The lobby and overall atmosphere are very nice but practically speaking, this is not a great place to stay. The hotel is very old so the rooms are small. Also, if you get a room with a street view you will hear the trolly passing by all night long. If you stay here, ask for an interior room. That being said, it is a great location.

I stayed at the Sainte Claire for a week for a business trip because the usual hotel I stay at was fully booked. As I checked in, they offered me a free upgrade because of the length of my stay - very impressed. The King size room is a bit bigger than the standard room. It has a king bed, a sofa and a desk with a little fridge. Again, the rooms have a very classic look and feel. Everything was very clean and I didn't have any issues with noise as stated in some of the other reviews. The beds are very comfortable but they went a bit overboard with the heavy duvet and cover - I thought I was going suffocate under such heavy blankets. The air conditioning is quite noisy when it turns on every 5 minutes. My other minor complaint is the lack of in-room entertainment system (pay per view movies). They have a DVD library at the front desk. I guess this goes with the old style thing... The free WiFi was quite fast and stable. The location is fine - walking distance to many restaurants, bars, Safeway and theater.

Despite the above minor issues, I enjoyed my stay and I got a much better rate than at the other large downtown hotels. Great value!

My family and I booked two rooms for New Year's Eve even though we live locally. We have eaten many times at their restaurant, Il Fornaio, which we love so we decided to stay overnight for New Year's Eve because we love the quiet elegance and the old world flavor. Last year we stayed at another hotel that is much newer down the street and it was a complete zoo - people reserving one room (and inviting 10 friends to spend the night). People standing in the check in line with huge rolling coolers. And the noise level was incredible. Back to the Saint Claire - friendly, extremely helpful staff especially the front desk manager. He couldn't do enough for us. He provided a list of free DVDs (great selection and lots of current releases) to check out. He helped us get some sodas and snacks without having to call room service, and when we checked out, he even gave us a package of nuts as a parting gift which was so sweet of him. We felt so special. The rooms are comfortable with a flat screen tv, DVD player, wifi, comfortable beds and a window that you could open and enjoy fresh air. The bathroom had a painted sky with stars painted on the ceiling. We enjoyed the elegant lobby and sitting room with the big comfy chairs and sofas. And most of all, in spite of a wedding taking place in the ballroom, we enjoyed the quiet. It was so relaxing. Christmas in the Park is situated right across the street and we had fun walking around the various displays. The movie theaters are very close and we enjoyed the walk. The room has a small refrigerator where we stored our champagne until midnight. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit. Great pricing and a great elegant and classy hotel.

I chose the Ste. Claire for its location to our business at hand, the reviews on T.A. and the amenities listed such as free internet and 24 hour room service. Also, between The Hilton, Sheraton, and a few others I looked into, I got the best rate here. We have a winner!
What was meant to be a quick trip turned into a 5 day stay. Upon arrival the valet and door man were professional and welcoming as were the front desk staff. My husband and I were not disappointed at the beauty of the lobby (a mirrored wall gives the impression of a major hall being ten tiimes larger than it is - a great illusion) or the proximity to the entrance to Il Fornaio Restaurant, which I now believe, should be included in many more hotels!!!
I did my homework beforehand and requested an inward facing room (they gave me an option) so as to avoid any street noise. There was no view - well there was but it was of walls and a roof, but the quiet was welcome. I must say though, that this is a sleepier section of downtown San Jose, not a bustling megatropolis so I can't imagine the street sounds being exactly mind bending as inferred in some reviews. I am sensitive to noise and did not find it to be an issue here.
The overall feel of the place is that of a boutique hotel. It is a grand old building and you have to look at it as such and get over any "renovate to current fad" trends seen by most chains and appreciate the character of the interiors for what they are. The room was lovely and large enough for us which says a lot since we tend to "move in" where ever we go The bathroom with its vintage tile and worn wood sink counters and beautiful mural painted ceiling highlighted the attention to detail they aspire to. I found it to be well cleaned yet there's history there. I'm a clean freak in hotels and I was quite comfortable. The bed was heavenly with plenty of pillows, yes!
We needed a place to work and meet and there is a large "living room" area with sofas and comfortable tables/chairs along with an adjacent business center. This was an ideal setting to congregate and work privately.
I even managed to get a workout in in the fitness room - nice treadmill with my other requirement - a t.v. right smack in front of me. Heaven. Cold bottled water, yay.
Back to Il Fornaio. Room service was heaven I tell you! But the best surprise was when we went to the bar early one evening to find that their pizzas/appetizers and cocktails were all $5. And I'm talking about premium cocktails, you know, the $10 variety that you normally scratch your head over afterward when you do the math. I realize this is called Happy Hour but every one I'd ever encountered consisted of cheap well drinks and buffalo wings and frozen baby quiches, blech. And if and when you want to venture out there is an outdoor mall containing a variety of restaurant choices just steps away.
Because of how this trip unfolded we ended up spending a lot of time at the hotel proper. I began to feel a bit like Eloise at the Plaza though in a scaled down, middle aged woman in San Jose kind of way. But the warmness and welcoming feeling of every person on the staff combined with the consistently great food at Il Fornaio (and one very animated waiter from Tuscany) this business trip, which was filled with pressure and angst became a lovely experience.