Hayes Mansion Conference Center
Categories: Venues & Event Spaces, Hotels, Restaurants [Edit]
200 Edenvale AveSan Jose, CA 95136 (408) 226-3200
- Price Range: $$$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Private Lot
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: No
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: No
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
60 reviews
San Jose, CA
"My husband and I love Hawgs. It's one of our datenight staples, to eat here then go to Camera 12 movie theatre. I love the free bruchetta-…" read more »
22 Reviews for Hayes Mansion Conference Center
The bf and I took our moms here for Mother's Day Brunch. It is a beautiful building and all of the staff were extremely friendly.
Everybody really enjoyed the food and they had a wide, high-quality selection. BONUS: unlimited champagne in addition to the unlimited food (obv).
Parking wasn't too bad even though it was super busy. Our drink-man was very sweet and had no problem with my abuse of their unlimited refill policy on the mimosas.
No other reason for 4 stars instead of 5 other than there weren't many vegan options. Not that I'd expect that from a Mother's Day Brunch.
This place is super hard to find and the pictures make it look so much nicer than it actually is! Went to a meeting here awhile ago and it was hard to get around. The layout was slightly confusing and their pool was extremely small. They tend to overstate their ammenities. Wedding pictures here generally look amazing due to post processing.....
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Funny (1)
Cool (1)
My cousin had her wedding here and I can say that the hayes mansion didn't make the day any easier or run more smoothly.
First of all I totally agree with Vicky L., the pictures make this place look so much nicer than it actually is. My boyfriend and I had a room with a king bed in it and the room was really small, dark and in the same building as the ball room, so during the wedding the hallways became crowded with caters, food, trays and carts ( must have been irritating to other guests!) And as a warning to other people, for some weird reason all of the single rooms were in the conference center while the double rooms are in the other buildings. So we had to keep going from building to building when trying to meet up with other family members. And due to their security measures you needed to be staying IN that building in order to get into it (our keycard would only open doors inside the building that our room was in). And when the reservation was made, neighboring rooms were requested and the hotel said it was fine. They forgot to mention that single rooms aren't even in the same building as double rooms!! Needless to say it was really annoying!!
Also, the bridal party was getting ready (hair, makeup) in the room the bride stayed in the night before. But the staff kicked us out around 12:30 because check out was noon and the bride only reserved the room for the previous night. I couldn't understand why the hotel couldn't be more flexible on this one room for the bride ON HER WEDDING DAY!! Clearly we were all still getting ready so it was a complete pain to have to migrate to another room in yet ANOTHER building.
And I know this seems silly but they don't give you instructions on room-to-room calling. You can't just dial the room number, and the instructions in the info book do not say this. This was completely annoying when trying to call various rooms and even the front desk. (just FYI, you dial 3 then the room number!). To complicate matters cell phone service was patchy and you almost didn't get any inside the rooms. So in order to talk you had to go outside...which as previously mention in order to get back INSIDE the building you needed at least 4 different keycards....the most annoying thing ever!
Further, room service completely sucks. They messed up several orders, added items onto bills that weren't ours and they stopped serving at 11pm. We tried calling at 11:02 and no one would pick up the phone...what the heck?! Most places at least have a "midnight menu" Also what hotel puts the groom and groomsmen ON THE SAME FLOOR AS THE BRIDE! We kept having to dodge around and make runs for it in fear of being by guests or by the groom. Absolutely ridiculous!
However, there were aspects of the wedding which the hotel should get credit for. The food was actually pretty darn good! And they served the bridal party first which was nice so the bride and groom could actually eat. The bartenders were generous and the food spread at the cocktail hour was nice (although I'm not such a fan of oysters). The wedding coordinator was fun and they made sure the bride didn't have to deal with wedding day drama so she could completely enjoy her day.
Overall, I warn future brides and bridal parties that this place is good for pictures and thats about it. And people looking to stay here?? I wouldn't!!! You can find other places that have an "historic feel" (and know that only the main building is historic and they only have suites and conference rooms in it) but with better service and not as much aggravation.
Oh and P.S., Sunday brunch was nice! I'm not sure how much they charge but the quality of the food was surprisingly good!
So let's pretend you're really super rich, and you build yourself this ridiculously large place to live, like, a long time ago... what's gonna happen to it when you die? well, if you're Sarah Winchester, you turn it into a museum-slash-theme-park and charge people $30 to tell them that you were a nutcase. If you're the Hayes family, your pad eventually lands in the hands of the City of San Jose, who decide to turn it into a conference center. It appears the place may now be owned, or at least managed, by a private company (Dolce).
No, let's say you're a big corporation. And you're looking for a pad to throw your holiday party at. You look up "pads" in the yellow pages and you see the Hayes Mansion listed. You look at the pictures on line and it looks cool. So you line it up. Then your employees get there, and the valet car service is ok, but your party is in the basement of a side building. Not much in the way of decorations, just a big room that could be the basement of pretty much any building anywhere. Ick. Didn't leave a good impression. How was the food? I don't even remember the food, it was forgettable.
Now, I've been to the Hayes Mansion on other occasions. Christmas buffet dinner with mom. They had a nice spread of food, and it was good, but ex-pen-sive.
So, if you're looking for a place to throw a big party, I think you can do better, even in San Jose. The Tech Museum does a wonderful job. The Computer History Museum does a wonderful job. There are other venues with more character and interest than the basement of a building at some dead guy's home.
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Funny (1)
5 stars for my best friend's wedding which was held here.
however, i give the hotel, its staff and organization only 2.5 stars.
even though we were supposed to have adjoining suite rooms with the bride and groom, we were checked into the wrong room that had a dirty bathrobe on the floor. when we finally got checked into the right room, we found it to be old and no better than a hotel you would pay $80/night for.
many other guests, including the father of the bride (!!!), got checked into the wrong room, and usually, into rooms that were of not the same quality reserved.
we (and many other guests) weren't given our welcome bags upon check-in, as planned.
on the day of the wedding, the makeup artist and hairdresser were let into the wrong room (still occupied by someone else!) by hotel staff (unattended).
the pool is small, with only about 6 lounge chairs.
being spa, on site, was nice and had good amenities, but the services, for the price, were nothing special. i even had a $100 mani/pedi that was no better than a mani/pedi i could get in my local nail salon.
i personally have no need to go back to hayes mansion, but it was still a great weekend and a fabulous wedding.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
In the words of J-Lo in The Wedding Planner: "You know, those who can't do, teach? Well those who can't wed, plan." Yup, that's me -- I love planning weddingsI
I was the wedding coordinator at my friend's beautiful wedding at Dolce Hayes Mansion. Her ceremony was out on the lush lawn between the mansion and the large reception hall, and cocktails and dinner were inside the hall just a few steps away. It was a lovely outdoor setting for the 15 minute non-denominational ceremony. The gardens and palm trees made for a beautiful photo back drop.There were a few minor hiccups, like random couples taking engagement photos nearby, although they were not supposed to be there. I worked with the mansion's event manager, but it was difficult for only two of us to shoo people away without making a scene.
The bride and groom had a complimentary mansion suite, where the bride got ready beforehand and the couple stayed in after the wedding. The rooms were grand, but nearly impossible to find. The renovated 100-year old mansion is like a maze, with names for the suites instead of numbers. It'd be a great place to film a scary movie. Acutally, there were stories that the rooms were haunted, but no one reported any sightings in the morning.
The reception hall fit the 400 guests comfortably, and the staff were professional and efficient. The food at the reception and at the restaurant where we had the rehearsal dinner the night before was quite good. Everyone really enjoyed themselves. Things really couldn't have gone any smoother. Except that the bride got completely wasted and spent most of the evening in the bathroom with her bridesmaids holding her hair back. She didn't even make it out to say goodbye to her guests. I'd have to say that was one fantastic party, wouldn't you?
(Advice to brides: If you're making the rounds to each of your guests' tables during dinner, make sure your champagne flute is filled with sparkling apple cider. And try not to start drinking at 9am during the limo ride to SF for your wedding party photos.)
People thought this was:
Useful (11)
Funny (11)
Cool (9)
We had a nice comfortable room, when we found it.
Apparently we were double booked into the same room with the lady that checked in moments before we did. Luckily we found out before we had gotten into our room. The front desk fellow gave crummy directions to the room and so - both people that he directed to the room ended up in the wrong building laughing about the fact that we were
a) lost and
b)sharing a room (I'm sorry do I know you?) =D
We got it straightened out. Had a great room in the Ballroom building. Even when they were having Christmas parties downstairs, it was quiet and private up in the lodging areas.
If you can get the AAA B&B package, do so. the breakfast is great, right there on premise & is a nice fresh normal breakfast.. Great wait staff too.
Feel a little brave? Drive a little North on Montery and find "just Breakfast" Its on the West side of the street. Great pancakes, south of the border specialties & homemade salsa.
Meals: Tasty! Love their desserts, try the pear chocolate. Their salads were great! Wait staff great about getting you ice tea! However, they were not attentive about cleaning up your salad plate.
Conference Rooms: not modern, but lighting good! Sound mics good.
Conference Breakfast: Always kept them filled to the brim. Happy conferencer as I always need a tea break. Fruits, pastries, and bagels were decent
Bathrooms: clean!
Hotel Room: Bed very comfortable. Like the Westin's Heavenly Bed!
Housekeeping: Talking on their cell phone, not very professional. Also my front door had newspaper fingerprints. Shower curtain had blood. Yuck!
Room Service: Took them 30 minutes to deliver an ethernet cable. Slow!
Security: good, need a hotel card key to get in to building
Parking: ample
Where do I begin. . . .
I have planned several small meetings at this hotel and my attendees always had a great experience. They enjoyed the location, grounds and the food.
This year we hosted a company holiday party here and the staff was very hard to get a hold of even stood us up when we came to finalize the event layout. The staff the night of the event was argumentative about everything. The food was defiantly frozen food defrosted and warmed up for the event.
The room I stayed in was OK. Nothing to get all excited about.
This hotel does not offer 4 star service. I was not offered help with my luggage on the way to my room.
I don't think I will be back until the hotel has a change in management or a remodel.
As another Yelper said, I would NEVER have known this place was in San Jose. It's location made me feel that I wasn't in San Jose anymore ... maybe it's because I don't venture past King Road off of 101. I don't know.
The facilities seemed to be newly renovated and the rooms were adequate. We also had the champagne brunch on Sunday morning, and I was impressed on how large the spread was. It's a better deal if you get the champagne brunch included when you are making your hotel reservation. Brunch runs $35-40 per person, whereas in the room reservation it was only $30 for the two of us on top of the hotel. (Thank God for the AAA discount.)
My other half went back to the room after 30 minutes at the brunch; I stayed for 30 minutes more to get my money's worth. ;-)
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
My fiance and I were looking for a wedding/ reception venue so we checked out Hayes manion. The grounds and rooms are beautiful. I've heard the food is amazing.
The coordinator, Kyla, on the other hand leaves much to be desired. Communication was confusing with one of her assistants just to find a day we could meet with Kyla but once we did find a day, I was the one who called to confirm our meeting. I never received a call back so we went on faith that she would be there.
At the first meeting she seemed very organized so we set up a second meeting to draw up a contract. She confused us with another couple so she wasn't there. While a sales rep tried to find her there was another guy there who said he was fed up trying to find her to close accounts after an event so he was meeting with her superior. We gave Kyla another chance since her assistant and a sales rep stepped up to answer questions in her absence. Kyla also sent an apologetic email explaining what had happened.
However, nothing got better. It took us a week to receive our contract which came without a total (we had to add everything on our own to figure out what the final number would be) and also had some seriously incorrect numbers that needed fixing. It took three drafts and numerous emails/ phone calls for them to finally make everything look right. That concerned me since a great coordinator/ planner pays attention to details.
We got fed up at that point since we didn't feel they really wanted our business. We found another place instead that was very organized, beautiful, and a lot more affordable. After I sent an email saying thank you so much but we wouldn't be using their facilities after all, I never received a response back. Clearly, they weren't worried about losing someone who was going to pay at least $30,000 for a wedding day.
They may be shorthanded, which would explain a longer time between responses but nothing excuses the lack of attention to details for someone's big day. Since then, I've talked to various people who work in the wedding industry and they said they've heard similar things from other people. So, if you want your planning to be organized and run smoothly, don't go to Hayes.
I am giving this 4 stars as a place for a business meeting, seminar or small conference. As a hotel for personal travel I wouldn't give it more than 3.
On the plus side, the meeting room we had was spacious, comfortable, and everything worked properly (wireless, projector, phone setup). Refreshments during the day were good. We really liked the lunch buffet arrangement as we could eat in a more spacious and attractive room and everyone got a choice of food. It is a shared meal space with other groups but it wasn't crowded and the "other" folks didn't feel intrusive.
My hotel room, at least, was pretty small and definitely lacking in comfort/usability. For example, there was only one rigid/straightbacked desk chair in the whole room. The desk for working was too low for the height of the chair - my legs couldn't fit up under the desk while sitting on the chair. Really poor. There was a small round table in the room but no additional chair for it. There are no ice machines nor is there a "pantry" area such as is very popular (and useful) these days.
The room was clean but definitely felt like I was staying at grandma's unrennovated house. The room didn't manage to be "retro" or homey, just old feeling.
The hotel is adjacent to a park so if you have free time (we didn't) that could be an advantage.
The Dolce Hayes Mansion is one of the places we checked out for our wedding. I'm sorry to say, it looks way better in pictures than it does in person. It's in kind of a strange area--right in the middle of a residential neighborhood. But it has a ton of parking and has really spacious grounds.
Pros:
--Kyla Naegle, the event coordinator, is really knowledgeable and experienced. She seems to have a lot of ideas on how to manipulate the different rooms for different effects. She also had a lot of ideas on the best locations for the ceremony based on how they'd look in photos, which I totally hadn't thought of. My boyfriend and I both really liked her. If you had your wedding here, she'd definitely be in control and would make the day run smoothly.
--The grounds are really pretty. That is, the outside of the mansion, all the flowers, and the lawns. Super pretty.
Cons:
--This is not a private place to have a wedding. People you don't know are going to be everywhere all the time. Ick.
--The hotel itself is pretty run-down. Basically, it's old. The carpets are ugly, and the rooms aren't very classy looking. I highly doubt that the guest rooms are nice, either, but we didn't see them.
--The grounds are very confusing. I had no idea where we were at any given time--your guests could very easily get lost.
--It's just not unique. Maybe you aren't looking for unique--if not, check it out.
People thought this was:
Useful (7)
I went by here for a conference today. Pretty impressive place.
Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to wander around for the self-guided tour, but the grounds looked really nice... somewhere I'll definitely need to go back and check out. Kinda a time warp to a different place and a different time.
This place was built in 1908 and has 60 rooms or something like that. Go figure.. .60 rooms is already huge, but imagine what the surrounding landscape must have been 100 years ago... crazyness.
DONT HAVE YOUR COMPANY XMAS PARTY HERE! OH MY GOD. This was such a problem last year. 1st off they charged another companies party to our bill $10,000. Had I not notice it we probably would have paid twice! The facility itself is very beautiful, but they are soooo overrated its not even funny. The spot that we got cost over $10,000 and the appetizers would been enough food as is. The main course was good and the dessert, I could have bought at Albertsons and served there cheesecake instead. Everything was over priced and overrated. Skip this place like the plague! Too many mistakes and too pricey for nothing. The party went well, but we sure as hell won't be back.
Great place to schedule a function. I had an office meeting set up there with drinks and Hors d'Oeuvres The place was remodeled and it is really nice and stately looking inside. Wonderful decorations and paintings. They have various room sizes from small to very large. Outside has nice flowing lawns and is landscaped well.
The appetizers were great, and the drinks kept coming nicely. The HM staff was especially friendly, and a good time was had by all.
Highly recommended for that special event of yours.
People thought this was:
Useful (4)
Cool (1)
My girlfriends and I decided to treat ourselves to a spa day and booked at the Being Spa. We had high expectations (from the website) and were disappointed. The receptionist was not friendly or helpful (no tour of facilities when we arrived). There were no robes or slippers and only a few towels. We were told they were doing a load of laundry and would be out in half an hour. I never got a robe.
While the jacuzzi and sauna was very nice, the steamroom is scary! It is completely tiled with mildew. When one of my friends pressed the button to start the steam, this gray water started oozing from this vent hole in the steamroom. Of course we just hightailed it outta there!
They were behind on their scheduling of services which is kind of alright as long we got what we paid for. But when they are running 15 minutes late and no one comes to tell you....and you are just waiting....
When we finished, we didn't want to go searching for a place to eat so we decided to eat in the hotel. The Presidential Lounge overlooks the front of the hotel and it cozier than their dining room. The food was great and not unreasonable! This was my favorite part of the experience.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
BEING SPA----
I went to the Being Spa with about 9 of my friends to celebrate some birthdays. For our group, they gave everyone $20 off, plus the complimentary spa pass (which i will get back to later in this review), plus complimentary service for the organizer of the event. Thats a huge savings, expecially for the 75 minute massage. Out of the 9 girs in our party, only 1 girl did not receive the whole 75 minutes. The facility is small in comparison to other spas such as Burke Williams, and the ammenities a lot of the "wow" factors that Burke has. However, i DO like the free wine in the "relaxation room." Although its Trader Joe's two-buck-Chuck, its still free, as well as a small variety of finger foods. The relaxation room is pretty cute, but I would hardly call it a place to relax--its kinda hard to relax when total strangers are in there relaxing with you.
Now for their so-called "spa pass"---its a good thing they gave this to us complimentary because it is NOT worth $30. All it entitles you to is use of the Jacuzzi and pool (but its winter, who the hell is gonna go swimming?) and their fitness facility (like i'm going to work out when i came there for a massage). Don't go to this spa if they make you pay for the damn "spa pass."
Now for the massage--I actually REALLY enjoyed my massage. I liked it so much that I came back the following week w/my boyfriend--and we got a couples massage. The 75 minutes makes such a difference compared to the usual 50 minutes from other spas. My massage therapists (both sessions) were great, and they really got the knots out.
Now for the customer service. Holy MOLY the receptionist was SOOO not friendly. She had a hard time doing the math to give us the promised discounts, and inadvertantly gave us a guilt trip for being such a large party.
To summarize:
Facility= 3 stars
MASSAGE= 5+ STARS!!!
Customer Service=2 stars
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
The Being Spa here is really awesome. You can buy a spa pass for 30 bucks and use the whole spa facilities, including pool, gym, jacuzzi, etc..So worth it!
I booked the Hayes Mansion for two nights last summer around June. I easily reserved a room online and check in was a breeze. The rooms are located on the south end of the mansion. I found there to be ample parking although the parking lot was a bit dark. My room was huge with a small attached sitting room that had a stereo system and a sink. The bath tub was huge and deep which is essential to me and I found the room was clean, quiet and exactly what I needed. Hayes Mansion has a full service spa and restaurant and they also host a lovely Mother's Day brunch. It is located right in the middle of a residential neighborhood although a shopping mall and several restaurants are within driving distance.
I REALLY wanted the Being Spa to be a great place...and it so was not. My girlfriends and I spent our annual spa day there in January, and, well, we definitely won't be going back.
First, they ran late on almost everyone's appts. We had all booked for 75 min services, and 4 out of 6 of the treatments only lasted 60 mins! What up with that! They weren't even apologetic about it. They DID give us discounts since the services ran short, but still not cool.
We had been there about an hour and decided to go into the steam room. It hadn't even been turned on.
This place was truly disappointing. Based on their Website, you expect one thing, and get somethig very different. It's too bad.
rain or shine, this is a great place to have brunch.
my entourage and i had New Year's Day brunch at this beautiful setting.
we almost put the place out of business in the 75 minutes that we were there. wonderful aroma of maple syrup in the air sitting right next to yummy waffles, fresh strawberries, and whipped cream.
apparently the eggs benedict are awesome...i think my friend was going for a personal best of 5!
great selection of breakfast items, build your own omelets, seafood, and lunch menu. free flowing mimosas throughout our meal.
definitely one of the better places for brunch...wonderful setting too :)
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Funny (1)
People Who Viewed This Also Viewed...
Related Lists
-
Bay Area Wedding Venues
My fiancee and I spent a good three weeks scouring…
Hot and New
- Uncle Frank's BBQ and Catering
183 reviews
Mountain View, CA
- Sky High Sports
119 reviews
Santa Clara, CA
- Gombei Japanese Restaurant
165 reviews
San Jose, CA
- La Costena Custom Burritos
102 reviews
Mountain View, CA
- Kubota Restaurant
98 reviews
San Jose, CA