Doubletree Hotel Berkeley

This sprawling property is located on the water off of the city of Berkeley, very convenient to the I-80 freeway, the Fourth St. shopping district and the heart of the city up University Ave. I had what was probably the smallest standard room, with not even a desk on which to park my laptop, but made do. There are plenty of amenities onsite, a good restaurant, a store for snacks and sundries, and a well-kept pool and fitness center. For me though the best feature of the place was its location right by acres of parkland, perfect for long hikes and spectacular views across the water. There is plenty of onsite parking, supposedly costing $45 a day, but it was oddly easy to park across the access road for free. Be aware, should you get the notion to cross on foot to the mainland, that the pedestrian stairway that is supposed to take you there safely is closed (and has been for years, from the looks of it) and it is way too dangerous to attempt the elevated ramp off of the freeway.

As a Hilton loyalty member, I have stayed at plenty of properties across the brand family and know exactly what the standard should be. This location, however, fell completely flat. The entire experience felt more like a budget roadside motel than a proper DoubleTree, and it is a poor representation of the Hilton name. ​THE ROOM AND LAYOUT ​Trapped in the 70s: The room featured outdated "cottage cheese" ceilings, and the furniture and lamps felt ancient. Ironically, they had modern Bluetooth plugs built into them, which only highlighted how bizarrely mismatched and cheap the retrofitting felt. ​Teeny Tiny Beds: The beds were incredibly small. Honestly, it felt like they were designed for slim hobbits rather than average-sized adults. ​Design Oversight: The coffee maker wasn't even plugged in when I arrived. When I went to plug it in, I realized the cord literally couldn't reach any available outlet. ​MAINTENANCE AND BATHROOM ​Lack of Upkeep: The hallways and baseboards were heavily scuffed and looked like they had just been lazily painted over rather than properly repaired. ​Broken Fixtures: To top off the maintenance issues, the shower handle didn't work properly, making a basic part of the stay incredibly frustrating. ​THE PARKING ​A Greedy Cash Grab: To add insult to injury, they charge a staggering $45 a night for parking. Given the location, parking isn't actually optional--you are forced to use their lot. Unbundling this unavoidable cost feels incredibly greedy and unnatural. Worse, for that premium price, you don't even get a clean or secure facility. It's just an ugly, poorly maintained lot that matches the neglected feel of the rest of the property. ​CONCLUSION ​As someone who chooses Hilton specifically for quality and consistency, this level of neglect was a shock. It might be acceptable if I were paying budget motel rates, but it is absolutely not what I expect as a rewards member. Highly disappointing--I won't be returning.

Be extremely careful, this place is shady AF. The rooms are nice and the location is great, but they will rip you off. We checked in and left for dinner. Came back to the room and at 9:30pm they bang on our door asking who we were in the room they gave us. Turns out they didn't really check out the room to us, just gave us keys somehow. They tried to give the room to someone else with our stuff in it. When they tried to fix the computer they then broke our TV. Now I have two random charges adding up to $57.30 posted on our credit card that they say they never charged. I've spent hours on the phone with Hilton and the hotel where they claim they didn't charge these two that clearly posted saying this hotel. Last time I called they just hung up on me. It's hard because the location is great, but I would avoid this place. It's not worth your pain.