Berkeley City Club

I would not stay here again. They have weddings on weekends and the DJs play very loud music until at least 11pm. The old windows in the hotel allow all of the sound in making it impossible to sleep when there’s a wedding or other event. I was unable to sleep despite more than hour of conscious effort to do so. The old, hard full size beds don’t help either. On top of that, the hotel feels old and haunted in a bad way.

Absolutely breathtaking venue. I had the pleasure of attending (and reading at) the Generations Poetry Reading at the Berkeley City Club and was enamored from the second I stood outside the steps of the looming structure in all it’s regal architecture. It just felt gilded and graceful, and walking inside just brought a sharper inhale and an instant widening of the eyes. Although the front desk agent was extremely rude and dismissive, my dad and I were in too good of spirits to let it bother us. We glided up the staircase to inspect the rest of the place and were instantly impressed. As usual, I had to go to the ladies’ room and loved the separate powder room and stalls setup. Now, it certainly wasn’t any sprawling Nordie’s sitch but it got the job done and it was tastefully vintage enough for me to truly appreciate the abode. Next, we hung out in what I can only describe as the upper lobby area before pushing onward to an outer patio where those of us due to perform were instructed on the proceedings of the evening.
Throughout the evening, I marvelled at the décor (a testament to the superb design skill of Julia Morgan) and added it to my list of potential wedding spots if I ever decide to give up my freedom to the ol’ ball an’ chain.
And yes, there was a bar. And no, I didn’t utilize it.

We are glad we chose the BCC as our wedding venue. It’s absolutely stunning and the service is great. We got to work with Sandy and then Sandra, both venue managers were a true pleasure to work with. The event went really smooth, thanks to the BCC and our wedding coordinator that the venue required us to hire (which was probably the best idea of all). The food was excellent, all file mignons were cooked perfectly, the risotto tasted delicious, the personnel was efficient and almost invisible. Our videographers told us that this venue was the best venue they’ve ever worked at. That was such a delight to hear! Loved this place and everything about it! Very Julia Morgan

First off, it costed $ 145 – 185 a night. So the bar has been set.
Room: Small and cozy, bed decent enough. One thing I noticed, no TV. Now I don’t really care about the TV itself, I travel a lot and don’t think I’ve ever even turned on a hotel TV before, but at $ 145 – 185 a night, could they bother to provide me with the option?
Cold shower. How is this acceptable, I don’t know, but yeah, it was cold.
individual key lock (as in a metal key for each door) caused some annoyance.
They’re trying to pull of the old style, rustic, but rich and expensive too. All I really got was the expensive without any real benefit. I would not stay here again nor would I recommend it. For the price paid, this was a terrible stay.

I’m in a grandma brothel looking room. If you’re into small rooms with nothing then go for it. NEVER AGAIN! What a waste of money for a room that has absolutely nothing to offer. I am so heated I spent money on this room. The guy at the front desk didn’t even act surprised when I just walked out. I guess if you’re having a wedding here then it’s worth the shitty rooms but if you need a room over night this is the worst

We used the hotel tonight app to find a place in Walnut Creek this week and the only place close was the City Club in Berkeley. We drove 20 minutes to get there at midnight, circle 3 times to find the place and head inside. This place was super creepy at first, its was like a very old monastery, something out of the 1800’s. Once we settled in, slept the night and then walked the entire building in the morning we were so impressed we will totally come back. The service was great, the landscape and architecture was amazing, this is a place everyone should stay at at-​least one time. Breakfast is complimentary, coffee is flowing and the rooms are perfect. Pleasantly surprised.

was interested in staying here was looking at photos but mostly see photos of Jo & lackeys wedding who n the hell are Jo @ Lacey and why did they take over the hotels site?

One star is too many.
Words cannot express the level of dissapointment I have with this hotel.
The staff is borderline retarded. Seriously, they are very low functioning, non English speaking clowns.
Since I am somewhat darker skinned, I always expect a bit of racism everywhere I go… this place didn’t dissapoint. I get it, I don’t look like a doctor (whatever that means), but it’s always great to be treated like a criminal upon checking into a hotel.
Let’s get to the hotel itself tho:
I asked for two keys, they refused, citing no real reason and didn’t offer a solution.
After being unpleasently greeted, I opened the door to my room and was blown away by how terrible it was. Very small, smelled terrible, no TV and… did I mention VERY cramped.
No king beds, only queen size.
Continental breakfast was lackluster and very basic. Pool really sucked. WhoTF requires a swimming cap? lol.
The bartender was ok, but the place was deader than a library. If you’re looking for a fun time and to be treated with respect… try litteraly, ANY other hotel in The Bay Area.
Lastly, they overcharged my card. I’ve called 3 times and have been directed each time to «call back later» each time.
They can keep the money they stole from me, at this point.
Trust me tho people… don’t do it

I had my wedding at the Berkeley City Club last June. It is Julia Morgan at her best — the building and the décor are stunning and all the different rooms create such a gorgeous backdrop for the reception. We held our ceremony in a nearby church instead of the city club, but guests were able to walk between locations. Guests raved about the venue and the events staff was wonderful.
Sandy Roissier, who manages events, is incredible. She was on top of every detail and made the entire process very easy for us. The bridal suite is a wonderful touch, with a lovely view of the bay. You can also schedule your hair appointment at the salon on the ground floor — Dale Oxley hair studio is fantastic and the location is so convenient.
My only suggestion would be to shop around for day-​of coordinators if it’s allowed. The woman we were assigned was nice but not very proactive or engaged. She didn’t arrive until a few hours before the ceremony so my bridesmaids and I had to deal with a vendor or two. Luckily, Sandy was there and took over for us.
Other than that the day went exactly as planned and I couldn’t be happier. Cal alumni with CAA membership even receive a discount! I absolutely recommend Berkeley City Club for an unforgettable, beautiful wedding.
Service Provided 5, Experience 5

This review is long overdue as we held our beautiful wedding reception here on October 12^th, 2013.
The City Club was just stunning and perfect to say the least. The event turned out better than we ever expected.
The City Club was perfect for my old fashioned wedding theme. We had cocktail hour in the library with a live piano player entertaining our guests as they sipped on cocktails. The beautiful outside Terrace under the moonlight, had the bar set up and had beautiful twinkling lights and lit candles everywhere. Our guests were free to move in and out as they pleased. The reception was held in the Ballroom which was large enough to comfortably accommodate our 175 guests and a dance floor. We had our guests served their dinner and my beautiful wedding cake on display on top of the stage in the front.
Working with Sandy, the event coordinator at the BCC, made the entire planning process perfect and easy. She was professional, responded to our countless emails immediately and was extremely organized. Sandy even approved my request to decorate my entire wedding myself the night before. On the night of my reception, she coordinated wonderfully with her staff to make sure evrything was excuted to perfection as we had discussed. We were also impressed by the other staff members at the Womens City Club. The food served at dinner was excellent. The serving staff was very professional and worked quickly to fill champagne glasses and to clear the room after dinner was over.
This was a beautiful, classic, old fashioned night for my husband and I, and our 175 guests. It was truly a romantic night.

Beautiful historic building!
Lots of common areas to sit, relax and play a game or just enjoy the central atrium with the sounds of running water and greenery everywhere against the neo-​gothic building.
Reasonably priced, beautiful, walking distance to restaurants, beautiful views.
One possibly non-​positive thing you should know — no AC in the rooms. I wouldn’t stay here on warmer days. Also, the rooms aren’t many frills but it looks original and historic which is what we were looking for.

This review is long overdue as we held our wedding reception here in May 2014.
We are extremely happy that we choose to have our wedding reception at the Berkeley City Club (BCC). The venue was just stunning and the event turned out better than we ever expected.
We loved that almost the entire 2^nd floor of the BCC was reserved for our event. We had cocktail hour in the Member’s Lounge and the Terrace, with a bar set up in both locations. Our guests were free to move in and out as they pleased. The reception was held in the Ballroom which was large enough to comfortably accommodate our 175 guests and a dance floor. We set up the buffet and another bar in the Venetian Room which worked out perfectly because it was out of the way of the dinner tables.
Working with Sandy, the event coordinator at the BCC, made the entire planning process very easy for us. She was very professional and responded to our countless emails almost immediately. She was extremely organized and very detail oriented. On the day of the reception, she coordinated wonderfully with our outside vendors (florist, rentals, DJ, etc.) to make sure the setup was exactly as we had discussed. Not a single detail was left undone! We were also impressed by the other staff members at the BCC. The chef was very accommodating with some of our requests which we really appreciated. The food served at dinner was excellent. The serving staff was very professional and worked quickly to fill champagne glasses and to clear the room after dinner was over.
In the end, it was a very memorable night. I would highly recommend this venue to others.

Gayle and I recently attended the wedding of one of her employees here at the Berkeley City Club. The Bride was nervous and later told my lovely Bride that when she came into the ceremony and saw her smiling face, she knew everything was going to be all right. We had a fabulous time together in this wonderful monument to Julia Morgan.
This was the wedding that Gayle and I could have had, even though I wouldn’t have changed our Walnut Creek Civic Park venue. The building and it’s architecture is fabulous, and has me wondering how we can return for dinner, some other event, or even a hotel evening away from home. The service from Berkeley City Club staff was top notch, starting at the Julia’s bar and continuing on through the reception and dinner. The Bride was radiant and the energy was joyful, as we danced the night away.

I stayed here the past week only because there was a huge convention in the city and all the hotels were ridiculously expensive. I booked it since it was close to a Bart station and the pictures seemed nice. I guess I should have been cautious since most were wedding photos of the grounds and lobby.
I have to say that the rooms were a lot more run down than I was expecting. I was thinking it would be charming but it seemed more creepy in the rooms. It might just be my imagination going wild but it definitely reminds me of some horror films with the tub shower and old furnishings.
Don’t stay here for work! Which is what I was there for. No desks and spotty WiFi. Even in the lobby it was too slow for me to do work and I had to hunt out some coffee shops and cafes.
No air conditioning which was fine for October but I can imagine it gets stuffy in the summer.
Overall, I don’t think I would stay here again. I was spooked a little too much at night!

We stayed a couple nights at the Berkeley City Club. Very charming hotel.
Expect simplicity. There is no TV in the room. NOPE! NADA! I failed to tell the fiancée…OOPSIE!!! Well I thought it would be romantical to spend the nights looking into each others eyes and talking — LOL!!!
What I forgot was that a big boxing match was being aired the weekend we were in town, and we didn’t have a TV. We called local bars and no one was playing it… Double OOPSIE!!!
Nonetheless, the building is beautiful and they offer tours if you would like to tour the grounds and hear a little of the history. What I truly loved about this hotel is that it was quiet. It’s nice to get away from the busy lives and just lay in bed and hear nothing. Unfortunately our room was the farthest away from the elevator so the WIFI didn’t work. In fact, WIFI was only available on the first floor or (as we found out) get as close to the elevators for spotty service.
The club serves continental breakfast which was adequate for us as we ate out most of the time. You can pretty much walk everywhere and we were near downtown to do some interesting people watching.
There is a restaurant onsite, but check the hours. We wanted to eat dinner at this place, but it was closed one of the nights we were staying here.
Pricy to stay in, but worth the beauty and quietness!

What a cool spot. My friend and I had a stay-​cation here. We loved the library area. I can see why many folks host events here because the architecture is amazing. There’s a huge pool and a continental breakfast in the morning. Wi-​Fi is spotty and the shower takes awhile to warm up. Otherwise, it’s a decent place to lay your head for a night, it’s not too bad. If you’re looking for a luxury suite, this isn’t it.
The location is close to downtown and the campus. If you use the designated parking spots it’s $ 20. Street parking didn’t seem too bad if you arrive after 6pm. Just check the street signs.
It might be a cool spot to host an event.

This place is so incredibly awesome. If you’ve ever visited Hearst Castle, staying at this hotel gives you the feel that you’re staying in the castle. That is because Julia Morgan was the architect who designed both the Berkeley Club and Hearst Castle. The hotel looks kind of sketchy at night but once you step in, you feel like you are in the 1930s.
The rooms are relatively small but you can see the original tiling that was put into place when the club was built. Apparently, this facility was a woman’s club back in the day. I love that the lobby area has this small history of the building. The only downside is that a lot of their pamphlets and original documents is opened to the public to take home. I wish the hotel staff would donate this rich collection of papers to the UC Berkeley archive to preserve these awesome documents filled with rich history.
My husband and I came here for our honeymoon and we loved swimming in the giant pool. It was relatively empty when we went swimming. The pool looks so similar to the indoor pool at Hearst Castle. The morning breakfast is also delightful. We came here about 3 years ago so things might have changed but it was a really delicious breakfast. The interior of the dinning room is really nicely decorated and has the beautiful Gothic/​California style architecture. Remembering my visit here brings a smile to my face. It was absolutely a treat to stay here.

Zero stars.
Why did my review go from five (glowing) stars to zero?
Simple: unauthorized credit card charges and no management answers.
Fine. I’ll take it up with the bank and post reviews everywhere to let people know.
Never again. I don’t care how great the architecture is. You fuck with my wallet and it is over. Fin.

I went to Berkeley City Club as a guest for one night, so I didn’t get a chance to see half of the property. I’m not that rich just yet, but the day will soon come when I’ve got a gorillion dollars, my own butler, and a shiny membership card.
Still, what I did see was nice. The Olympic-​sized pool is well kept (and heated!) and the garden goes well with their free coffee and tea bar. But it’s the architecture that makes it worth your stay — designed by Julia Morgan, everything is crafted with TLC.
Just be warned — parking is $ 20 a night and there is still some construction going on as of this review.

Wow, impressive visit on a Living Social Voucher for $ 99 a night. We only stayed Saturday night. We walked around most of the hotel and really enjoyed it.
I give this hotel five stars because our visit was so pleasant. We were upgraded to a suite first of all. All the staff we came into contact with were friendly and helpful, welcoming and warm.
Our suite was so comfortable with a queen bed with matress pad, tiled bathroom, several large closets, and a sitting room which included a twin bed that may have been a trundle. We were in room 304 on the third floor and they had a wifi router near the elevator. The wifi in our room was good but we had trouble streaming a movie, but surfing the internet and email were fine.
The room was as clean as could be and I felt good staying there.
As many say the architecture of the building and details is outstanding, so beautiful. The garden areas through the windows takes you back in time. The pool was gorgeous but we didn’t use it.
Parking was $ 20 per night and the lot is next door to the hotel.
To address some of the complaints, the windows in the rooms are original and I could see how it could be noisy during the week but there was no construction while we were there. They provided ear plugs which was a nice touch and they work, use them! The staff were excellent, not sure what that is all about. The shower/​tub was excellent even with hot and cold separate faucets.
The location is excellent, close to University, Telegraph Ave., Bart and the shopping district. We brought our bikes and took the Bicycle Blvd. to the Marina and to the 4^th Street shopping.
Great stay and we will definitely keep in mind when we visit Berkeley again.