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Americas Best Value Inn – reviews, photos

2.0 of 5
1620 San Pablo Ave, Berkeley, CA 94702
Hotel amenities
Americas Best Value Inn
Americas Best Value Inn
Americas Best Value Inn
Americas Best Value Inn
Americas Best Value Inn
Americas Best Value Inn
Ranked #14 of 20 hotels in Berkeley
3.5 of 5 stars 70 Reviews
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70 reviews from our community

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Date Rating
Mission Viejo, California
Contributor
14 reviews 14 reviews
Reviews in 8 cities Reviews in 8 cities
4 helpful votes 4 helpful votes
“Don't believe the nice reviews”
1 of 5 stars Reviewed 10 October 2011

I thought I could rely on the reviews, but alas, no, Checking in was easy, but it bothered me that the desk person kept on that my reservation was upgraded to a 2-Q room from a 2-single. I would not have made the reservation if it was 2-singles. So we went to our room and could not find it, apparently, the door was tucked underneath the stairs - don't get room 130. Upon opening the door, there was this blast of odor, a mix of smoky and the typical motel carpet odor. And this was a non-smoking room. The shower leaked and fixtures were old. The fan did not work nor the thermostat control set to recirculate the air. The beds were slightly soft and not too saggy. I can hear people dragging their feet up the stairs and their conversations. The room looked clean and made. The area around ABVI was not the nicest area in Berkeley and there is a statement in the keyholder about making sure your valuables are protected. Wifi was spotty, but once logged in, it was good.
I will not return here and will book at other hotels, even if for a few $$ more.

Room Tip: Not Rm 130
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  • Stayed October 2011, travelled with family
    • 1 of 5 stars Value
    • 1 of 5 stars Location
    • 1 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 1 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 3 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 3 of 5 stars Service
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Chris Koertge, General Manager at Americas Best Value Inn, responded to this review
13 October 2011
Thanks for writing in regards to your stay. We never like hearing about an unsatisfied guest experience. We are a non-smoking property so any rooms smelling of smoke is as unwanted for you as it is us. The room you commented on, Rm 130, is tucked around on the side of the stairs. We have many regular guests who actually request this room for its location but if it was not your preference, we could have easily moved you to another location. The property has been a part of the Berkeley landscape since 1946 so there is a lot of history associated with our property and we do whatever we can to make sure everything is as up to date and functional as possible. If you found that this was not the case, we apologize and maintenance will correct immediately. We’re not sure what was to dislike about the surrounding area as many businesses occupy the near vicinity and we feel the area has a lot to offer. Across the street is the legendary Acme Bread, Café Fanny and Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant. Diagonal from Genki Japanese Restaurant that is located in our parking lot is the locally owned Animal Farm pet store. Off the main drag of San Pablo Avenue, we are surrounded by residential neighborhoods. Sorry again to hear you were not satisfied with your stay and hopefully you'll give us another chance to show you what a wonderful town Berkeley is and all it has to offer.
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gold beach
2 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
“AWFUL!!! I am In room now kept awake for 2nd night in a row now!”
1 of 5 stars Reviewed 5 October 2011 via mobile

By far the absolute strangest place I've ever stayed!! After driving 7 hours yesterday as you'd imagine we were hoping to get a good night sleep, not the case! The beds for starters are rOck hard! I literally feel like I'm sleeping on concrete! My backs killing me and I am not exaggerating. Guests here are insanely disrespectful. I see why the office closes at midnight and the staff leaves, it's because they'd be awake all night dealing with inconsiderate noisy guests. It's 1:10am and people next door are laughing slamming into the walls opening and closing there front door every 5 minutes literally partying and there's nothing I can do but lay here trying to sleep to be rudely awaken by laughter blaring music or people just being rude! Then let's not forget how outdated these rooms are. Definitely not your standard motel/hotel room. The walls are paper thin you can completely hear word for word conversations between people in the adjacent rooms to ours as im sure they can hear ours too. Old furnishings, no a/c which right now doesn't matter but to some I know it's a big deal anytime. Small outdated tv, fridge and microwave may be the newest things in here. All in all I don't recommend if a peaceful sleep is what you r after.

  • Stayed October 2011
    • 1 of 5 stars Value
    • 3 of 5 stars Location
    • 2 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 2 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
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Chris Koertge, General Manager at Americas Best Value Inn, responded to this review
12 October 2011
Thank you for taking the time to give us your feedback in regards to your unpleasant stay. Unfortunately, one unruly guest can ruin it for everyone, which appears to be the case here. We certainly do not condone this type of behavior, but we are also aware that it can happen at times in a college town such as this. Having this been your second night, simply come to the front desk and make us aware of the situation and we will do everything in our power to correct it. Our staff prides itself on catering to the needs of our guest, so we would have been more than happy to change your room to help accommodate you more sufficiently with this regard as well as the concrete bed. Again, thanks for your feedback and we hope to have the chance to prove to you that our property is not “AWFUL”.
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12 helpful votes 12 helpful votes
“Cute little place to stay”
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 16 September 2011

Cute and quaint motel with nice, spacious rooms and comfortable beds. The person at the front desk was very helpful and gave us a map of the area. They were also very helpful in sorting out a problem with Expedia regarding billing. The rooms are nicely decorated, the beds are large, and everything is spotlessly clean. Plenty of towels and shampoo and soap, coffee supplies and a little fridge and microwave. Ironing board and closet space and lots of drawers.

The only bad thing I have to say about it is that the shower pressure was minimal, and took a long time to get hot.

  • Stayed September 2011, travelled as a couple
    • 5 of 5 stars Value
    • 4 of 5 stars Location
    • 5 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
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Ask purringcat about Americas Best Value Inn
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
New Park, PA
Senior Contributor
21 reviews 21 reviews
Reviews in 12 cities Reviews in 12 cities
5 helpful votes 5 helpful votes
“Cute older motel, sweet staff, great location, dirty carpets”
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 13 September 2011

Staff could not have been nicer and more helpful, unless they could have persuaded management to get in a carpet cleaner sooner. We were there over a week, prepaid on Orbitz so couldn't afford move to another motel. The mattress in the first room was old and saggy, so I asked for a room with a better mattress. The clerk said the mattresses were in the process of being replaced and looked on the room chart for an available room with a new mattress. So we moved and had a good night's sleep. In the morning we discovered the bottoms of our socks were black from the filthy carpet. Staff was apologetic, said the carpets were cleaned every two weeks and we were moved into another room. The carpet was cleaner but still dirty and I asked that it be cleaned. So the next day it did get cleaned but that night when we got back we found it was only marginally better. The next morning we were told that their regular cleaner had been unavailable and the maid had cleaned it, but the professional would be there the next day. And so he was. This time there was improvement, but not really clean. Otherwise the rooms are clean and fine. Location is great--across the street is Acme Bakery with real baguettes, croissants, and a slew of other delicious breads. Also Kermit Lynch, a great wine shop; and Cafe Fanny for breakfast, if you like to stand in line to order at the counter and eat outside. A few blocks south on San Pablo is Cafe Leila, with really good food and a nice outdoor patio. I'd stay at Golden Bear again for the pluses, if I could be assured that the carpets would be clean.

  • Stayed September 2011, travelled as a couple
    • 4 of 5 stars Value
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 3 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
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Nanaimo BC Canada
1 review
2 helpful votes 2 helpful votes
“We felt at home and well cared for”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 6 September 2011
2
people found this review helpful

We stayed at the Golden Bear Inn on San Pablo Avenue while I attended a yoga workshop for more than a week in Berkeley. My partner was along for the trip to and from CA. The Inn provided us with a quiet room in their clean and well organized Motel. The courtyard is attractive with planters, red tiled roofs and covered walk ways.
The rooms are spotless and well maintianed.
One night we had anoisy neighbor and the Motel staff intervened for us and we were able to sleep.
We had a billing confusion and were overbilled but that was quickly corrected. All in all we were delighted with our stay.

  • Stayed August 2011, travelled as a couple
    • 5 of 5 stars Value
    • 4 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 5 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
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Additional Information about Americas Best Value Inn

  • Golden Bear Hotel
  • Golden Bear Motel
Address: 1620 San Pablo Ave, Berkeley, CA 94702
Price range (per night):* INR4,446 - 6,225

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