via to the EMY back from whence I came!

Only downside - you'll wish you spent *2* weeks in SF!!!

Happy (t)rails!

Susanne
Thanks for the suggestions. Maybe I'm missing something, but the cheapest rate I could find for the Mark Hopkins was $315/night. I don't consider that a good value for the money. Seem high to me. We will look into B&Bs.
 
Check out the Mosser Hotel in SF. It's a two minute walk from the Amtrak Thruway Bus Stop on 6'th Street and Market. I stayed there in October for $74 a night. It was very clean and super convenient. Right across the street from the marriot I think. I had a room with no bath or toilet. Did have a sink. The shared bathrooms were very clean. But they have rooms with full bath also if that's important. It's a European style hotel. I think I got the rate thru Hotels.com. I would definitely stay there again. Gets really good reviews on the trip sites.
 
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The last time we stayed at the Mark Hopkins, the rate was $119. per night. (That's the AAA rate, but the Best Rate catagory was only a few bucks more). $315 per night now?!?! Wow! No thank you.
 
[snip]We've stayed at the Woodfin Suites a couple of times before taking the CZ eastbound. We liked it and would stay there again. It was very convenient to just walk out the door, across the parking lot, and across the railroad bridge (with elevators) and get on the train.

If you have a rental car, Avis is right next to the station, and I believe this is also true for Enterprise. Hertz is a couple of blocks away in another hotel.
I'll third the Woodfin. We stayed there transferring from the CZ to the CS. Very convenient, nice place, not too expensive and a decent neighboorhood.
 
As the General Manager of the Woodfin Hotel... I would be remiss if I didn't invite all Amtrak travellers to stay at our Woodfin Hotel in Emeryville.

OK I'll throw a twist in; mention that Peter said you should ask for a 10% of your room rate and the Front Desk will throw in that as a discount. Of course we can't do that on Orbitz, Priceline or other third parties. Regardless you'll end up with a beautiful suite, overlooking Amtrak trains.

All of our rooms have a full Kitchen, refrigerator and large bathrooms. So come... Staywme

Happy travelling everyone
 
As the General Manager of the Woodfin Hotel... I would be remiss if I didn't invite all Amtrak travellers to stay at our Woodfin Hotel in Emeryville. OK I'll throw a twist in; mention that Peter said you should ask for a 10% of your room rate and the Front Desk will throw in that as a discount. Of course we can't do that on Orbitz, Priceline or other third parties. Regardless you'll end up with a beautiful suite, overlooking Amtrak trains.

All of our rooms have a full Kitchen, refrigerator and large bathrooms. So come... Staywme

Happy travelling everyone
I am looking forward to staying with you next month.

But I've booked a 'traditional king' which I believe isn't a suite - is that the case, or are all the rooms suites with kitchen etc?

I have, of course, put in a request for a room overlooking the tracks! :lol:
 
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