Berkeley Inn

What can I say… you get what paid for.
Amazing internet speed!
End of story.

For the price and short overnight stay, it wasn’t too bad. The hotel manager, John, was nice. Check in is at 3:00pm and check out is at 11:00am, no complimentary continental breakfast is offered. I read a former Unilocal review mentioning car theft and asked if the hotel was monitoring the parking lot now, the manager said «No». Ugh! Fortunately we experienced zero car incidents. The room itself (see pictures) was decent and appeared clean-​ish, excluding the musky smell inside. The fridge worked — didn’t try the microwave.
North Berkeley BART station is a little over a mile away and there’s an awesome bar (The Albatross) less than four minutes away. Check it out!
Would I return? For a day or two, yes. If you don’t mind the bare necessities, try the Berkeley Inn.

One of the few affordable games in town.
I arrived a few days early for fall semester and needed a place. AirBnB had zero options, not even a backyard tent. Other motels were $ 150 and up. So I called Berkeley Inn, hoping against hope, and was told they had a single room available; a smoking, but hey, that beats sleeping in my car. The motel has a tiny little lot. It’s removed enough from the traffic lunacy of downtown that you should have no problems parking.
When you enter at the stairwell, the manager’s office is on the right. His family/​kids were all over the place and all friendly enough. As I waited about ten minutes for service – the manager was on the phone and plainly unhappy about something – I observed trash bags and brooms flying off a third story balcony into the parking lot. Bombay-​style housekeeping, I suppose. Moving along. The manager finally got off the phone and advised that he could give me a non-​smoking room. Hurray! He also knocked a few bucks off my stay and offered a pleasant smile. I offered one in return. Saving money has that effect on me. As another reviewer mentioned, his English wasn’t great (it is serviceable) and he spent an inordinate amount of time staring at my ID and debit card.
The correct WiFi network is «Wi-​Fi Berkeley Inn» and you need the password from management at check-​in. Wi-​Fi worked well enough across my laptop and phone.
The room will win no awards. Crummy old sofa, tiny desk, broken lamp, fairly old bathroom. But I had a good view of the street, the bed was clean, no roaches, plenty of privacy, parking, and this for $ 70 a night and about a mile from downtown Berkeley and two miles from campus. The room was also fairly spacious. Would a 3*+ star hotel be nicer? Yes. But for Berkeley I’m pretty content with the Inn’s comfort: price ratio.
In closing: if there’s nothing on AirBnB or couch surfing, this is probably your best bet if you’re a poor like me.

One of the worst hotel experiences of my life. I wish zero stars was possible. Drove all day and checked in around 11. I Wasn’t expecting luxury and you definitely get what you pay for here. The real problem was when I woke up around 8 and found that my car windows had been smashed with cinder blocks. Luckily I had taken everything of real value inside with me but had to pay 300 dollars for new windows. The owner was incredibly rude and unhelpful and acted agitated that I had to wait in HIS parking lot all day to have my car windows fixed. It would have been nice if he had let me stay in the room and have late checkout while I waited 6 hours for repairs but alas I was forced to sit on the curb by my car. Avoid this hotel like the plague. Don’t choose a career in hospitality if you have none!

Horrible. it was so bad I could not stay and I have stayed in some gross places. The place looks like shit and smells really bad. im unfortunately writing this review a year later but the disgusting feel of it scares me. the bed sheets look like they’re never washed. Carpet is obviously dirty like someone died on it. You’ve been warned.

This is better than we expected for the cheap price! Clean room, full mini-​fridge and microwave. Premium television channels, covered parking. Free WiFi –just remember to re-​authenticate often. Check-​out was 11am, and the staff was friendly. This is definitely not the Ritz, but it was worth the price. Staying in Berkeley is usually very expensive with very little provided amenities. We would totally stay here again.

I stayed in berkeley for one night and went hunting on Unilocal for a relatively cheap hotel that didn’t have cockroaches the size of fists that I would have to battle in the middle of the night. I stumbled across this place and decided to go for it knowing full well the reviews were not the best. I’m a pretty mellow lady and I’ve got to say, the reviews of the owner that yells at you were a bit off putting.
I stepped up to the window where you check in and gave the owner my reservation and put on the best non terrified smile I could muster. It was really hard to understand him mainly because there is a glass window seperating you with a small speaking hole in the middle. He didnt really talk much either. He spent a lot of time staring at my ID and reservation. I’m not sure if he doesnt speak english very well or if he is shy or was angry… Or all three. I had to sign something that gave my address, drivers liscence number, phone number etc and then I got my key.
The room was small but clean. The sheets looked like they had been recently washed and there was a tv and mini fridge in the corner that worked fine. The shower was small but had lots of hot water and thats mainly all I cared about. The tv was kind of tucked away and you couldnt see the full screen while laying the bed but I didn’t care because I wasnt planning on staying in the room for the majority of my stay.
One of the things I didn’t like about this hotel was the parking situation. Such a small lot and so difficult to get out. Oh, also. the wifi situtation. He gave me a little slip with the wifi name and password when I checked in. When I tried to use it later there were like three different wifi networks saying they were for the berkeley inn yet I could not get a single one to work. Boo!!!
Overall this experience was Ok. It was a cheap hotel that was relatively clean, had hot water, and didn’t have a pest issue. Its also only a few blocks to a very neat little pub called the albatross.

Eek! The parking lot was full of trash. The rooms smell moldy and smoky. When we turned the shower on, smoke from the next room came through the drain and stunk up the whole room. I actually had an asthma attack because of the air quality in these rooms. I usually have little to no breathing problems but this room threw me over the edge. We didn’t feel safe here, either. The wifi was shoddy and went out frequently. The next morning, we were getting ready for the day and the power went out. It was due to a faulty breaker or a power overload. Regardless, very annoying. Throughout, the fridge didn’t work, either… it was plugged into a non-​functioning power strip (maybe one of the reasons the power went out). Overall we were not impressed and checked out early because this was not a place that we felt comfortable in.

Not really sure why there are so many bad reviews here. You get what you pay for, if you want luxury then get a hotel room for 200 dollars a night. The owners were very hospitable and the rooms were very clean. I would stay here again if I needed to visit the area again.

This place is cheap and super clean. The staff was very friendly. Don’t expect the room to have brand new furniture or flat screens. Stay here if you’re on a tight budget.

The Berkeley Inn heroically came to our rescue!
We thought we had booked at the Downtown Berkeley Inn but when we got there, they were snobbish. «WE don’t rent rooms for $ 55 a night. You must mean the Berkeley Inn down on San Pablo.» So we went down there, expecting the worse. But the beds were comfortable, the place was clean and it was obviously safe.
Not only that, but Casa Latina across the street has excellent Mexican food and there is Lanesplitters pizza and Indus Indian food and the Albatross Pub and Everette & Jones — all within blocks!
Berkeley Inn saved the day.

I am not a person who needs to stay in nice hotels (hence why I booked the cheapest room I could find), but I still was scared of catching a disease when I walked into this room. All I can say is don’t do it. There is not way that its worth $ 60 to get an STD or see blood stains on the wall. Spend the extra $ 80 and sleep through the night knowing you aren’t sharing a bed with insects.

This place is awful. My room looked like it was furnished with stuff the owner found on the curb. The water was YELLOW out of the faucet. Super rude owner/​clerk.

I read the reviews before i booked it but booked it anyway. I thought to myself, i wouldn’t have to deal with the hotel staff much, so who cares if they are rude. Well, i experienced it today and i haven’t even stepped foot on the property yet.
I booked a 3 night stay for a business trip and just needed a place to sleep, i wouldn’t be spending much time at the hotel. I needed something mailed to me for my event, but it wouldn’t get to my house in time before i left so i asked my buddy to ship it to the hotel. I have had stuff shipped to hotels many times and never had a problem. Plus, its just the size of a priority mail flat rate envelope, 8.5“x11″ not a huge box or anything.
I told my buddy to send it 3-​day fed ex so that it arrives the same day i got there, and told her to address it to the hotel, with attention to my name, and «guest arriving 9÷21÷12», so there would be no confusion. I called the hotel today to 1) add another day to my reservation since i was possibly arriving a day earlier, and 2) to let them know i am expecting this envelope.
As soon as i mentioned the package, the man started yelling at me! He was very difficult to understand, and he was so rude. He kept asking my name even after i repeated it over and over again for him. He seemed to be so frustrated and angry, even though i gave him all of the info he asked for. He said he had already refused the shipment and it was returned to the sender. I calmly asked why. He said, «we are not a shipping company!».
I explained that i understood that they were not a shipping company, and that my phone call was my attempt to let him know in advance since i wasn’t expecting the package to arrive for a couple more days. I told him that my name is on the reservation, and it’s the same name on the package. He said they just don’t accept mail for their guests.
Every time i tried to talk, he kept talking, yelling, and being rude. I kept having to say, excuse me, can i please say something without being interrupted? But he kept going… wouldn’t let me speak. I don’t think he heard one word i said after i told him i was expecting a package.
When he first told me that the package was refused, i did not get upset or have a bad attitude, i was very calm. I shrugged it off because not getting the package was not going to ruin my trip. It was the first time i had ever encountered that problem, but i know that i was wrong to not call the hotel in advance to make sure they can accept packages. I accept that responsibility. But his attitude was so horrible, and he was so incredibly rude, that i told him that i was canceling my reservation and that they just lost a customer. He then cursed at me. But i no longer felt comfortable with the idea of staying there, especially if he would be there when i checked in.
I hung up, called priceline, got my full refund 100%. They get nothing.

Ever stay in a French hotel room? Paper thin walls (I could hear through my medicine cabinet like it was a portal! Open it up, loud. Close it, they got quieter), no bath, tiny room, towels that cover one thigh, NO elevators (and no first floor rooms), bad parking, and a hotel clerk you can’t understand? Same exact experience at the Berkeley Inn.
I look Indian, so I actually didn’t have a problem with service – he actually tried to help me up 3 flights with my bags, but he downright sassed the person after me.
The bed was comfy, the floor was dirty, my fridge didn’t work although they swore it did, but again… very comfy bed. And the conversation next door about a man lamenting about showing his bits to a girl on their next date was hysterical that was echoing through my medicine cabinet.
Oh – just a weird lament but the SMALLEST soap ever, and cheap tiny packets of shampoo and conditioner. Toilet has very low water pressure. Shower stall is so small you have to squish into the opposite wall to rinse off.
But…comfy bed saves it from getting one star.

The place looks sketchy from the outside and the management gave me an extremely hard time. I would for sure not go back.

Shady shady place!!! Do not go here! Tried to charge us for 2 rooms wen we only booked 1. Extremely rude and horrible customer service. Told us to cancelle the room we didn’t book he would have to charge us $ 80 wen the room was only $ 60. Dirty place. Extremely sketchy looking area. Don’t go here!!! Just don’t! Such bad service! I am extremely dissatisfied. After everything he ended up somehow charging us $ 150 for cancellation on one room and stay for another room. there’s a soft tower building warning. Check the photos. It basically says its unsafe to be in that building because it won’t stay up

First off let me say that i was very upset by the customer service given.
I was looking for a good hotel to stay in. I showed up at midnite, rang the buzzer, this indian guy, in a very dry tone told me they had rooms and the prices. After saying i wanted a room, i gave him my picture ID, and my atm card. They give you forms to fill out, i didnt feel like feeling out a form to rent a room, seems dumb to me. So i filled it out and quickly signed my name on the form.
After signing he said the signature didnt match my ID signature. I told him i dont have to sign my signature like that everytime, do you need me to resign it the identical way? hinting that i had a fake ID or card. Sometimes i write the whole name, sometimes i initial, big deal, has never ever been problem for me anywhere. The guy kept insisting that the names didnt match, and i said you can tell thats my face! wtf dude…
i think he discriminated me for the color of my skin, and i said, do i need to resign, do you need cash, whats the porblem, at this point i was very upset, he was cold, I said let me speak to your manager, and he said I am the manager and voided my check, and i left.
ONE OF THE MOST HORRIBLE!!! experiences ive ever had trying to get a hotel, and its funny because its not even a 5 star hotel… its 50 bucks!

HORRIBLE SERVICE and TOWELS FULL OF PUBIC HAIR
I had problems from the moment I walked up to the counter. The Clerk wanted to know why I was out of breath, as if I had just gotten done running from the law. when I asked if they had rooms with baths, he wanted to know why I wanted a bathtub in my room… I told him it was because i wanted to take a bath. It didn’t look like he believed me; he made me feel like a criminal.
Then he started yelling at me because i couldn’t understand him, or he might have been yelling about something else, i couldn’t tell, I didn’t understand him. he was very rude, it was like a movie. I felt like, to him the customer was just a necessary evil for doing business.
If that was all, I would have given the place a better rating, but the service wasn’t the only problem, oh no, not the only problem at all.
The heater didn’t get hot enough, nor did the water. the sheets weren’t clean, and there were wads of thick black hair all over the towel I was about to use. not just one or two, but wads. upon closer inspection I found many pubic (or back) hairs all over the towels. In my humble opinion even though the place was cheap, it wasn’t worth the money.

I didn’t see any bugs. It was cheap. I felt pretty safe. There was a dope little café right next door. Each of those get a half a point each. I think this place was listed as a 3 star. HA! Maybe out of 10. Ikea furniture would have been an upgrade. The staff is required to clean every day, but when we looked under the beds for our dummy check before we checked out… well…I don’t think they cleaned under the beds. I thought I found my friends dirty sock, among other things. Too bad he wasn’t missing a sock.