The Zen Hotel Palo Alto

the room is Ok, but a little bit of noisy at night, the neighbor's AC is too loud on and off. the most concern is, they list the laundry , but no laundry available. the front desk point to the street laundry one minute driving. We didn't go. Laundry is the reason we choose this property, but they just lied.

The website said it has a washer and dryer. They were broken. And desk person acted like that the website stated that. No mention of it being broken. The room, I had a suite was wonderful though. Breakfast was good. Clean.

Convenient location. Helpful staff. I stayed for 18 days. A major reason was having a washing machine on the premises. The washing machine has been broken for quite some time. It is obvious they do not plan on fixing it. This should be updated in the hotel listing. It is a big inconvenience and unpleasant experience to have to walk to the run down public laundry facility 3/4 mile away.

Staff were friendly. Room was very clean. Free parking and quiet area. Would stay again!

Bed, sheets, and pillows were comfy. Marketed as a hotel but really a motel (room door opens to the outside). Single occupancy room is kind of small but had good amenities. Keurig coffee machine with 2 pods, microwave, and mini fridge. TV has cable but I prefer also having access to my streaming accounts. Bathroom sink area is great. Shower water pressure is excellent. Plenty of outlets and USB ports for charging up all your tech gear with a good-sized desk space for working. This is definitely a business commuter type motel, and conducive to remote workers with laptops. The complimentary daily breakfast scores high points for just existing. Most places no longer do this. Not a wide selection but a good enough selection of breakfast foods including cold cereal, waffles, bagels, muffins, scrambled eggs, sausage links, tater tots, oatmeal, apples, bananas, coffee, decaf, tea, juice, and cold drinking water. Breakfast is from 6:30am to 9:30am so make sure you get up early enough so you don't miss that window. I didn't do much walking around but there are plenty of places to shop and eat within driving distance. I was there on business so didn't have much time to explore. Surprisingly quiet with fairly soundproof walls. They have a decent gym that NOBODY seems to use. Cardio machines, a weight stack, DB tree max 50 pounds,TRX cables (nice, most hotels don't have these!), and a bench. Overall, great place to get some sleep on short trips.

Very quiet and clean hotel. Easy to park.

The workout room is really nice. WiFi is strong.

Easy parking Cleanliness

Quiet and convenient area. Good value compared to other options. Nice exercise room. I’d stay here again!

Great stay - excellent value for money.. Facilities seemed new, spotless and neat. Understated decor, great gym. Staff very pleasant and helpful. I will be back .

The room was immaculate, the lighting was excellent, and the location was great. The front desk associate provided fantastic customer service. When the TV remote control in our room wasn’t working, she promptly brought us a replacement remote along with new batteries. We also requested an extra towel for our group of three guests, and she kindly brought one right away. Her helpfulness made our stay even more enjoyable.

Needed a room that could sleep 3 adults, 3 kids for a mother son outing and this popped up. It was the perfect size and very cute, especially the little back area with the most beautifully relaxing secret garden. The price was more than reasonable and we felt like we got more than we paid for in the size of the room. Ok, now for the draw backs. There were only 2 and they are easy to overlook due to the size of the room and the price. 1- there was an ant issue. They were in our tub, all over our kitchen sink, in the window seals. We had ants crawling on us and it was rough. 2 - there was no extra bedding in the closet for the couch pull out so I called the front desk and they kept telling me it was there and I needed to look harder. Multiple times wouldn’t believe me that I looked. Not sure why they’d question me and not just bring it. Again, not big deals and all in all, we enjoyed our stay.

Nice place. Room clean except for one small cockroach (hope there aren't more). Check in was seamless--room was ready at 3:00 when they said it would be.

I stayed at this hotel recently, and while the room was generally clean and housekeeping came every day, I had a serious issue with ants. There were hundreds of ants all over the bathroom, and even on the bed in the morning. It was really unpleasant and made it difficult to relax. I also saw a few small spiders, but those didn't bother me as much. If it weren't for the ant infestation, the stay would have been fine.

The walls were thin and the people next door were very noisy until about 12:30 am. The bed was uncomfortable (room 206). The curtains facing out did not completely close and had small holes in them and were very dirty. Overall I was disappointed by the experience at the Zen Hotel. I expect a comfortable bed, complete privacy with curtains facing public areas, and a room quiet enough to allow for a good night sleep. Staff were very friendly and helpful, room was clean. Thank you.

Property and room are clean and comfortable. Very good value for the money. will definitely return.

This place was disgusting its smells bad also the bathroom had hairs all over

Bugs in the room.

Check in was smooth and very welcoming. Room was ready, super clean and up to date. The whole outside parking area is clean and well maintained. Pleasant atmosphere. Great central location in Palo Alto. Rooms on west side are very quiet. Breakfast offers many hot and cold options. Well pleased.

The Zen hotel is well located near Stanford campus and downtown Palo Alto. The hotel was unique with its Zen decor. The morning breakfast was very simple and the coffee and orange juice was very satisfying. There were some notable issues. Specifically, ants in the bathroom, doorways, windows, and public walkways. Also, my room was facing El Camino Real which was made the room quite noisy during high traffic. Also, the washer was out of service. With all this said, I would recommend this hotel to others and will consider staying here again in the future.

parking was good, room nice and big and quiet. Wifi was spotty at times. Breakfast was ok.

Stayed here for three nights. Overall, the cost of the stay was equivalent to the accommodations. Keep in mind that the walls are extremely thin. I heard the neighboring room watching TV at 6 AM and all comings and goings in the parking lot at all hours. Another neighbor was smoking outside of my room which was unpleasant. Breakfast was more or less the same each day. One of the days they were out of all the hot items after a 6:30 AM rush and this wasn’t replenished before I had to leave for the day. That being said, I did feel safe as a solo female traveler and the location is convenient.

It was a nice stay. We got the room with 3 queen beds and it was a great set up for a family with kids. Rooms were very quiet and clean.

Nice, large room.

This hotel is very charming, though I did encounter a few minor issues. The Wi-Fi connection was a bit unreliable, frequently cutting in and out. The mattress had a noticeable dip in the center, which affected comfort. The complimentary breakfast is quite minimal, but it's a nice bonus nonetheless. The staff—including the front desk, housekeeping, and breakfast attendant—were all exceptionally friendly. Given the reasonable price, I would choose to stay here again.

Spacious room but very noisy from the street

First night was a nightmare. Arrived at 1 am due to flight delay and was put in a room right next to busy road. Starting at 5:30 am I could hear and feel every truck that rumbled by. Moved to an interior room off the main road and the rest of my stay (2 more nights) was good.

My family loved the Zen Hotel! We had the “room” with three queen beds, which was actually a suite with a large bedroom with two beds, a smaller bedroom with one bed, a large living room with a sofa and dining room table with six chairs, and a kitchenette with a small four-burner stove, oven, refrigerator, microwave, pots and pans, dishes and silverware, a coffee maker, and even a small blender. The staff were all very friendly and helpful, and the breakfast was great. My only little quibble is that the scrambled eggs were egg whites, rather than regular scrambled eggs. This was a problem for one of us who is on a keto diet and vegetarian (couldn’t eat sausages). But this is a very small quibble. We loved our stay and plan to return.

Good stay overall. Wifi service can be improved.

This property is in great shape for an old motel but the furniture is old and stained. We stayed in the only King Suite the property has and it was wonderful. It is a full one bedroom apartment on the second floor accessible only by stairs. No elevator! Theres a tiny kitchenette with the gym and laundry room directly beneath the unit. Even though this unit is right on the busy street, with a bus stop right outside the windows, you don’t really hear much with the windows closed so we had to use the air conditioner. The bed was very comfortable and linens soft and thick. The free parking is great, most times just steps from our room. Do not count on the breakfast being great. We stayed for a week and it was exactly the same thing everyday. So we had to go out most of the days. It’s eggs, sausage links, tater tots, yogurt, toast, oatmeal, and waffles. Nice employees and we felt very safe. Another great perk is the Culligan water filter sysin the lobby that we filled out water bottle with.

First of all I was given keys to the wrong room. I checked in around 5:45 pm but did not go to the room at that time because I had dinner reservations and did not return until around 10 pm. When I went to my room at 10:00pm, through a very dark alley, I tried to use my key and it wouldn’t work. I kept trying to get in and then a man started banging on the window from inside the room and yelling at me. I went back to the front lobby and the man at the desk couldn’t believe he had made this mistake and tried to blame it on his boss when he was the one who checked me in four hours prior. After about ten minutes I was finally given a new room which was on the 2nd floor when I had specifically asked for a ground floor room when I walked into the new room there was a strong odor snd the room appeared dirty. I ended up leaving and finding somewhere else to stay. I was a woman by myself and did not feel safe staying there.

Hotel is ok but had an unpleasant experience in the morning with the individual serving the breakfast.

I was locked out of my room for 4 hours in the middle of the night. My key would not work. The clown at the front desk was completely useless. He could not open the door with his key fab he couldn’t or wouldn’t make me a new key. So I had to wait outside my room in the cold for the manager to wake up he did not respond when he was called. The next day true manager threatened to kick me out because I was upset about what happened. I should have been comped for the stay I wasn’t. So unprofessional and rude all the staff except for the cute girls that work furring the day they are very good at their jobs. And there was a cockroach in my room

We needed to change our reservation by one day due to a change in timing of a medical procedure at Stanford. The hotel was unwilling to make the change, even though they had a room available on the next night. It was past the cancellation deadline, but they charged me the full $196.80 and would not consider making a change. After getting nowhere with the person at the desk, I sent an email through their website and they have not responded and it has been 11 days.

The first room we stayed in was room 116, the bed was very comfortable and the bathtub was high the front desk accommodated and got us another room which was 202. Everything was better in that room, but the bed was not as comfortable. we were extremely happy. Raul, one of the front desk people, was extremely helpful.

The staff was very helpful and responsive. The price was very reasonable for the type of hotel.

Amazing staff very comfortable beds and pillows. Very clean room phenomenal showers very easy to find the hotel and a phenomenal breakfast in the morning. I would definitely recommend.

The hotel was actually pretty nice. Free breakfast 6:30a-9:30a. And our room was right above the gym, and the garden where the smoking area was. We opened the windows and let the air in daily, because it was gorgeous outside. But… then a few days after checking out they charged us an additional $90, saying that we smoked in the room, which was not true. My husband smoked outside in the smoking area I told them, but nobody smoked in the room. They said that they didn’t believe me, and that the charge was staying on my card. I’m in the middle of disputing the charge with my bank, but this hotel thinks they can just charge people for smoking, when the room is right next to the smoking area. I told the manager that I was going to dispute the charge and he didn’t even seem to care. I own a business and I actually care about my customers. This place does not, so I urge you to find another place to stay in Palo Alto.

Excellent staff. Very accommodating - friendly and professional.

It was very nice. The staff were very helpful. I would recommend the hotel.

It is close to Stanford campus z and close to freeway. Breakfast is good quality and room is clean and spacious

Lovely hotel and we enjoyed everything but the location . On the corner of a busy through way . Motorcycle and Revel up cars made it super noisy. Maybe the rooms towards the back of the property are quieter?!

Fantastic location on same street as Stanford Stadium with a bus stop out front for events. The room was very large and comfortable. Easy parking. Safe area

Convenient to Stanford University campus.

We liked the close proximity to many restaurants. The room was dated but clean, bed comfortable. We would recommend for the price point

Great location! Many walkable places in a great neighborhood. Will visit again!

Had to go to Stanford hospital, traveling with kids. The location was perfect was a 12 min drive no traffic. Hotel staff very friendly and helpful. Booked 2 queen suite. The room was perfect lots of room and clean. Would book again

Great property very close to Stanford University, which made it convenient for my purposes. Very clean, very well cared for and comfortable bedding

A well maintained property with WiFi, parking and good breakfast. There is a Walgreens across the street.

Check in was smooth and very welcoming. Room was ready, super clean and up to date. The whole outside parking area is clean and well maintained. Pleasant atmosphere. Great central location in Palo Alto. Rooms on west side are very quiet. Breakfast offers many hot and cold options. Well pleased.

Acceptable for business travel. Convenient location, excellent desk staff. It's a motor hotel, so you may experience noise from other guests using the outdoor corridors at night. You'll probably want to skip the free "breakfast" of powdered eggs and stale raisin bran, but the coffee is decent.

Stayed here for three nights. Overall, the cost of the stay was equivalent to the accommodations. Keep in mind that the walls are extremely thin. I heard the neighboring room watching TV at 6 AM and all comings and goings in the parking lot at all hours. Another neighbor was smoking outside of my room which was unpleasant. Breakfast was more or less the same each day. One of the days they were out of all the hot items after a 6:30 AM rush and this wasn’t replenished before I had to leave for the day. That being said, I did feel safe as a solo female traveler and the location is convenient.

Delightful staff, excellent breakfast.

I was pleasantly surprise their continental breakfast was amazing: eggs, tater tots, sausage, bacon, waffles, bagels, oatmeal, coffee, juice, etc... awesome!

The Zen hotel is a hidden gem. It’s close to Shoreline and you can’t beat the price. It was quiet and comfortable and the complimentary breakfast included a great selection of hot and cold options.

Breakfast options were terrible. There’s no reason they couldn’t have offered some healthy or less processed food choices.

They gave us a large room with living room, which was nice. Hotel is kept clean but is showing its age. Breakfast service was horrible. I showed up just before 9 for service that is supposed to last until 9:30, there was 1 sausage left. I asked for more and they said it was being prepared. Nothing by 9:20, then they said it was the end of service and there wouldn't be any more. The self serve trays were so small they only held enough for 2-3 people to serve themselves before they were empty. Unless you plan to show up really early and wait to get food, don't bother with the free breakfast. I don't know how it has such high average reviews.

Everything was on point, for the most part. Some of the warm food was cold/ old. Overall, better than expected.

Great room with amenities, great workout room, and great breakfast. Would totally stay there again!

Check in was smooth and very welcoming. Room was ready, super clean and up to date. The whole outside parking area is clean and well maintained. Pleasant atmosphere. Great central location in Palo Alto. Rooms on west side are very quiet. Breakfast offers many hot and cold options. Well pleased.