Claremont Club & Spa, A Fairmont Hotel

Tonight was my first and only dinner. I ordered just a stripped bass with a rice. What is so complicated about it? Nothing… The waiter brought a completely tasteless, lukewarm dish. I sampled and returned, asking to replace the same dish. Guess what? The kitchen REHEATED again, just made it slightly warmer than the first time. I’ll never have another dinner over there again.

There is old and charming, and there is just old. The Claremont is in the latter category; the entire building is dated and run down, including the public spaces, elevators, hallways, and the rooms. There is a musty smell that pervades the place, covered up in places with a disinfectant chemical smell. The rooms are not anywhere near what you'd expect in a 5 star property -- dark, banged up and dingy. Service is mixed, at times responsive and at other times really bad (1 hour plus wait for breakfast through room service, for example). The only really notable strength is the full service health club that you get access to as a guest. I would not return; there are many other properties in the Bay Area that are much nicer than the Claremont.

The Claremont is always "5 star" to us. Just one adjustment suggested. Housekeeping arrived too early in the morning during our stay. We suggest to arriving later. We were just waking up and enjoying in-room coffee.

The Claremont is now the only choice for us when visiting friends and family in Oakland/Berkeley. The hotel is lovely, the rooms are clean and nicely appointed (although a bit small for a "deluxe" room...), and the staff is terrific. Our bellhop went above and beyond when I thought I lost a room key and the housekeepers were very good and nice. There are only two choices for dining besides room service - the main restaurant is very nice - of course it's a bit pricey but the food and service are very good. The "quick bites" option is only open for breakfast and lunch - very tasty with great choices. We like to walk early in the morning - the hotel grounds is great for this as is the surrounding neighborhood. Beautiful property! I hope we can keep affording to stay there...

We stayed at the Claremont to break up the Thanksgiving Holiday week with our 3 kids and a few other families. Great getaway from Sacramento! Kids had a blast playing in the "front yard" with yard games. Dinner at Limewood was a bit pricey but amazing view of the SF and the Bay, delicious and friendly staff. Love the lobby, the rooms and everything about this property, easy first exit off of 24 so you're not getting into the mess of rush hour if coming from Central Valley. Can't wait to come back, thank you Claremont!