This is the best place to stay in San Jose. The service is great and the rooms are very comfortable. The rooms are much larger than the Marriott or the Saint Claire with a comfortable work space. The bathrooms are also very spacious with a great shower. The lobby bar is a great place to unwind at the end of the day with good food and lots of cocktail options. The only drawbacks are the high prices and the small gym (couldn't get on a cardio machine at 6am).

Rooms - I have stayed at this hotel several times and have never been blown away. If you get stuck in a room that hasn't been renovated you are not getting you money's worth - dingy with peeling wallpaper. The updated rooms do however look nice - marble bath, nice furniture, comfy bed and linens.

Cleanliness - I'm surprised by the level of cleanliness at this hotel - not up to what I would expect at a Fairmont or other 4 star hotel. The last two times I've stayed I found stray hairs in the tub. This time, I also found what looked like a pubic hair in my bed - yuck! I understand its impossible rid the room of all traces of the previous guest but this just seems sloppy.

Parking - My company picks up the tab, but I can't help but feel I'm getting ripped off at $26 / day. This is San Jose not San Francisco.

Front Desk Staff - is absolutely useless. They will tell you they will do something, then not do it and won't follow up with a call to tell you they've been unable to assist. This has happened on almost all of my interactions with various members of the staff. If you don't see them input something into the computer - do not trust that they will follow through with it!

This most recent trip, the front desk granted me a late checkout the night before, for 2pm the next day. However at 12:30pm the manager came knocking on my door (quite loudly), asking why I hadn't checked out yet. I explained to him that I was granted a late checkout the day before, obviously it that information had not made it on his list. He was less than apologetic.

Also, two trips ago, I couldn't find my President's Club membership number, asked the front desk to look it up and add it to my reservation, which they assured me they would do. I had a nagging suspicion that they didn't do it, so this most recent trip I asked them to write it down for me and add it to the reservation. When I went to login to my account online (with assistance from Fairmont customer service), I found they gave me the number of a completely different person. I worked with them to get the correct number, but when I checked my account I found they had never credited me for the previous stay (as requested), or previous stays before that. When I went back to the front desk to have them update the presidents club number for my current reservation, I found that they had never input the false number they gave me upon checkin. I asked them to input the new one, gave them the number, and they assured me they would. The next day upon checkout, I asked them to confirm that my president's club number was on the reservation - IT WASN'T!! Seriously?! I had to ask them three times to do a simple task, fingers crossed that she actually did it this time.

Their "Presidents Club" is pretty weak when you compare to other hotel loyalty programs - and on top of it they seem determined to make it impossible for you to get any benefit from it!! No wonder this is usually the only place in the area I can get a last minute reservation at.

On a brighter note, the lobby area is quite nice - love the piano bar in the center

Good room and good value. The restaurants and bars are lively and good quality.

This is a nice hotel in a nice location. Fairmont properties are pretty universal in terms of their service and amenities which is a GOOD thing. Their beds and rooms are great! There is a Grill on the Alley attached to it which is a very nice perk of one wants to grab a nice meal. Love Fairmonts and always have.