A Spacious and Comfortable yet Chic Place to Stay Near Silicon Valley
Written: Sep 22 '08
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Almost boutique-like in its trendiness but spacious, comfortable and friendly. Perfect for business travelers.
Cons: Food.
The Bottom Line: Great for business travelers if they don't mind trading driving distances for more room and comfort.
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| benchpress's Full Review: W Silicon Valley, Newark |
The W Silicon Valley Suite Hotel is one of my preferred hotels when I am traveling to the Menlo Park, Palo Alto and Santa Clara area. Though the name of the hotel implies to a large degree that it is located in the center of the Silicon Valley, it is actually situated in the rather quiet suburb of Newark, at the foot of the Dumbarton Bridge on Route 84.
Many reviewers commented that the hotel was in the middle of nowhere. That is not entirely true, the hotel is in the middle of a bunch of low-rise industrial compounds and not far from residential neighborhoods. To get to Palo Alto, one needs to get across the Dumbarton Bridge via Route 84 and pay $4.00 toll charge unless you are qualified for the car pool lane. During the morning rush, this trip could be slow and it might take close to 20 minutes to reach Standford U if the traffic is particularly congested.
However, if one points the vehicle northwest and travels along Jarvis Ave. to Newark Blvd., one will find an area of strip malls filled with a variety of amenities and family restaurants.
From the outside, the 5-storey hotel looks very generic. At night, a projected “W” on the sidewalk in front of the hotel could potentially give away the tone and atmosphere of the hotel. The lobby is dimly lit with two pods on the left that serve as the reception desk. The top surface of the pod is made of plexiglass and back lit in Purple. If this does not tell you the type of the hotel you are checking into, the receptionist intoning, "Wherever, Whenever, how may I help you?" should make it amply clear. The receptionists, dressed in black, are usually friendly and efficient, despite their cult-like greeting which they will chant gleefully at every opportunity: answering the phone, greeting the guests, bidding them farewell, etc.
The lobby extends into the bar/restaurant area, which is also dimly lit and very contemporary. The two elevators are immediately to the right of the front doors and the interior is (care to hazard a guess?) very dimly lit. How dark? Well, once in the elevator car I ran into a coworker I had not seen for a couple of years and I was unable to positively identify him in the gloom.
Music is pumped into the lobby and hallways 24/7. Depending on the music being played, this feature could be very annoying at times but it is mostly what it is supposed to be: background noise.
Rooms
Even the standard suites at this W are easily the largest of any hotel rooms one can find in this part of California. These suites have a kitchenette/fridge/microwave area with counter and a built-in sink, a large work desk, a sitting area, a large sleeping area with a king bed and integrated bedside tables/lamps, a dressing area with closet, and a large bathroom with shower stall and a bathtub.
A soft terrycloth bathroom is on a hanger waiting for the guest in the bathroom. The double shower heads (mounted on the inside of a U-shape tubular frame) is quite a treat to use. The bed is firm and comfortable to sleep in.
The layout is very spacious and open. Since the W caters to long-term stay business travelers, it tries very hard to provide the guests with a bit more elbow room and other unusual amenities to make the place feel a little more like home. For example, there is a DVD library at reception, and a stripped down entertainment “center” in the room.
The rooms are well appointed and they remind me of the NH hotels in Europe. The walls are fairly thick and the bed is far enough away from the door that a quiet night of sleep should not be difficult to accomplish.
Parking is free at the hotel and there is never a shortage of parking spaces.
Food
Room service menu was anemic and was not particularly remarkable. The portions are adequate and the food is not bad for room service. As mentioned before, family restaurants and the usual fast food joints are less than 5 minutes away by car on Newark Blvd.
Amenities for Business Travelers
Wired Internet access is available to the quests for purchase by day or as a package. The bandwidth is quite generous and I clocked it at roughly at close to 120KB/s. The work desk and work area are both laptop friendly with electrical outlets, phones, and network cable within reach.
Fitness
There is a small fitness room on the main floor as well as a small pool. The pool, though petite, is quite well designed and a major attraction for the guests. There is a family-run commercial gym at the corner of Newark and Jarvis that charges $10 per visit. The gym opens at 5:30am and it is packed full of weight equipment by Cybex, Hammerstrength, and others. It has rows and rows of elliptical machines, stair climbers and treadmills as well. The gym is located in a strip mall with a lot of small restaurants offering the tried-and-true (e.g. Subway) as well as international cuisines from Japanese, Chinese, Korean to pizza and more. When I stay at the W, I find it very convenient to work out in the evening and then purchase food for take-out in the same strip mall afterward.
Summary
With the company corporate discount, I usually pay around $140 per night with free Internet access. As a family hotel, the W may not have what it takes to hold the kids' attention for long. As a business hotel, I find it a comfortable and relaxing place to stay. In a strange way I like its remote locale and I do not mind the extra 15, 20 minutes of driving. As mentioned above, this is my preferred hotel whenever I am in the area.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
benchpress
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Location: Toronto, Canada
Reviews written: 54
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