The Inn at Jack London Square

the folks who work here are incredibly cool so it’s a huge drag for me to write a bad review but it has to be done. A hotel isn’t shit if you can’t get a good night’s rest. A common problem hotels have– a big clunky AC unit that loudly turns on and off. Who the fuck can sleep with that going on? Does ANYONE have something this obtrusive and cumbersome at home? I do like white noise (or air purifier, or AC) but when it turns off it wakes me up. And when it turns back on it wakes me up. I tried to put it to the lowest temp so it would just stay ON. It was freezing in the room and it eventually turned off anyway. Which woke me the fuck up. So i turned it off (there is no fan function, only the fan speed for when it’s on AC or heat). and it got somewhat warm in the room. Which made it hard to sleep. now one great feature of the Inn at JLS is that apparently it’s right next to some railroad tracks because there’s a loud as hell (with some kind of horn going on!!!) clusterfuck of a train going by every 40 mins or so ALL NIGHT. So i didn’t sleep for SHIT. Not sure why you would put a hotel right next to a train. But the folks who work there are super nice. If you don’t like sleeping then this place is for you.

The trains start at 5:00 am, they are loud even in the «quiet rooms» I had to turn the fan on just to cover it with white noise. Construction starts at 8:00am so don’t plan on sleeping after that there is nothing to stop the noise. The rooms smell like bad cleaning chemicals and I ended up with a headache from it. The WiFi is terrible It kept cutting out and was very slow at times. Overall not a good place to stay unless you can tolerate a lot of bs.

While this place is a better option than the Jack London Inn up the street, which appears to be the inspiration of many horror movies, it’s NO gem. The sheets were clean and it was well maintained for an older hotel. Reminds me of apartments built in the 60’s. Our shower door fell off in the morning. Ok, stuff like that happens I guess but what sealed the deal for the single star rating? At 7:30am on Friday morning a construction crew began working outside our window. The noise of Jack hammers, saws, and concrete breaking up tore into our room. The floor and walls shook uncontrollably. My head went numb from the noise. Nuff said folks. Stay else ware. See the video. I’m very tolerant but this kinda took the cake.

Nice room. Wonderful desk service… Comfy bed. Be sure to request inside room, outside rooms noisy

I was staying at Jackson inn for the NCSM 2016 math conference. I rarely post any reviews l, but I have to post this gross photo with ants. Please Jackson inn, do something about your business. If you want to improve your hotel, do something about this.

In a good location, staff is friendly but for $ 140 a night I expect the cable and internet to work! The cable cut out so much it was unwatchable and the WiFi kicked me off every five minutes. Staff was sympathetic but said it happens when the hotel is full. Uuuuhhhhh, then get a better cable provider! Not worth the money.

Stayed here for the bar exam, it’s a short 5 minute drive to the Oakland convention center.
Rates were fair for the area. They charge an extra $ 20 per night for parking, which is comparable to parking garages but I feel like they could include that in the rate.
Room is nice if a little dated. One of the outlet covers were missing.
Biggest complaint is the unreliable wifi. Absolutely unusable. Call me entitled but when you advertise high-​speed internet, make sure it works.

if you are looking for a location that is a nice upgrade from a motel 6 then you may have found the right spot. At nearly $ 275 a night this place is a bad dream. It feels very much like the motel that Bruce Willis stayed in in Pulp Fiction. The room was tiny and had too much furniture, the light fixtures did not have light bulbs so you had to trip over yourself to get to the light on the bed stand. The gentleman working the counter when we left it was helpful I’m getting my boarding pass printed out there should be a dedicated workstation for this these days. My last issue is that the bathroom sink didn’t drain. There is a Marriott up the street but it was Super Bowl weekend in San Francisco and they were sold out when I was there.

I stayed at this inn for 3 nights while taking the bar exam at the Oak Convention Center. Since I was not there on vacation, my main priorities were 1) to be able to refrigerate/​heat up food in the room, 2) to get good sleep, and 3) safety.
After spending an average of $ 75-​$ 100/​night more on a previous attempt at the Oak Marriott, I decided to save my money and try this place out instead. I am really glad I did. While this spot is not luxurious by any means, it is clean and accommodating. They have a covered parking garage for approximately $ 18/​day which also beats the Marriott rate. There is a medium sized pool with lounging areas and a tiny gym which I did not utilize.
Despite rumors you hear about how «unsafe» Oakland can be, come on. this is NOT a bad area. Jack London Sq. is one of the most affluent tourist-​ridden spots. A block or two over you have waterfront restaurants!
A brisk walk got me to the convention center (12^th St) in approximately 7 minutes! If you are considering staying here for the bar, I recommend this location.
FOREWARNING: They do not typically provide mini-​fridges in the room. I had requested one ahead of time (for a small daily fee) and called twice to confirm. When I checked in, I found that to my dismay, I still did not have a fridge. I nearly had a heart attacked and caused quite a stir. The nice employees ended up giving me the fridge from their employee lounge.

This place is nicer than described and clean.
My biggest issue is that it’s SO loud. I can hear every TV and people walking above me. Also, it’s next to the train but so are the other JLS hotels.
Sorry to tell you visitors, but this is a safe area. Homeless are everywhere especially across the bridge in SOMA and downtown. This is the Bay Area people.

This is a decent hotel near the harbor. Within walking distance of Jack London Square. Rooms and facilities are clean and the beds are super comfy. There is a pool with a nice outdoor seating area. DO NOT CONFUSE WITH THE JACK LONDON INN. They are about 1.5 blocks from each other but night and day in terms of cleanliness etc.

This place was in a great location. It was walking distance of Jack London Square and surrounded by restaurants. It had a nice pool for guests and a convenient parking garage. The room was comfortable and clean. No issues and friendly staff.

I love this place. We were looking for a reasonably priced hotel close to a work assignment here in Oakland and boy did we hit pay dirt! This place is older and frankly looks a little rough on the outside but once you check in and enter the pool area and the rooms you find it is really kind of charming. The beds and pillows are super comfortable even the towels are fluffy. The entire premises are kept very clean. We felt very safe the whole time. Location, location, location!!! Within a block of Jack London Square where you can dine at waterfront restaurants, walk through various festivals, shop and generally enjoy the people watching. You can also catch the ferry and be in San Francisco in only half an hour. Free shuttle runs up and down Broadway will get you to BART. Weather was terrific too. I will definitely stay here next time I travel to Oakland.

To paraphrase The Most Interesting Man in the World: I don’t always stay in Oakland, but when I do; I prefer the Inn at Jack London Square.
The grounds are kept up to a very clean standard. Their pool is clean, and the water is soft with what seems to be the salt water based treatment; rather than the typical and harsher chlorine based treatment. I woke up too late to use their fitness room, but it looked like it was maintained and ready for use.
My room was on the 2^nd floor, and when you opened the back door, you got a great view of the pool, and the downtown Oakland skyline (the red neon clock on the Tribune building looks really cool at night from room 229). I really enjoyed being able to just sit at night on the balcony, and enjoy the night view for about a half-​hour! The room was clean, with free wi-​fi, and one of the more comfortable beds that I’ve slept on in any hotel.
The location is great, because you’re in walking distance of Jack London Square. The Square is safe, clean, fun, and rife with restaurants and bars which serve good food and drink.
Now, if you take everything I just wrote; you could say that I could get away with giving this place 4 stars… Maybe even 3. However, what bumped this fine inn up to 5 stars was their IMPECCABLE SERVICE! Let me tell you about the service that I received.
I was finishing up a 5,500 mile driving trip (which was AWESOME, by the way!), and was 2 hours north of Oakland, when I realized that I had forgot a coupon I had for the Inn. So, I emailed the Inn, and described the coupon in very heavy detail (that way, I hoped they could tell that I wasn’t bull-s*#tting them!). I asked if they would honor the coupon, even though I left it at home like a jackball.
Within 30 minutes, a woman named Rebecca returned my email. She asked if I had a reservation, or if I intended to come in that night (it was about 2 p.m. when I contacted them). That was the only email I received from her. I sent back an email saying that I was coming in that day.
So, I drove to the Inn, where I was greeted by one of the more kind, friendly and warm ladies in town. I should have gotten her name, doggone it! She was a grandmotherly African-​American woman who had a smile that just melted the 5,000 miles of driving (in 17 days) away like butter! I told her of my predicament, and of the email. She immediately called Rebecca, and within 30 seconds, hung up the phone with that smile. She told me that there’d be no problem.
I was so happy that Rebecca showed trust in a previous visitor (I got the coupon from my last visit there; about a year ago), and honored the invisible coupon! So happy I was, that I went ahead with my cheap ass, and paid for the $ 18 parking. Usually, this tightwad will find a parking space up to ½ mile away, and leave his car there; rather than pay for parking. However, with Rebecca’s friendly, good service; I figured I «owed ‘em one.»
I read the 1-​star reviews about this place, and I just don’t understand some people. Complaining about (long ago finished) construction? So the hotel tries to improve its looks, and gets criticized… What is the hotel supposed to do, close down and lose money while improving? Get over it!
I honestly think that some of the negative reviews are from people who made a mistake that so many people make: They’re talking about the JACK LONDON INN, and not THE INN AT JACK LONDON SQUARE! When they say the lobby isn’t like the one pictured; they’re wrong. It’s EXACTLY as the one pictured! I’ll bet you $ 50 that those people went to the 2-​bit, wh*rehouse fleabag of the JACK LONDON INN instead of the very, clean, well-​kept INN AT JACK LONDON SQUARE. Make sure you reserve for the latter! Make double sure that you’re reserving for the INN AT JACK LONDON SQUARE!!!
I’ve stayed at this place 3 times, and I’ve always left there happy with my choice. That’s because of their service! THAT’S why I’ve kept coming back. THAT’S why I’ll only stay there when in Oakland!!! And THAT’S why I’M RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT IN 2016!!! (the crowd cheers!!!) …Ok…I got carried away there… Sorry!
I’ll end this by simply saying that you’ll have a great time, at a fair price if you stay at the INN AT JACK LONDON SQUARE.

We picked this place because we were on a tight budget and needed to stay in Oakland. As we fancied a few cocktails late at night the photos of this looked OK. Me and my homie both had deluxe rooms on the 3^rd floor and frankly they were not bad at all. The room was clean, the bedding crisp I really can’t complain. The parking was super tight but we did manage to get a spot, the Wifi was good and the bars were within walking distance. I am a bit of a Marriot guy and I have stayed in some nice hotels, and this was not bad at all. I would definitely stay again.

Good: safe parking. Comfy Bed.
Bad: Cigarettey smelling rooms.
Ugly: Loud trains.
Definitely not a Three star. A half star up from a Motel 6, so if I could give it a 1 ½ star, then I would.
Don’t stay here if you can avoid it.

The Inn at Jack London Square is in a cool area surrounded by bars, restaurants and coffee shops. Not too far from 12^th Street BART Station. Small hotel, motel style. The Interior overlooks an eyesore of a pool or something which may or may not be under construction. Not good.
The rooms are old style but beds are very comfy.
Nice front desk personnel.
Badly in need of a renovation and I am not that picky.

Posi: Bed is decently comfortable and it is very central to Jack London Square, which is very cute and has lots of walkable restaurants, bars, cafes, and activities.
Negs:
The reviews are totally true– it really smells funky in the rooms. Like cigarettes and bleach. I have a weak sense of smell & I almost couldn’t stand it without the window open…
I requested a King Suite, as I am traveling solo, and was strangely put into a room with 2 beds.
There is also construction going on in the pool area, so it’s quite noisy. The train does go through fairly often and you can hear it. And having to keep your window open due to the smell means you can’t avoid the noise.
All in all, the location made it worth it for one night, but definitely would try to find a less stinky, noisy hotel in the future.

the good: it’s very close to Jack London Square and Chinatown. This makes walking to places fairly convenient. Our room was clean.
The bad: parking sucks. Good luck trying to find a place in the garage. Good luck trying to find a place on the streets if you can’t find a spot in the garage.
The room did not smell fresh. Musty.
At 2:45 AM two guys rolled their desk chairs outside near the pool and had a smoke and a conversation until 3AM. Then one guy left and went back upstairs where we could hear him and his female companion until 4AM. The other guy rolled his chair back into his room a little after that.
UPDATE: After complaining to the front desk the following morning, they moved us from the 1^st floor facing the pool, to the 3^rd floor away from the pool. Windows to the street. The new room was much nicer and featured a Frig. Very nice and super quiet.

While this motel is comfortable and clean, it’s not in the nice condition their pictures represent. The staff were very nice and helpful. They added a lot to the overall stay.
The advantages: It’s close to the freeway, Oakland Airport, and San Francisco. It’s pretty quiet. The room was very clean and the bed comfortable.
The disadvantages: No wifi or Internet connection that I could find. Even though it’s quiet the walls are pretty thin! Additional charge for parking ($ 18/​day).
Since I was in town on business, the room was paid for, and it was only 1 night my experience was fine. But if I were on my own I may try to find another motel.