DoubleTree by Hilton Berkeley Marina, Berkeley

First, the location was great, and the service was fine. However, the hotel was full of college kids, mostly sports teams it appears. The walls were paper thin, and so we heard kids running the halls, shouting, and scraping chairs across the concrete balconies all three nights we were there. We had trouble going to sleep before midnight, and were awoken at least a couple time every night by the noise. I asked for a different room/location after the first night, but was told that the hotel was fully booked and nothing was available. To make matters worse, the HVAC unit in the room was extremely loud, although this did have the benefit of drowning out the other noise. I thought I had secured a decent deal by opting for the hotel's "non-refundable" rate, but regret it now because we couldn't easily change hotels after our first night -- cynically speaking, maybe this is why the hotel offers such deals. We won't be staying at this hotel again, and I wouldn't recommend it for families or business people.

this hotel had excelent service, a wonderful staff, great food, very good beds, and the ocean was beatiful. i specifically liked our room (it faced the bay) and the kites were a very good addition. i definetly can't wait to go back.

If you are bringing a pet with you, then this is the hotel to stay at. I asked to be relocated to a different room, due to a dog that was barking next door for hours straight. I was told by Jared at the front desk that he can provide my 3 year old ear plugs. I was then promised that the guest will be relocated to a different room...this did not take place. To avoid further frustration with the hotel, I packed my family checked out at 7pm and checked in to another hotel. One thing to take note on this property...if you use an outside website to book your stay, you are treated as if they have nothing to do with you.

Friendly, accommodating staff. Good service. The location is breathtaking, but for me it was somewhat spoiled by a marina warning system that rings loudly every fifteen seconds. I could hear it in my room. EVERY fifteen seconds. Outside, it is very loud. Everywhere outside. We had a real problem with the mike system and overcrowded rooms at our conference, but I am not sure how much of that was the hotel's responsibility.

When you book a marina view with a balcony they will not disclose to you that every 8 seconds there are "beeps" that go off... all night long! Apparently it has something to do with the marina. So enjoy the view... because you'll be awake all night long. You can order a movie though... only $12.95. Such a deal for a $200 a night room. No DVD/VCR player either. When you complain about the annoyance ... well don't...they don't care.

Check-in process was fine, but could not find a luggage cart; long walk from parking lot to the end of building 3. Room looked very nice and comfortable. Due to location, cellphone service is spotty with AT&T. Only 2G with 1-bar of data service, but that was still significantly faster than the hotel's wired Internet option costing $10/day. Television one of the nicest I've seen for a hotel, BUT the settings was cropping off picture and picture quality was terrible on all but a promo channel for pay-per-view. I went to the the restaurant, but every option was expensive and absolutely no vegetarian options whatsoever. Location and room design could lead to a romantic getaway, but I found it lacking in fulfilling the needs for someone traveling for business.

good location but no dresser drawers and had to call for coffee for our in room coffee maker. Hotel would be hard to find at night, needs more lighted signs.

Hotel is very average, location is beautiful, but very average rooms no vents in bathrooms. First they charge for WIFI in rooms them they charge for each device that needs WIFI, so if 3 laptops, 3 IPhones adds up very fast at $9.95 per device per 24 hr period, room rates at around $200 per night is not cheap. Restaurant is outrageously priced paid around $ 80.00 for 4 peoples breakfast with an average menu. So all in all end of the trip when I saw the bill left a sour taste in my mouth, will think before returning.

I like the location of the Doubletree, Berkeley CA. It is close to San Francisco and other surrounding communities. Highway 80 is very convenient and easy to access from the Doubletree. The service is the best. The staff are very courteous and helpful. I feel very safe on the premises. It is well lit and secure. I look foward to my next stay at the Doubletree. I have a reservation for January 2006.

We stayed for a weekend with our 2-yr old daughter and were generally very satisfied with the hotel. Our room was clean and did not smell of smoke (though the hallway did a bit). The staff were courteous and responded promptly to our requests for a crib and a spare toothbrush. After reading previous reviews, we decided to pay an extra $15/night or so to get a room on the marina. In addition to providing us with excellent views of SF and the Golden Gate bridge, this also completely damped any traffic noise. We did occasionally hear our neighbors' doors shutting, but these were never loud enough to disturb our sleep. Fitness room is rather small (but functional), and it got crowded by 8am. The hotel's restaurant offers a nice buffet breakfast. Hotel location is a bit separated from the rest of town, and Hwy 80 does seem almost perpetually crowded (especially going toward the Bay Bridge). We also received good directions to local shopping from the hotel staff. We will be staying there again.