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Arena Hotel
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817 The Alameda
San Jose, CA 95126
(408) 294-6500
San Jose, CA 95126
(408) 294-6500
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26 reviews for Arena Hotel
My wife and I stayed here the night of Saturday, August 5, 2009. My sons God Mother lives across the street. It was her birthday and we knew we were going to get cocked that night, so this place was the best place to "crawl" home to after a night out with these folks.
The hotel itself is older. I told my wife, it kinda reminded me of the old Reno Peppermill Hotel. The late 70's version. You know, mirrors on the celling (not in the rooms) surrounded by bulb lights.
Anyway, the place like I said is older, but it has some serious flare. It's cute, quaint, cheap and one block away from HP Pavilion.
The price we paid for a Saturday night was $49 bucks, and included a complementary breakfast. On Monday's through Thursday, the price also includes a complementary dinner. Now, you can't beat that with a stick IMO.
I took some pretty detailed photo's of my room for all to look at, but like I told my wife. It's not a 5 star place, but I've stayed in worse places. I've also paid a lot more for less when it comes to hotels.
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The kid managing the front desk assigned me a room and when I got up there the key didn't work. Went back down said the door was giving me the red signal he fixed it. The key worked and I opened the room only to see the TV on and people sitting on the bed. THE ROOM WAS ALREADY OCCUPIED! How that did not show up in the system I don't know.
Pros: Decent price to crash for a night. Free breakfast, juice and granola! Free wifi. I liked the large mirror/sink which was separate from the bathroom. Checkout clerk was friendly. Bathtub (jacuzzi) was a nice size.
Cons: (Other than the wrong key/room ordeal) Pillows were awful. The lobby smelled of smoke (there are smoking rooms on one half of the hotel and non on the other). The toilet kept running.
Didn't try the jacuzzi. Also it is close to the airport which could be a pro if you are departing from there or a con if you are sensitive to noise.
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Kinda baffling this place.....
It was cute like a bed n breakfast
but it also had this weird lighting and mirror like Vegas.
Free breakfast was acceptable, and its so nice to be able
to get coffee & juice so early. :)
Room was great, jacuzzi was great! Longs is next door to pick up
the bubble bath. Price was right, I only have a few minor complaints.
The punk at the front desk was in the wrong line of work.
We called to the front desk to ask for a different remote, it wasn't
working at all, first he hung up on me, then he gave me attitude like
I was "interrupting". Service guy took an hour to come down. Ugh.
The next morning, I come down for breakfast, and I ask him if there was a place to get a newspaper..... he tells me that "he was currently reading the only one!!!!!"
I was fuming for days.
Not even an "Im sorry, but I am reading the only one"
or a "Here is half of what I already read!"
Just a "I'm reading it"
Ass.
Outside this place is the weirdest deli, with the weirdest hours
and the weirdest smell... like death.
Otherwise, this place is VERY closet to the train depot and the
Dos Equis guy hangs out at the Arena bar down the street :)
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Just being Objective, honest, and very cut...I am a person who simply DOES NOT complain....UNLESS something is VERY WRONG! I have been to a whole slew of hotels and by far and large this is the WORST! The matress is not comfortable, the jacuzzi was not clean, the box spring had nasty stains on it...we only get TWO pillows in the rooms and they are CHEAP and FLAT. It is very "old style" or "vintage" to say the least and the most and the room decor is atrocious! Their amenities are bottom of the barrel and it is not in the best location. I do not like this place, never coming back and the only nice thing I can say is the staff are nice...But yeah, dont get on the 2nd floor in the rooms in the nonsmoking section...the upstairs people make the floor creak and you wont get any sleep at nights. Glad I was only there for two nights :-) Good luck to you if you decide to go here.
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How is it possible for you to send me to a room which is already occupied? I'm lucky I didn't get punched in the face. Oh and the pillows felt like they were stuffed with rolled up socks.
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The wedding ends, it's Sunday now and my family heads back down to San Diego... what now? Hotel Time... So I reserved 2 nights at the Arena Hotel in Downtown San Jose near the HP Pavilion. It's pretty close to the airport and my cousins house. We slept at my cousin's pad for 2 nights so it's quality time.
We arrive at the place and it looks like a Bed and Breakfast Inn but a bigger version. It was actually pretty nice. It's not all fancy but it was highly decent with a great deal for 2 nights. Our room had a king size bed with a jacuzzi. NICE! $118 plus tax...cheap huh?! PLUS, you can have Free Breakfast and Free Dinner. We took advantage of the free breakfast. Oh yes!
Overall, I would give this place 4.5 stars. The food wasn't the best breakfast food but it filled us up along with free drinks, coffee, and all that good stuff. The jacuzzi was awesome, service was cool, and it was quiet.
Till next time-- I would stay here again :)
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Last night I saw Lil Wayne and Gym Class Heroes @ the HP Pavilion in San Jose! It was such an awesome concert!! Lil Wayne was so cool and entertaining like I expected since I had seen him once before in Fresno, but Gym Class Heroes really blew me away. They were SO so so good live and I'm like obsessed with them now. The lead singer totally looked at us and was singing to us, I swear :-) My date is tall, so we were already conspicuous, and on top of that we were some of the only people in the crowd actually dancing and having a good time! We had floor seats a few rows back from the stage, and I'm sure he was looking right at us, or at least my super tall and noticeable date, so naturally now I am obsessed. The SJ crowd totally sucked and just stood there, even for Lil Wayne (wtf??) but that did not affect our concert experience at all! It was amazing :-)
ANYhoo...that brings me to my review of the hotel we chose to stay in for the night. The Arena Hotel is perfect for such an event! The walk from hotel to pavilion is really short and pleasant, and the hotel itself is adorable. It looks like a little house, and the room had everything we needed, including a refrigerator, microwave, AND a jacuzzi! When I booked the room for $62.50 online, I thought to myself, "Jacuzzi? Yeah right...probably just a tub with jets" but to be honest, it was more of a jacuzzi than I was expecting. It could easily fit a couple, the water got super hot and the jets were really powerful. Post-concert jacuzzi has got to be one of the most leisurely, pleasurable experiences ever.
The Arena Hotel is not posh by any means (the microwave looked to be about 20 years old), but I have to give it 5 stars, because it simply had everything we needed! Basking in the jacuzzi after an amazing concert was the icing on the cake...and the cherry on top? Waiting on the bedside table was a menu for Extreme Pizza, who delivers to rooms at the Arena Hotel. Literally...they had EVERYTHING we could possibly desire! I had an amazing night!! For a stay longer than one night, I might not be able to handle this place, but if you're attending a concert or event at the HP Pavilion and just need a place to crash afterwards, you may as well do it on a budget and w/ a jacuzzi :-)
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This hotel was perfectly acceptable for a brief stay and a good value for the price. The room was clean, the air conditioning worked well, the jacuzzi and shower were great. It is an easy walk to the HP Pavillion. The front desk person was nice to us at check in and check out.
A few small issues: while the room smelled fine, the hallway reeked of cigarette smoke; the pizza we got from the delivery service advertised in the room (Last Chance Pizza) was BAD; and all I can say about the free breakfast is that you get what you pay for.
As a special treat, the deli next door to the hotel is a must see. What could that smell be?
I came here earlier this month for Round 2. We were having our floors redone, and instead of going on vacation with the rest of my family, I had to stay in town to work (lovin' the Blackout Period, retail!).
About two months before checking in, I booked my reservation online for six nights. The extended-stay price worked out to $69 a night which is a pretty nice deal considering it only took 16 minutes to get to work and I didn't have to worry about going out to breakfast and dinner every day.
Upon arrival, I was warmly greeted and given keys to my room--it was not the same size room I had last time, although that too was a King suite. I asked the guy at the front desk if there was a suite with a mini stove and pull-out couch and he quickly and happily changed my room and let me know that they only give out that suite if someone requests it since it's a pretty hot commodity. Score!
Having stayed a Sunday through Saturday, I can say that the hotel staff is very consistent; everyone is friendly, unobtrusive, and welcoming. The rooms are neatly cleaned and I don't worry about leaving my laptop or other belongings out in the open. Best of all the place is ultra quiet and low-key--no footsteps down the hall, no water pipes or toilet flushing sounds coming from other rooms, and most of all, no headboard thuds all night long. I appreciate that.
The food is okay. It's about as cafeteria as you can get, but it allows you to be creative. I like to make breakfast sandwiches--my theory is: if you take 4 or more bland ingredients (steamed "scrambled" eggs, plain home fries, thin ribbons of bacon, and wheat bread) and mix them together, you have a pretty normal tasting breakfast sandwich.
There was usually one main dish for dinner, a vegetable or grain option, soup, salad, a bottle of ranch dressing, chips and crackers and of course the soda, juice, coffee and hot chocolate machines. Tuesday night enchiladas were the best meal they had to offer. Hands down.
The decorations are akin to much of Reno, Nevada's cheap casino hotels: mirrors lining the ceilings, lots of turquoise and purple, ball lamps, you name it. I wouldn't decorate my house like that, but it's not like I was spending my honeymoon here. No complaints.
Finally, the jacuzzi tub: an object of controversy in past reviews. Obviously it's not an outdoor spa/hot tub inside the hotel room, so I can't understand why some people were expecting that--it's a Whirlpool bath tub. I was taking bubble baths every night in that thing! The first night, I hopped over to Long's Drugs (next door) to get a jug of White Tea foaming bubble milk bath for about $4.50 and soaked my loins all night long. So nice. I kid you not, the last time I stayed here, I had a party with 6 of my friends and all 7 of us were able to squeeze into that tub together. Best. Bubble bath. Ever.
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1 Previous Review: Show all »
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1/14/2008
This hotel proves that good research always pays off. My best friend arrived in San Jose on… Read more »
Would you return to this hotel on your next visit to this city?
Definitely not. The mattress was so old that the springs in the middle gave *no* support; I slept in a "V." The pillows were very lumpy. There were no safety features in the bathroom: a grab bar to assist one in getting in and out of the tub, no bath mat to prevent slips in the tub. Room did not feel clean or fresh. Housekeeping did not replace coffee or cups, did not wipe up spilled hand lotion on the nightstand, or pick up items on the floor. Clearly, the maid needs a checklist to work from.
How would you rate the friendliness of our staff?
Rather than friendliness, let's talk about communication and followup skills; both were inadequate. Things I complained about to both the night- and day-shift front desk clerks I had to re-explain to the manager. I left my cell phone number with the front desk clerk, and the first thing the manager said to me was "I couldn't reach you in your room today," implying that she did not have my cell phone number. The manager told the head of housekeeping on Tue. morning to install a bath mat, and the mat was not installed until sometime Wednesday. The manager's attitude about installing a second grab bar in the tub was that (a) other guests would not want a second bar and (b) I was a damned nuisance upsetting her routine. Frankly, I think other guests would appreciate the additional safety features!
There was no system in place to notify a guest whether a request had been taken care of. For example, there was a note taped to the desk at night by the day staff, but I had to ask about the followup to my request, or else no one would have communicated with me. Moreover, this note was written so cryptically that and the night desk clerk had no idea what it meant.
How would you rate the cleanliness of your room?
Poor. As mentioned above, the room felt musty and dingy. The maid did not replace coffee or cups, did not wipe up spilled hand lotion on the nightstand, or pick up items on the floor.
Were all items in your room in good working order?
No. The bathroom fan was very noisy and was not fixed during my stay, despite my reporting it the morning after I checked in.
Additional Comments
Breakfast service was atrocious. My first morning, by 7:30, you had run out of sausage and bacon. The eggs were reconstituted from powdered eggs, not fresh, and were covered in some shredded, fake cheese analog. The whole mess sat like a brick in my stomach and plugged me up, if you get my drift. I ate at my son's the second day. The third day, at 9:15, there was no bacon or sausage or yogurt. On all days, no one was wiping down tables as guests left, making the entire experience unpleasant.
Dollar for dollar, one of the best hotels in Downtown San Jose. I was skeptical at first because it has a non-descript facade in a hum-drum (but safe) neighborhood next to HP Pavilion. I discovered the place through AAA's website, and of course, checked out the Yelp reviews as well before checking in.
The rooms are spacious and setup to make you feel at home. I stayed at one of their cheaper rooms with a King bed, and yeah, it was still big. The room faced the street but the windows did a great job in silencing street noise. Though I didn't use the jacuzzi, and in fact, slammed my knee on the tub because of the high step to get in to it.
There are plenty of amenities to make it worth your stay. They provide blow dryer, iron and board, toiletries, and plenty of towels. I wish they had thicker pillows, though the mattress is comfortable.
Wake up for the hot breakfast! Plenty of eggs, bacon, sausages, and drinks.
Seven friends and myself had the pleasure of attending a concert at HP Pavilion this weekend. Naturally, since we planned on staying the night rather than be irresponsible drunk drivers, we chose the closest hotel to the arena, The Arena Hotel.
For its location to HP Pavilion, it should get 5 stars.
For the fact that the "balsy-est" girl in our group had to nearly duke it out with the desk clerk because they didn't reserve us the right room (ie; tried to give us a room with one bed when we reserved two queens), they should get 0 stars.
Luckily, an actual fist fight was not necessary once the manager of the hotel upgraded us to a suite with plenty of space for our happy asses. They redeemed themseves, and earned back 3 or their stars.
I keep this review at 3 stars because for such a good looking from the outside hotel, the suite wasn't all that attractive, and was a little worn and in need of a bit of an update. The sofa bed was extremely uncomfortable (according to my unfortunate best friend), but I was greatly satisfied with my cot---who knew a cot could be so bouncy, and cozy?
I would have added one more star if the promise of free coffee in the A.M. had been fulfilled...alas, it was not.
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This hotel is a great deal. There's a difference between simply being cheap and being a good value; I booked a room online because...well..it was the cheapest one, but was pleasantly surprised to find that it was actually a quite decent place. Accommodations within walking distance of music venues tend to bump up their prices, so I was amazed to find Arena's jucuzzi suites for under $100.
The room itself was nothing special, but OHHH jucuzzi! I could have just slept in it rather than the bed.
I really have no reason to hang out in San Jose again, but even if I was just passing through I would book this place again in a second.
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I wish I could give half stars, because I would probably give this hotel 3 1/2. The hotel was a rather nice surprise, especially for the price of the rooms. It is centrally located and has easy access to downtown and the nearby freeways. Plenty of free parking, which isn't always the case with downtown hotels.
There are quite a few extras included here - rooms have a refrigerator, microwave and coffeepot. Coffee and cookies available all day in the lobby, and dinner and breakfast are provided with the cost of the room as well. I didn't check out the free food, but the breakfast did smell pretty good! The best feature was the large, 2 person-size jacuzzi tub in the room (which I felt a bit guilty after using, given the current water shortage in the bay area...oh well...).
There were just a few downsides here. The windows were damn hard to open - it took me at least 15-20 minutes of fighting with them to get them open, then one of them wouldn't stay open. I NEED fresh air in hotel rooms!!! The smoking and nonsmoking rooms are right across the hallway from each other, so much of the place still smells a bit smoky.
The room was clean overall, but I did have one rather unpleasant surprise. I hung a towel over the top of the shower door and when I pulled it down to use it after showering, a toothbrush (from a previous customer) fell off the top of the shower door into the tub. Ick.....
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What prompted my BF to book a suite at this particular Pacific Inn? He became horribly ill from drinking too much the night before at his company's Christmas party. He was too sick to walk, talk, drive, or eat and couldn't pick me up at our meeting place: SFO. Luckily (for him), he called me right before I arrived to SFO, otherwise I would've been stranded at the airport alone and I wouldn't have seen him ever again. And if you were wondering, yes, I did go allll the way back home to SJ.
Pacific Inn has a nice batch of soft and chewy cookies near the front desk with an assortment of teas and coffees. I remember the charmingly decorated Christmas tree in the lobby.
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Yes, the place is weird, Yes the deli next door is so weird there are no words for it. The front desk help is not really helpful. BUT the price is great, it includes parking, which most hotels in this area charge upwards of $20 a night for. The free breakfast is exactly what you'd expect for a free breakfast; powdered eggs, the requisite cereals and plain white bagels, canned fruit, etc, but the coffee's fresh and there's a decent couch on which to hang out in the a.m. and watch CNN while you eat your ho-hum breakfast. The price includes a huge jetted bathtub, large fridges and microwaves in the rooms, and yes, that strange combination of "I'm a cottage, no wait, a casino" decor. The place has always been clean for me and I've stayed there many times for Sharks games. Truly, my only complaint is that it is always so damned hot in the hallways and lobby, no matter the time of year! Stifling! Oh yeah, I lied, I do have one other minor complaint...how come your TVs get such bad reception? Weird, it's that way in every room. Anyway, stay there, its close to the train, you can hop on and easily go to SF for the day, lots of fun bars and restaurants nearby, as well as Recycle Books, a great used bookstore. My hubby ate breakfast with the Shark's Joe Pavelski's dad at the Arena Hotel and we saw Sharks announcer Drew Remenda on the street, who gave us a friendly hello and high five. Try it, its weird, but not as weird as the deli next door.
My fiance and I hate to drive back all the way to Dublin after a night of drinking in downtown San Jose. I found the Arena Hotel on the internet and decided to give it a try. We were not disappointed.
It's very deceiving on the outside, doesn't look like much. But once you walk inside, it looks totally different. It's a nice, quaint hotel and very clean. I was way impressed at what you get for the price. You get a coupon for free buffet dinner and free breakfast. The buffet dinner was decent, don't expect it to be outstanding. It's basic fare like pasta or hamburgers, but hey it's still free. the breakfast is just your normal bagels, muffins, bacon, eggs an potatoes.
The room was clean and pretty big too and I was excited that it had free wireless access. Small amenities included refrigerator, stove, CD player and the famous jacuzzi tub.
he only reason why I didn't give this one 5 stars is because the decor needs to be updated a little.
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My husband & I stayed here to attend a George Michael concert at the HP Pavilion. (Great show, by the way) Anyway, we were pleasantly surprised by the overall appeal of the grounds & lobby. There was a strong smell of disinfectant once in a while in the lobby, but better that than other smells I can think of!! Parking was a breeze and very close to the door. Luggage caddies were right outside the lobby door & there for the using which made the schlep to the room nice & easy considering that I tend to bring my world with me. One of our main concerns was that the air conditioning was good since it was 106 on this particular day. It didn't disappoint! It was literally too cool at times & had to be turned down. There was a Longs Drugstore right next door where we picked up champagne & other incidentals that we neglected to bring. The WiFi was always on and free. The room had a stereo CD player on the wall which was wonderful for playing our CDs before & after the show. I usually bring a boom box with me for tunes, so this was great for me!! Now, the tub...Can I just say how wonderful it was to have a HUGE Jacuzzi tub that we could both fit into comfortably?!?!? It was wonderful! The bed was comfortable and the sheets were soft which also means a lot to me. The breakfast was okay. A heck of a deal for free, let me tell you!!
There was sausage, potatoes, eggs, pancakes, biscuits & gravy, cereal, toast, juices, fresh & canned fruit, yogurt and more....I mean really...what more could you want??? It wasn't the highest quality food I have ever had, but hey, it was free!!!!! The fridge in the room was large and there was even a stove top with 2 burners. (although there were no pans to use) The staff was very friendly & helpful and the towels were thick and large, just the way I like 'em!!! We liked it so much that we ended up staying 3 nights instead of 2. This room was one of the best deals ever!! If you're seeing a show at the HP Pavilion, THIS is the place to stay!!
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The outside of the hotel is beautiful, but when it actually comes to the suite it was a different story. The suites were more like motel 6, which is fine but not for the price.
The service was great so was the food, but on the other had the Jacuzzi was not working. It was a nice hotel it just needs a little work.
the arena hotel is an excellent value for the money. i got a really good rate from http://hotels.com and was pretty happy with it.
the "in room jacuzzi" shouldn't really get your hopes up. its just an over sized bathtub with jets. that doesn't mean you can't get creative with it if you are so inclined. me, i decided that getting into it by myself, drunk, at 1:30am was a good idea. luckily i managed to get out before i passed out.
the room comes with free dinner and breakfast. i didn't have much use of either, so i can't speak to their quality. you get what you pay for is probably accurate.
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Had a chance to stay at the Arena Hotel for a quick getaway. What a nice, quiet, relaxing place. The service was great. They had a full breakfast. And it was walking distance to downtown, the HP Pavillion, and Guadalupe Park. What a deal!
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I love this hotel! I have to come to San Jose every few months, and I will be staying here every time. There are so many little perks here for a cheap price: free WiFi, decent free breakfast and dinner, in-room fridge and microwave. They even have a popcorn machine in the lobby!
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GHETTO. The painting hanging up in the elevator was patched with duct tape and the "Jacuzzi" isn't a jacuzzi....strange.
The Arena hotel is a great value for the money - rooms are clean and sizeable and the breakfast is like Holiday Inn Express' but better. It feels sort of casino-like in the lobby and public areas because of lots of mirrors and lights but it didn't bother me too much. Definitely a good value compared to surrounding hotels at higher prices.
As a hotel, this place is wonderful! The hotel is almost semi-rustic, nestled on a tree-shaded, quiet street of San Jose, with the main part of downtown just over a mile away. Staff was friendly and helpful. There is a drugstore right next door if you need anything in an emergency. The rooms are clean and comfortable and the prices extremely reasonable. I booked a room solely because it was one of the few I could find in the South Bay that included jacuzzi tubs without charging exorbitant suite rates. I was not disappointed. Although the bathroom smelled slightly of disinfectant when I first checked in, the odor was completely gone after leaving the door open for a half hour. The tub was quite lovely, jets were soothing and not too strong or too weak, and the tub was big enough to comfortably fit both me and my date, who was a plus-size woman, and we had a great time. I truly would love to stay here again!
The reason I only give this place 4 stars instead of 5 is because of the bad food. They go to great lengths to advertise their "free meals", but the dinner is very cheap and not fresh at all. They served hamburgers that tasted worse than most fast food places(they weren't even hot), bruised fruit, wilted salad, and stale cookies. Drink selection was severely limited and they didn't even have ice for the water. Breakfast was only slightly better consisting of cereals, more bruised fruit, selection of milk or a couple different juices (none of which was very cold) or room temperature water (again), plus pancakes that were obviously pre-frozen and recently thawed, again a step below what they serve at breakfast at most fast food places.
In short...go for the tub, the stay, the room, and the service...it's all great!
But be prepared to have your meals elsewhere unless you can be happy with food quality typical of elementary school cafeterias.
My folks came to town and stayed at the Arena Hotel. They were very pleased with the facilities. Each morning there is breakfast that is included. (They loved it) The price was very reasonable for being so close to downtown. We were able to get a better rate booking online than calling the hotel directly.
