A group of friends and I wanted to visit our other friends studying at Cal, so we wanted to find a hotel that was convenient to both Berkeley and San Francisco. Emeryville was logistically one of the best places to stay as it is only about 3 miles from Berkeley Campus, and since its near the Bay Bridge, only 10 miles from San Francisco.

A Priceline Express Deal where you don’t know the exact hotel until making the non-refundable reservation had a 3 Star Hotel with a 8/10 guest rating for $114 so I had to snag it! Signs were pointing that it would be the Courtyard based on the guest rating and amenities offered. On the direct website, the Courtyard was going for $169 a night, the cheapest 3 star in the Emeryville area. I thought savings of $55 a night was worth losing out on the Marriott Bonvoy points.

Arrival:

We arrived to the Courtyard Oakland Emeryville around 9pm and were quickly checked in to a room on the 6th floor.

The Room:

The room was recently refreshed which was nice, and was quite roomy. There were 2 Queen Beds, and a large circular chair. I liked how the AC unit wasn’t the wall unit that sticks out. The room was pretty clean as well.

The beds were quite comfortable, and we all got a good night’s rest. The room came with a mini fridge and microwave which was nice to have. Interestingly enough, there was only coffee but no tea bags provided in the room.

The bathroom was a bit more outdated, but still got the job done. It was a typical 3 piece bathroom, and it had a stand up shower (no tub). The shampoo, conditioner and body gel were in reusable pumps rather than individual toiletries.

Amenities:

There’s a small fitness center on the first floor as well as an indoor pool. Given the time constraints on our short weekend stay, we didn’t have time to visit any of them.

The lobby has a bar/bistro/restaurant area, but we didn’t try any of the hotel food offerings. There’s also a sundries store next to the front desk if you need snacks.

Location:

The Courtyard is located right across the street from Bay Street where there is a lot of food + shopping options. The nearest BART station to take a train into SF is a bit far (2 miles), but thankfully it’s very easy to catch an Uber/Lyft.

We had a car, and it was $19 a night for outdoor self parking, a normal charge for this area.

The Verdict:

Overall, the Courtyard Oakland Emeryville served us well for our quick 2 night weekend trip. If my travels bring me back to the area, I would definitely consider staying here again.

Happy Travels,

Ty