Arena Hotel

Don’t let the sketchy reviews scare you off

This is no luxury hotel, as the price and photos should make clear. But the worst reviews here make it seem like a cesspool, and that is absurd. It’s a solid, basic hotel that offered everything we needed for our two night stay. The hotel was booked solid - they even had a sign up saying so, because so many people came in hoping to get a room - yet we were disturbed only briefly, by some guys playing midnight hacky-sack outside our window, and then again when they returned to their room (which was near ours). The hotel is in a neighborhood that is in the process of revitalization - there are a few empty buildings, but no scary people. Pros: * drugstore right next door, * a handful of decent dining choices in walking distance * a five minute walk will get you to the HP Pavilion. * free parking (they even gave us a parking pass for the friend who met us there) Cons: * smoking rooms on the same floor as non-smoking rooms - the elevator and hallways smell like smoke. * an outside smoking section directly outside the main entrance. * we had to drive to find a Jamba Juice

It’s hard to find anything open late. Even the area Subway’s close between 9:00 and 10:30, so be prepared with in-room snacks if you’re nocturnal. Turn to the right as you walk away from the hotel, walk a few blocks and find: a great used bookstore, several coffee shops, a few restaurants (Pomodoro, Chipotle, a sushi place, and, around the corner, a Subway and more coffee shops). Cross the street that’s almost directly outside the hotel and walk 3/4 miles through a pleasant neighborhood to reach a greasy/tasty pizza/Mexican joint with a good beer prices and selection, and big screen TVs.

Awesome Hotel

The hotel was awesome. It had complimentary dinner and breakfast which tasted great. It was conveniently located near downtown and the HP Pavilion and the staff was friendly and helpful. I would recommend this hotel to anyone.

Old-Fashioned Luxury at a Value Price

I stayed here for a few days while at a conference in San Jose. The hotel is hidden from the road by a brick wall, and that plus the unremarkable neighborhood (not unsafe, just not upscale) caused me to expect a run-down motel. Instead, I discovered a lovely, almost tropical-looking courtyard and an interior that I can only describe as "cruise ship" (lots of brass and accent lighting). For the money, my room was awesome: king-size bed, included wireless Internet, kitchenette (included stovetop, microwave and fridge) and a jacuzzi tub (would fit two easily) in the bathroom. I should also mention the included breakfast AND dinner, which were really not bad at all for no extra charge (e.g., breakfast included srambled eggs, sausage, biscuits and gravy, as well as the standard toast and cereal, and dinner was a take-it-or-leave-it single item like steak stir-fry). It had the feel of a place that was the epitome of luxury in the 80s and which decided to just stick with what it did best and not to modernize. I felt very at home there and would return in a heartbeat.

GREAT!

The hotel is located on the same side of the street as the Hcokey Pavilion in SJ. Its cute, quiant and you can get a room that has a jacuzzi tub! The staff was great and they now serve a FULL breakfast and a light dinner! This is a great place to saty and I am going again very soon!

Perfectly good place to stay ... with hot tub!

The jacuzzis are clearly the highlight of this hotel - one in every room. Otherwise, it’s basically a decent room at a decent price. Weekend popcorn has been discontinued, and the buffet breakfast was adequate (well more than a danish or two), but not awesome: eggs, sausage, potatoes for hot buffet, and good variety of cereals, breads, yogurt, and drinks. Room was pleasant and clean, though the ac was old and loud.

Better than the past reviews

Arena is just about a half mile from all the "nice" hotels in SJ. When I checked in, they tried to give me a smoking room which I refused. Heading upstairs the smell of smoke in the hall was fairly heavy; obviously they have a lot of smoking rooms. Although I was very wary from the smell when I was walking down the hallway, when I got in my room I was pleasantly surprised. There was no smoke smell whatsoever, and would you believe it, there was a full-sized/two person jacuzzi in the bathroom. The place was quiet and the beds were reasonably comfortable. Sure, it wasn’t the DeAnza (where my friends were staying--we were in town for a half-marathon) but since it was half the price of their rooms and I only spent about 90 minutes awake in my room during my stay, it was great for my needs. My bet is that you can get a decent room and avoid the bad rooms that were commented on by past reviews by simply refusing a smoking room.

Hidden Value

This hotel has all of the amenities that I needed. Great for working people who wants leisure as well. It is also located next to a drug store which is great.

Traveler's tip on saving a few bucks

You can purchase water next door. This hotel is also close to the airport and downtown.

Nice hotel and very close to HP Pavilion

We enjoyed our room. It was comfortable and clean. WE were able to walk to a concert.

Arena Review

I stayed at the Arena Hotel for a concert. Customer service and attentiveness was excellent. I enjoyed my stay. The only complaint I have is, they have the worst pillows I have ever had at a motel/hotel. All else was fine, and I would stay there again. (I would bring my own pillow tho)

Traveler's tip on local attractions

The Hotel is within walking distance of The HP Pavillion. But book early for concerts etc. they sell out fast.

Short trip to San Jose

The Arena hotel was ok, the breakfast was good however the dinner nothing to right home about. Overall I stayed 1 night and if I needed to be in the area again I would consider the Arena for my next stay.

Good location, convenient. A find for central/downtown San Jose

We live in San Jose and needed 2 nights while work was done on our house. Didn’t know about this hotel. Expedia found it for us. The location is great. Convenient to San Jose Rose Garden district, Santa Clara U., downtown, HP Pavilion, 4 nearby tennis courts, and freeways. Rooms are nice and the staff friendly and competent. Complimentary breakfast and evening snack dinner were below average but OK. WiFi in rooms and around the property, plus available business center computer and printer make it work for business travelers, too. We will recommend it for out of town guests.

Another great stay

We travel from Reno to San Jose for Sharks games several times a season. We really like this place. True, its a little bit weird, with its decor a cross between a cute bed and breakfast and a casino. Its always clean, the help is mostly helpful, the free breakfast is sufficient. Enjoy the jacuzzi tubs! Another big binus is the free parking. Its a very short walk to HP for games, and an easy walk in either direction to some good eats and hangouts. My only complaint is that it is always really hot in the lobby and hallways!

Traveler's tip on dining

Try Pasta Pomodoro just one block away for awesome food. The servers are hit and miss, unfortunately but the food is delicious and the ambience in the evenings is bustling and fun with a great fireplace going.

hotel

I reserved a room with two queen beds and was given a room with a king bed. I was not awear of this till I got to my room, which left me no place for my children to sleep(one would think if there was four people for that room there would be two beds). After I went back to the lobby and they offerd me a non smoking suite(great right), but it wreaked of smoke.I ultimately stayed in the first room with a roll away bed. This room also had oders of smoke.

great for the price

older and a little worn, this hotel was a great buy for the price. nice big rooms, frig, microwave and breakfast, comfy bed.

Nice hotel. Walking distance to the Shark Tank!!!!

Our room was next to the street so it was a bit noisy, but not enough to not want to make us come back. I will be staying here for any return trips to San Jose.

Beautiful Hotel

I recommend viewing your room first. The first Non-Smoking room we were given was clearly not a Non smoking room, the hallway of the smoking section smelt better. After speaking with the front counter we were quickly given a new room on the other side of the hotel and it was much better. We enjoyed our stay and had no further problems. We will return when we go back to the area.

Traveler's tip on dining

Some inexpensive dining with in walking distance

smell of smoke

The room rate is pretty good with free breakfast and dinner from Monday to Thursday.

Nice and Inexpensive

Nice surprise--the Arena hotel has a European feel to it, nestled right into a central location close to the airport and downtown. The room was clean, the bed was reasonably comfortable, and the free breakfast was adequate. Not a hotel for a special event, but certainly just right for a quick business trip. We’d definitely stay again.

Best new find

This is the third hotel for a concert event we have tried over the years, and by far the best. We will never book a different hotel again, given the choice. It far exceeded our expectations! Just 2 blocks from the HP Pavilion, great room, and they feed you a very nice hot dinner and breakfast too!

Do Yourself a Favor and Avoid This Place

We were on a roadtrip from LA to SF with a stop overnight in San Jose. We just needed a clean place to sleep. However, the sheets were dirty and had stains, the pillows had lumps and holes and when we asked for new ones they never brought them after saying they would, the fridge that comes in the room could not keep our bottled waters cold after putting them in there all night and the freezer didnt freeze, the 2 person jacuzzi tub was so dirty, the mattress was like sleeping directly on springs, and the towel handles broke off. The breakfast was ok it did the job but the staff had no idea what customer service is. The other guests seemed more like residents there. The type of people that stayed there were really freightening and we made sure our door was locked with a deadbolt. I would not consider staying here again even for the free breakfast (by the way get there early or it’s gone and they dont refill). San Jose in general was a city I would never visit again but I did see other nicer hotels if you must stay here. Next time I will spend the extra money and stay in San Francisco. Stay away from this place.

Traveler's tip

Stay in another city and dont see the Winchester House. It seemed so interesting but its really just a house that does not have any of the original pieces just reproductions and fill in furniture.

Very satisfied

Great Hotel to stay in for reasonable price,which included a free breakfast buffet,free coffee all day long and each room has frig and microwave. Conveniently located in downtown San Jose.Would stay there again.

We will definitely return

Very comfortable, spacious, courteous staff, nice breakfast the next a.m., the ONLY downside I could think of was we could smell cigarette smoke either through the vents, or in the walls, not sure. It was a non-smoking room.

Traveler's tip on local attractions

Within 5 minutes of the HP pavillion, walking! Loved that!

Great Deal

This was a great deal for the price. And the free breakfast was SUPER! We probably saved $15-$20 each morning with the breakfast. The room had everything - refrig, microwave, extra pillows and blankets, stove. We would stay here again!

Traveler's tip on dining

The free Breakfast was really good - saved us quite a bit!

Some issues

The hotel is nice from the outside and fine as you step into the lobby, but when we entered our room, it was a throw back from the 80’s. If you have any lack of mobility, you will not like the jacuzzi tub/shower, but it was doable for us. The air conditioning unit was literally iced over, literally! That wouldn’t have been SO bad if it just didn’t drip onto the carpeting making it a soggy mess. To avoid the annoying dripping sound of the drops hitting the wet carpet, I placed a garbage can underneath the drip, which helped. Sounds like a nightmare, but when I consider the price we got the hotel for, the fact that they served a light dinner and a light breakfast that we took advantage of AND the fact that we didn’t have to pay for parking at the HP Pavilion because it was within walking distance, I wasn’t going to complain.

The closeness to HP Pavillion is a plus.

The hotel in itself is a good place to stay especially doing business in HP Pavilion. The smell of cigarette smoke is very obvious in the hall ways. The free breakfast is okay and the dinner too. The jacuzzi is fun to have. Parking is readily available without extra cost.