DoubleTree by Hilton Berkeley Marina

The other reviews are full of useful information which I don’t feel compelled to repeat (e.g. service road, age of the facility, chocolate chip cookies, proximity to restaurants and services, etc.). At the time of my visit the hotel was in the process of installing traffic control arms aimed at preventing non-​guests from using the parking lot. The plan hasn’t been fully activated, but once it is operational, guests will be charged a parking fee (which, now, is free).
I was pleasantly surprised with the Hilton Honors check-​in process which permits the guest to select from the list of available rooms, the exact room they will be staying in upon their arrival. While the website provides some details about the room location and amenities, what I didn’t know is the upgraded suites are included, too (except they are not identified in the room description). I just so happen to select one of the fancy-​schmancy suites in the hotel, and when I arrived to the room I was actually assigned a luxurious suite with a separate bedroom and upgraded amenities. Wow! I won’t disclose the exact room number for fear the hotel may modify the check-​in process. However, what is good to know is the 2^nd and 4^th floors of certain buildings are Hilton Honors floors, so you may want to limit your search to those floors in the designated buildings that face the courtyard. Enjoy your stay and safe travels.

Overall, a very underwhelming experience at the Doubletree. I really don’t like to give anything less than 3 stars on Unilocal but this property needs serious help. I stayed here for 5 nights for work and kept running in to issues. Here’s my experience:
Parking — Confusing. No one told me upon check-​in that it would be much easier to park on the other side of the property to access my room. The first 2 days I was treking through this enormous hotel to get to my room in building 3. Yes, there are many buildings so be aware that there’s closer parking to your room than the places in the very front of the hotel. However, it was free, so that was a major bonus.
Rooms — Outdated and the first one I stayed in a dirty washcloth fell out of the shower curtain when I moved it. Gross. The 2^nd room I was in, the air conditioner/​fan broke and wouldn’t stay on for more than 30 seconds. I had to call the front desk and when they initially told me it would be some time, I was fine. However, it was almost a half hour later than that time that someone actually showed up.
Room Service — The food was OK… once it got to me. Took several tries of calling to get a person on the line and they told me it would be 40 minutes. Wrong. It took an hour and 20 minutes for food to get to my room. This is only after I called and complained after an hour had passed.
I would not go out of my way to stay here again.

I stayed at this hotel for a conference recently. As another reviewer pointed out, the wifi is non-​existent in the ballroom. Even cell reception was lacking. It may have been dependent on where one was sitting. Who knows? I was sitting in the back, where attention tends to stray away from the speaker after a while. The chairs in the ballroom were so uncomfortable that after an hour of sitting down that I was ready to stand for the rest of the meeting.
The hotel room provided all the basic amenities and a comfortable bed, so no complaints about that. The gym was tiny and dimly lit compared to lighting that I’d normally expect from a gym. However, it did have all the basic equipment necessary to get a good workout in (cardio equipment, free weights, exercise balls, etc). So there is really no excuse to not get a workout in, if that’s what is on your agenda.
The location on the marina is beautiful. I wish it hadn’t been raining all weekend though. It was an easy Über ride to/​from the airport. Other modes of transportation were available too.
The service was excellent. It’s always nice to get a warm cookie upon check-​in.