The Berkeley Hotel

Nice, comfortable, spacious room. Excellent food overall in the restaurant. Fine and informative service by waiters and desk staff. Wish it was either more impressively old in decor or more modern. Saw pictures of future modernized room renovations which leaves me curiously hopeful for a future visit.

Great location to VCU hospital. There are a few parking lots in the area. The rooms are dated but give it an old school feel which isn't bad. There was a used bar of soap in the room when I first checked in, which had me question the cleanliness. Rooms were decent size, quiet and water pressure in the shower was great. The hotel does not have a gym, but the great thing is they give you a free pass to the YMCA, which is on the next block. Overall, good stay for the price. I will stay again to save a few bucks.

Disappointing It was my first time staying at the Berkeley hotel and despite its four stars and great reviews, I was disappointed. The staff were very kind and check-in went well. At first glance my room looked kept and tidy. When I inspected the bedroom and bathroom more closely, I noticed issues. The rooms felt grimy and dusty. The carpet needed more vacuuming, I could feel dirt and debris through my socks. Yuck! A small lounge chair needed proper vacuuming as I could see food crumbs on the seating and in the cracks. Again yuck! Hard surface areas needed more cleaning as it felt there was dust build up. There are two phones one in the bedroom and one in the bathroom. Both felt gross to use if I needed to make a call. The bedding and mattress felt worn out and needed replacing. The mattress was very soft. While I'm sure they would be great for some travelers, those that like extra firmness will find them uncomfortable. There were many pillows but dust covered them when I began to remove them. The bathroom is where the most issues lie. The wallpaper had stains all over. Either rust or debris covers some of the metal fixtures. The air filter grate was covered in dust and had not been cleaned in years. The bathroom grate is worse then the one in the bedroom. This gave me concerns about the air quality. During my stay there was a very unpleasant smell which smelled like sewage. Ordering food for breakfast was confusing. The QR code in the room tells you the hours of operation for breakfast. When I called the front desk and kitchen, there was no response so I had to go down to the front desk and ask. I was told that they do not offer breakfast at the moment due to renovations. Guests should be made aware of this and given information about nearby restaurants. Overall, I was disappointed and grossed out during my stay in the room. I hope the renovations they have planned will improve the quality.