I stayed here while in San Jose for the US Figure Skating Championship. The hotel left me with an impersonal feeling although the front office staff were friendly. The room decor had a modern, minimalist, masculine feel and did not feel warm or cozy for relaxing. I don't expect nor want frills and fuss, but It seemed designed more for businessmen wanting work space than women given its lack of mirror space, lighting, and decor. The door to the room may be built for fire safety but required some strength to push open. The bathroom was good sized and had a make-up mirror tho the shower was difficult to operate. The bed was comfortable, but the one sitting chair was ultra modern and quite low. Housekeeping on the surface seemed okay but there were some hairs on one of the bathroom walls. However, I found it disconcerting that on the floor's waiting area for the elevator there was what appeared to be a disposable hot cup sitting on a table in the same place for several days.
The lobby area also had an ultra modern cool feel due to flooring and decor. There were bowls of apples at the registration desk and a computer area off the lobby for guests to use free of charge. The sole small restaurant is in the lobby area and seems like a coffeeshop with a bar. The offerings are quite basic, however the grilled vegetable sandwich that I had was loaded with a delicious array of veggies.

Stayed here for five nights while attending the US Figure Skating Championships. I stayed with my wheelchairbound friend. The room was perfect, the roll in shower had a tiny flaw, they fixed it right away. The beds were comfortable and the staff very helpful. The food was excellent in the restaurant and room service. Room service did not pick up our breakfast menu and caused a delay one morning.
Only criticism was for the valet service. There was often no one there. I think they do not have many guest using this option. But a way to call the valet would have been helpful.

Hilton hotels have become a disappointment. From securing reservations to technology problems to pathetic on site service this chain needs a employee makeover. If I ran my business like Hilton I suspect customers would regularly look elsewhere for accommodations. San Jose Hilton is particularly problematic and my experience on the last 2 stays go way beyond minor annoyances to major inconveniences. Room service at 3 in the afternoon cannot even be bothered to answer their phone much less return messages left on their answering machine. Stay elsewhere in San Jose!

We stayed at the Hilton for 3 nights (Nov 19th, 20th and 21st) while attending the Abilities Expo in the connected convention center and the Katy Perry concert in Oakland.

While I would normally rate the hotel itself as very good, the staff and their consideration of my 8 year old chair using son raise my rating to excellent.

The location is great....we walked to downtown and bused to the Winchester House. The Convention Center is attached via an indoor walkway.

We asked for a room on the lounge floor. The lounge closed after the first day. Instead we were given vouchers to use at the restaurant. This is sad, since the lounge was great for getting morning coffee and had lovely views of the area.

There was an outdoor smoking area, which was private and accessed through the restaurant.

On to the staff: My son is extremely active and social. The staff was remarkably patient while dealing with him.

They also took meeting our requests to an extreme degree:

While we were eating my son got bored and went to ask the staff if we would be getting new towels the next day. When we returned to our room, there was a huge stack of clean towels waiting.

When our roommate had a headache, I tried to get aspirin. The front desk was out, but offered to have aspirin bought over from another hotel (I thanked them , but stated it was not that important)

When our roommate decided to stay an extra day , the front desk called to confirm that tickets for the concert were available at the door, so she could attend also.

They took our constant coming and goings in stride and with a smile.

Their suggestions about where to find flowers, doughnuts and transportaiton were right on (try PsychoDonuts if you get the chance).

We look forward to coming back next year! (Hope the lounge is reopened by then)