Arena Hotel, San Jose

I was a bit apprehensive about checking into a place in such a busy area, but that turned out to be not much of a concern. The staff was friendly and courteous, and checking in went very smoothly, with no glitches. The grounds are well-decorated and give a homey feeling. Parking is more than adequate for the area. The room was very clean and nice, with comfortable beds. The jacuzzi/bathroom smelled a bit pungent, but was fine after I left the door open to air it out for a half hour, and was lovely to partake. Don't be enticed by the free meals though. They reminded me of what they served me in school cafeterias when I was a kid: tasteless, thin fried burgers, some celery and carrot sticks, canned fruit, and jello. Breakfast wasn't much better, it was all high-fat, high-carb, mostly sugary stuff. The pancakes and French toast were obviously the pre-made frozen kind, the eggs were not heated very well, and the biscuits were overbaked. Syrup was in little packets that ran out about 2/3 of the way through the serving time, and they did not re-stock when I asked. Drinks were limited to juices from the machine, coffee, tea, and warmish water from the tap (no ice is provided). In all, about two steps below the quality of most fast food places. This is a great place to stay and relax for a whirlpool bath by yourself or with a loved one, but bring your own food (fridge, freezer, and microwave are included in rooms) or be prepared to eat out, as you do at most hotels.

i love that you can get a meal if you feel like not leaving the hotel because of business things you can eat there and do work in the room no real down time, it has wifi for computer and very helpful staff, they helped me when my phone went bad printed out the directions so i could find the cingular place then the guys there were very helpful fixed it and off i went a great place quiet and comfortable beds, all a great hotel experience and there are great cookies for snack time there, very accomidating indeed

For the price we paid ($75 including tax) - given that it is during the July 4th long weekend - this place is a very pleasant surprise. With just about the same price we stayed at an Econo Lodge the previous night, with the average economy motel setting that you would expect. And then there was this one, with pillow-top king-size bed, all possible appliances you would have wanted in the kitchen ( include a stove ), twice the size as the previous room, and Jacuzzi for 2, it just feels like a steal. I would say for many of the $100+ hotels I've stayed they are not better than this. The breakfast is more than the average continental breakfast as well. Given the previous reviews, I guess the only trick is that ask for a room that is not so close to the laundry room. :))

We just got back from California. We were there for my son's wedding. When I researched the San Jose area looking for hotels, I came across the Arena. It was less than a mile from the wedding. It turned out to be an excellent choice. It's very pretty. It has a very friendly staff with great customer service. The rooms were really clean. Overall, this place was a great place to stay. The breakfast included with the room was really good and very filling as was the dinner. These are actual hot meals. Not just a roll and coffee. When we got lost getting there, we called the front desk and spoke to Neil. We let him know we were going to be late checking in because we were lost. He said no problem, he held the room for us and then he talked us through the maze of traffic and roads to get us there safely. Our entire stay there was very pleasant. We will definitly stay at the Arena the next time we are in town. Thanks Neil for helping our stay to be a pleasant one.

The location was decent, very close to the Shark Tank and the bus/train station. The service was friendly. However, the Internet access was practically useless, and there was no water pressure or consistent hot water in the shower.

Bath tub was large jetted and clean. Food was free and good buffet. The hotel halls and bedroooms were colorfull. This design is also like South Port UK hotels. Service was one bad bias out of four vists.

Twice I've stayed here and both times I was awakened early in the morning by the room suddenly starting to vibrate....the furniture and doors rattling!!! I called the desk and they said it was the laundry room causing the vibration. Their only solution was to move me to another room. Right. At 6am I'm supposed to get dressed, pack my things, move to another room, and then go back to sleep??????? This is a cheesy hotel.

This is another hotel that is on my top 5 list in San Jose. The location is great! Close enough to downtown to enjoy it, yet placed away from all the main traffic. The rooms are always very clean. Jacuzzi tubs are a plus too! The staff is nice too. The breakfast room is very nice and I love sitting outside next to the fountain! So relaxing!

Just a bit off downtown, 2 mins from the Convention Centre (20' on foot), quite close to the CalTrain station, Arena offers excellent prices (early booking will warrant better rates) w/respect to downtown hotels and unbeatable w/respect to Conference-selected accommodation. Rooms are well sized and comfortable, a Jacuzzi's great after a long conference day, beds are of excellent quality. Perfect for the guy on a business trying to conjugate efficiency, budget and relax. I never tried the dinner, but the breakfast, though abundant, was essentially the same for 6 days in a row, with eggs, patties, and pastries somewhere below average, an item where there is room for improvement. The courtesy and availability of the staff is remarkable. Will choose it again with no second thought.

Not as nice as advertised, and overall almost cheesy.