Family Stay at Courtyard Marriott San Jose North

October 26, 2016 Margalit Sturm Francus

Over the holiday weekend, my family and I stayed at the Courtyard by Marriott San Jose North Silicon Valley. Located at 111 Holger Way, San Jose, the Courtyard is a recently opened hotel in tip-top shape and has a lovely newness about it. We felt that it was good value for money and had decent service. It is right off the 880 freeway and close to many company headquarters, so it is easily accessible. Being so close to restaurants and two mini-malls makes it a convenient place for a getaway or prolonged stay for most travelers.

What Makes it Family Worthy

The cost of the Courtyard is reasonable for most hotels. The hotel is also, as mentioned before, relatively close to the freeway and located inside a mini-mall with various restaurants. There are plenty of food choices literally outside the hotel. There is a Target Mall and a Chipotle, Chic-Fil-A and other fast-food places which serve this part of the Valley very well.

Fellow travelers

Business people coming for interviews or temporary employment in the high-tech companies frequent the property on weekdays. However, families who come to visit or travelers who wish to stay close to San Francisco without paying an exorbitant price for a hotel room also frequent this location.

Our Welcome

Our check-in experience hit a snag when we arrived at 4 pm, and the room wasn’t ready.
Though my husband had mentioned our need for a quiet room at booking, the lack of a follow-through call to the property itself saw us allocated to a room facing the busy freeway on the first floor. The manager, to our amazement, was both understand and accommodating and reassigned us to a quieter room facing the parking lot on the fifth floor.
The manager also contacted housekeeping and expedited the change of bed linens and pillows to accommodate our feather allergies.

Hotel Decor

The hotel’s minimalist decor is tasteful with modern silvers, dark browns, and some blues. The modern decor provides a pleasant ambiance with distinct sections for people to quietly work at their computer while others chat with family and friends.

Our Room

We stayed in room 540. Our door had extra locks and a device to jam the door should someone try to break in, an additional layer of security we appreciated. Earthy hues, including a light brown carpet, decorated the room, accented with turquoise artwork on the walls. In the entry hall, there was a little coffee machine with non-pod coffee and tea provided and an empty mini-fridge, which is handy.

We had a comfortable King-sized box spring bed as well as the fold-out sofa bed which was a bit springy. There was a plug in nightlight, digital clock, and phone by the bed, with enough space to comfortably get out in the morning. Of course, when the sofa is being used as a bed, there is no alternative for seating.

We turned the couch, which had a standing lamp next to it, into a bed for our son. While the AC unit was right next to the bed, we could close it at night while he slept. Of course, when the sofa was used as a bed, there was no alternative for seating.

The room had a nicely sized desk with a pull out shelf for your keyboard. The chair for the desk was a comfortable swivel chair. Next to the desk sat the set of drawers with the 40 inch TV on top. The hotel offered us many channels, including HBO.

We had both thin and thick light blocking curtains over the window. We had a view of the street, since as mentioned we had requested a room not facing the freeway.

There is a standing closet with an ironing board which was small but adequate for a short visit such as ours. It was certainly enough to fit all of our carry-on size bags.

We counted six power outlets, enough for charging all our portable electronic devices. We had free Wifi as Marriott Gold loyalty members, and it was reliable and reasonably fast service.

All in all, we found the room to be a compact and functional room perfect for our length of stay.

Our Bathroom

The compact bathroom had modern decor with simple lines, pictures of San Francisco, and a speckled granite counter top. There was a simple glass shower with no grab bars inside a glass enclosure. The shower was also raised, reducing the risk of flooding.

The bathroom only had one hook to hang a towel or robe. Housekeeping provided a sample sized Paul Mitchell toiletry set.

Amenities

The Courtyard Hotel has a small pool and hot tub that is useful for occupying the kids and for adults to relax in the late afternoon and evening hours. They even have a Gym for guests who want to work out while staying.
Like all Courtyards, this hotel features a small store where one can buy snacks and a couple of frozen items. The hotel also features the relatively new concept of an onsite bistro that serves cooked breakfast, lunch and dinner items.

We opted to have the healthy choice sandwich which was egg, spinach and Havarti cheese in an English muffin for breakfast, with Starbucks coffee. However, there are many other more budget-friendly options in the two mini-malls next to the hotel.

One can make use of the spacious, smoke-free lobby with its colorful futuristic designs. It is a fun place to work on a laptop or enjoy a happy hour beer.

Parking is free though the lot can become crowded in the evenings.

Service

As mentioned before, the front desk staff was helpful with accommodating our son with autism’s needs. Also, housekeeping promptly brought requested extra soap and towels when we asked.

Cost

The hotel is budget-friendly with prices ranging from $110-$300 per night depending on the date. The price increases when there are conferences in town.

Autism Travel Tips:

The design of the property means that half the rooms face a busy freeway and are not a good fit for noise-sensitive travelers. To ensure quiet, make sure that you specifically ask for a room facing the parking lot on a high floor.
Bring entertainment for the children as there aren’t that many TV channel choices.
Bring a non-slip shower mat, since the hotel, does not provide one.