Name: Hilton Santa Cruz/Scotts Valley
Address: 6001 La Madrona Drive, Santa Cruz, California, United States of America, Santa Cruz, California, US
Price range: $129–$469 per night
Rating: 8.27

What guests think

At Hilton Santa Cruz/Scotts Valley, travellers often enjoy friendly service, spacious clean rooms, and a quiet, wooded setting convenient to Santa Cruz, yet feedback frequently notes paid app-based parking, occasional maintenance issues, and inconsistent housekeeping or odors.

Pool and hot tub experiences vary, with several reports of lukewarm or out-of-service jets, while the gym draws positive remarks. Dining gets mixed feedback: some praise the restaurant and breakfast, but many find prices high and miss complimentary lobby coffee. Expect a comfortable stay in the trees with standout staff, tempered by fees and occasional upkeep hiccups.

Facilities

Cleanliness

Rooms

Service

Location

Dining

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AI-generated summary based on recent guest reviews

Facilities

Guests like the heated pool and gym, but many report the hot tub/jets being lukewarm or out of service and frequent complaints about paid, app-based parking.

Related guest reviews

10

Kaitlan

Aug 16, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Everything was amazing!! We enjoyed our stay and plan to be back! Staff was friendly, room was clean, and the pool was awesome! I was not told about parking the first night, but was able to pay with a QR code in the parking lot.

6

Karim

Sep 3, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

This is a beautiful property, and we were very excited to arrive. The rooms, upkeep and facilities did not disappoint. We loved the pool area. However, arriving in the evening to be met with massive parking signs telling you that all customers need to pay for parking at a facility with no parking shortage at all, feels like a shameless money grab for a Hilton property. This was not well referenced on the booking sites. It detracts from all the other great things, and even though we loved the hotel, this parking fee issue is something that will prevent us from coming back since comparable hotels do not charge for parking in the area.

10

Dion

Jan 22, 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

Very positive experience.I’ve stayed here in the past and have always liked this facility. Great value and great location.Customer service was great, bar and lobby are really nice.Great Margarita-Thank you.Love the complementary fruit infused water in the lobby.The room was super clean and comfortable.Parking is as easy as can be. Really nice gym and pool area.

8

Alyssa

Feb 10, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

beautiful place, the whole reason we chose this hotel was for the hot tub and we get here and it's broken. wish they would posted it somewhere instead of falsely advertising

6

Stephen

Mar 17, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Great hotel, great stay. One downside - have to pay for parking ($18 / day). It absurd that a hotel guest has to pay for parking - it's not as though it's impacted in any way by any local attractions. It's a pure money making grab.

8

Amanda

Sep 18, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Staff was very friendly! They were in the process of updating the televisions in the hotel so we unfortunately did not have a working one while we stayed the night. The staff did try and fix it , very promptly. The hot tub was also in the process of getting the jets fixed and weren't working. We still went in the tub but it didn't have the jets. I'm sure this was just a moment in time that we happened to hit at the wrong time. Otherwise, very pleased.

8

Andrea

Aug 9, 2025

·

Stayed 4 nights

The amenities are just okay, the pool was very crowded, not sure if all of the people were actual guests of the hotel. I chose this hotel for the pool. 99% of the hotels I stay in provide free coffee in the lobby, this hotel charges you. Also, paying for parking and receiving notes on my car everyday (even though I registered with the 3rd party app), was a bit annoying.

10

Juanita

Jun 26, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Clean beautiful friendly service nice parking excellent pool and hot tub very quiet and restaurant and bar.

8

Stephanie

Aug 15, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

This was a quaint hotel, tucked away in the hills of Santa Cruz. The fitness center was clean, the pool was heated and the rooms were nice. My only complaint would be there was only one small elevator and I would have loved some fresh coffee for guests in the lobby. There’s a nice coffee shop with a cute name called Brewed Awakening across the street.

8

Dena

Dec 21, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

The hotel was nice our room was perfect for us. A bedroom & living room area. It was all great. What we didn’t like was having to pay for parking. You don’t do it inside it’s really just a huge pain. Then we got a ticket on our car saying we didn’t pay. Not sure why they charge a parking fee. It’s kinda rude really. There is coffee in the room but I never know how clean it is so my husband got us coffee downstairs. They charged $4 dollars for a cup of coffee! Most hotels just have it free as a nice thing to do. Other than that. Everything was great and would definitely stay again.

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Cleanliness

Many describe clean rooms and public areas, but feedback is inconsistent, with recurring reports of musty or mildew odors, stained furniture, and occasional lapses in housekeeping.

Related guest reviews

2

Shawna

Oct 1, 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

When we first arrived, we were checked in early but placed in a room that smelled strongly of mildew. I am currently going through chemotherapy, so staying in that environment for three days was not possible. I went back to the front desk and was moved to another room, but it was still not clean—there was hair all over the bathroom floor and shower, and I had to ask housekeeping to vacuum after we had already unpacked.The beds were extremely uncomfortable. My 12-year-old could feel springs in his back, the mattresses creaked with every movement, and the sheets felt rough and plastic-like. The pool and spa area were also disappointing—the pool was dirty, and the spa jets were broken and not working. On top of all this, every single day I was given a parking ticket despite my parking being prepaid through my reservation. Each day I had to go to the front desk to have it corrected, and at checkout I was still charged an extra $54 for parking. Instead of fixing the charge, the staff simply told me “I’m sorry” and dismissed my concerns.Overall, this was one of the most stressful and uncomfortable hotel stays I’ve ever had. Cleanliness, maintenance, and customer service were all lacking, and I cannot recommend this property.

10

Monette

Nov 12, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Clean room, friendly staff; easy check-in… There was a little stain on the sofa in our bedroom and minor ring in the toilet but nothing that is a dealbreaker.

2

Lewis

Nov 21, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

The property has a serious mildew/mold issue in many of the guest rooms and was unable to provide suitable accommodations so we declined to stay there. My credit card was charged by the property at 10:30 AM way before check in and they were not willing to provide a refund until the wonderful staff at Hotels.com stepped and called the front desk clerk directly. This property is a disgrace to the Hilton brand - I have been a HHonors member for 30+ years and achieved Diamond status for most of these, but will probably never stay at a Hilton property again unless someone from their corporate office reaches out to me with assurances this will never happen again at a Hilton property.

6

Edward

Oct 26, 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

The room had a musty smell. The carpet and floor were damp during the entire stay. Tried to air and dry it out by opening the windows but that didn't work. Unfortunately this put a damper on our trip, no pun intended.

6

Nancy

Jul 27, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Pool was nice, bottom of hot tub dirty and full of flies I fished out, moldy smelling room.

4

Fatimeh

Feb 2, 2024

·

Stayed 3 nights

The shower didn't work, the room was dirty, the bed sheets and pillow cases had stains on them. The bed and pillows were uncomfortable. Overall a very poor experience considering this is Hilton and not a motel 6.

10

Jasmine

Jun 8, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Property was really clean and comfortable.

6

Desiree

Aug 7, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

The staff was very friendly. It was a safe and secure hotel. The pool was lovely and the lobby was beautiful. I liked the location. The parking was great. Unfortunately our room wasn't very clean and the telephone didn't work. The dinning experience wasn't worth the price but there are a lot of dinning options in the area. Overall it was a safe a quiet place to stay.

2

Allison

Mar 31, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

The moment I opened the room, it has strong pungent odor. Look around the room and the bathroom to see where the odor came from, turned out to be the carpet. The filled in soap and lotion bottles had dirt landed on top meaning the house keeper did not refill them for a long time. The pillows were smelly with tiny knots…gross!

6

Kenneth

Oct 26, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Room was very cold. Came into the room it was around 65 degrees tried to turn the heat up,to about 75 degrees it only went up 1 or 2 degrees hotter in 2 days, no one came into the room and gave us new towels or any toiletries, no room cleaning

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Rooms

Rooms are generally spacious and quiet for the area, but comfort varies: some find beds firm, HVAC controls unreliable, water pressure weak, and balcony views often face parking lots.

Related guest reviews

10

Emily

Nov 25, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

We were visiting UCSC so just needed the room to rest and take off to continue exploring. Room was clean and spacious- perfect for my son and me. We knocked out right away- beds were comfy. The outside area looked really nice too- with trees.

6

Aaron

Jun 29, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Limited options in the area. I thought Hilton would be a great option. I had to pay for parking, even when staying at the hotel, but this is not mentioned anywhere during booking. I reserved a king room with a balcony. What I got was a king room with a patio. Hey Hilton, a balcony is an outside platform above the ground. A patio is an outside area at ground level.

6

Myia

Nov 5, 2023

·

Stayed 3 nights

When we arrived the room was cold, the air conditioning unit had been fixed in a way that we could not change it. We had to ask twice for them to come fix it. The front desk woman acted as if we were unreasonably asking for something. It was 62 degrees in the room, we had on jackets. The room was ok, it was not a forest view. You are looking at the parking garage. Do not pay extra for something that is not true. We were in 569 and one window was people back yard the other window is blocked by a huge tree then parking lot. The worst part is the water pressure in the shower was non existent. At one point no water was coming out then it would slowly trickle out then go away then pour our. I have had better showers at national parks. They did not clean the rooms on my floor, the next day almost every room out thier towels and waste baskets in the hallway just to get someone to clean the rooms. The allure is how nice the hotel looks on the outside.

8

Lisa

Sep 29, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

The shower Pressure could have been more. Other than that, the room was good.

8

Linda

Nov 1, 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

Spacious clean room

4

Scott

Nov 30, 2025

·

Stayed 4 nights

The bed was extremely uncomfortable making it hard to sleep. The rest of the hotel was fine, but given the main purpose for a hotel room is to sleep, I had to ding the hotel for the awful bed.

4

julie

Sep 15, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

terrible view from balcony. Had to pay $18 per day to park at hotel. Lots of stains on couch. very poor lighting. No refill on coffee for next day. View on line was beautiful. Our balcony was 4 feet from parked cars Will stay at Air B & B next time.

6

Jeremy

Oct 20, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Room was nice and check in was smooth. Staff was friendly at check in. Heater in the room did not work and the toilet barely flushed. When I told the young man at the front desk in the morning about the heater and toilet, he wasn’t professional or courteous. He said he would let someone know when he was doing what he was working. Didn’t seem to be happy to be at work. Got back to the room in the afternoon and the toilet flushed but the heater was still blowing cold air. I let the manager k ow about it and soon after it was blowing warmer but it never got to the set temperature, and it felt very humid in the room. I did not mention it a third time since it was warmer than the night before and we were leaving in the morning. Other than that, the hotel was nice.

8

John

Sep 7, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Room was spacious and comfortable. The grounds were not too pleasing.

6

Mathew

Sep 24, 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

Typically, we love this hotel, our go to place anytime we are near or in Santa Cruz… Unfortunately, our last stay was challenging. First, the air didn’t work, the thermometer stayed at 73 to 74°, three requests later, a technician came out and said we should feel the difference which we never did, the room was hot and stuffy, 2nd, the hot tub was lukewarm at best, apparently they had some issues, we understand, but still disappointed we couldn’t use the hot tub, glasses in the room were dirty, and our lampshade looked like someone threw up on it, they turned it around to hide it so we took pictures and informed staff it wasn’t us that did that to he lampshade! Asuming they were just having a really bad day/week/months because we typically stay there all the time and love the place, the assistant manager offered to credit us $200 for our inconvenience, which was very nice of him, we will give this place a try again as typically we’d love it there… I guess every hotel has its bad days/weeks.

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Service

Staff are widely praised as friendly and helpful, though responsiveness and communication can slip, with housekeeping by request not always explained and some front-desk interactions or follow-ups disappointing.

Related guest reviews

10

Silvia

Jul 20, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

The front desk staff were friendly and knowledgeable. We are repeat customers and highly recommend this hotel to our friends. Keep up the good work!

2

MONIF

Apr 24, 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

Service was horrible. Worst hotel experience ever. Three Only person who spoke English was the guy on the desk, nobody else could answer us or help us with anything. No soap in the room and we had to ask three times, the man that came didn't speak English and kept pointing to the shampoo and we were asking him for hand soap. We had to simulate hand washing till he understood us and went away and never came back with the soap. Room we rented we paid extra for a room with a balcony, only balcony overlooked a parking lot. This was supposed to be a forest view balcony. There was a line of trees that we could see beyond the parking lot but no sense of forest and no decent view at all. Many other small things happened that made our stay terrible.. can't write about all of them. Good thing about the hotel is how it looked outside. It looked somewhat like an old castle. That was what attracted us to it when we booked our room.

6

Jeremy

Oct 20, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Room was nice and check in was smooth. Staff was friendly at check in. Heater in the room did not work and the toilet barely flushed. When I told the young man at the front desk in the morning about the heater and toilet, he wasn’t professional or courteous. He said he would let someone know when he was doing what he was working. Didn’t seem to be happy to be at work. Got back to the room in the afternoon and the toilet flushed but the heater was still blowing cold air. I let the manager k ow about it and soon after it was blowing warmer but it never got to the set temperature, and it felt very humid in the room. I did not mention it a third time since it was warmer than the night before and we were leaving in the morning. Other than that, the hotel was nice.

6

Mike

Jan 3, 2024

·

Stayed 3 nights

Everything was fine except there was no turn down service. We were there for three days and no one made the bed or replaced the towels or paper coffee cups or coffee. Nothing. We kept expecting them to do it the next day. We asked about it at check-out and they said they didn't provide that service due to staffing and we needed to request it. They should have told us that at check-in.

6

Frank

Aug 12, 2024

·

Stayed 3 nights

We were told we could check in 2 hours early. When arrived, after a 3 hour drive, we were told our early check in was given to someone else. We were able to use the pool and wait there for our room to be ready. We paid for parking upon check in and were given a notice on our windshield twice. E checked with the front desk and were told it is an outside source, but for us not to worry about it. We were given the option to have our room cleaned or not, we chose to have it cleaned once. It was only take out dirty towels and empty trash, after calling the front desk we were told you have to request full service to get supplies refilled, bathroom cleaned etc. . We were never given that option and they stated full service was included in our room rate. Our refrigerator freezer was in need of being defrosted and was unusable. One of the couch cushion had a broken zipper and all of the foam was exposed. Very disappointed. Beautiful hotel, just bad customer service.

4

Julie

Dec 31, 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

We turned on the TV and there was pornography. My 12 year old was exposed. When I told the front desk I was dismissed, and not believed. Really disappointed in the customer service. I understand mistakes can happen, but to be dismissed and shown no empathy was unacceptable.

10

Susan Taras

Dec 26, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Always a great stay. Clean, professional, and great location. We really enjoyed our holiday!

10

Robin

Dec 1, 2025

·

Stayed 4 nights

This was one if the nicest and cleanest hotels we have ever stayed at. The staff and service was exceptional. We would stay here again.

6

Kenneth

Oct 26, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Room was very cold. Came into the room it was around 65 degrees tried to turn the heat up,to about 75 degrees it only went up 1 or 2 degrees hotter in 2 days, no one came into the room and gave us new towels or any toiletries, no room cleaning

2

Janet

Dec 9, 2023

·

Stayed 6 nights

At check-in we were instructed where to park but NO Mention of a $10/night parking charge. Found the charge for 6 nights on our credit card bill. Being informed is so important. Poor customer service. No response from the manager when asked for a call back. Very poor.

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AI-generated summary based on recent guest reviews

Location

Convenient to Highway 17 and a short drive to Santa Cruz and Capitola, in a quiet, wooded setting away from the crowds.

Related guest reviews

10

Alice

Jun 12, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Nice hotel to stay when visiting Santa Cruz area. The hotel is conveniently located close to freeway, it is easy to get to town. The hotel has an outdoor heated pool and hot tub. The room is spacious and clean. Highly recommended and will definitely go back to stay there again for future visits.

10

Emily

Nov 25, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

We were visiting UCSC so just needed the room to rest and take off to continue exploring. Room was clean and spacious- perfect for my son and me. We knocked out right away- beds were comfy. The outside area looked really nice too- with trees.

10

Carlo Luis

May 8, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Decided to treat my family and my parents to a weekend getaway here. The photos don’t do the hotel justice. It was such a beautiful place. It was convenient, and relaxing. Close to the boardwalk and the mystery spot but still secluded enough to be tranquil

8

Michael

Aug 11, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Very nice it has a hot tub. And very close to Santa Cruz.

10

Cathleen

Aug 25, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Great location, beautiful building

10

Gavin

Jun 9, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Excellent hospitality and location.

10

Patricio

Jan 2, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Great location

10

Susan Taras

Dec 26, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Always a great stay. Clean, professional, and great location. We really enjoyed our holiday!

10

Luis

Jan 11, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

We enjoyed our stay at Hilton Santa Cruz Scotts Valley, the place was quiet, close to attractions, freeways, great places to eat, and the staff was nice A

10

Melisa

Sep 22, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Love this place. So close to Santa Cruz but tucked away.

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Dining

On-site restaurant and bar earn both praise and criticism: several enjoyed meals and breakfast, but many felt prices were high and noted no complimentary lobby coffee.

Related guest reviews

10

Emilia

Jul 8, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Breakfast buffet was way overpriced for a breakfast that was not even as good as most complementary breakfasts

6

Samantha

Apr 20, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

We like that it’s secluded and close to Capitola. Parking is through an app which is confusing, $25 dollars a day to park. One of our rooms had cobwebs in the corner of the ceiling. The bathroom smelled bad. There is a buffet breakfast for $24 a person - the food was below average. I would not recommend eating there. We have stayed there in the past and had nicer accomodations at this hotel. It’s in need of some touch ups.

8

David

Jul 25, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

The room was great! Spacious, large tv, bathroom was set far off from the bed space so private and comfortable. We’d been on a long road trip so comfort, good AC and a quiet space was perfect. We did eat at the grill downstairs and the service was great (they were understaffed and really gave great effort) but the food was overpriced for what was offered. I’d definitely eat elsewhere.

10

Roy

Aug 4, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

The property is conveniently situated near freeways, but it is quiet and easily accessible. We had a great breakfast in the hotel which was reasonably priced. Check in was smooth and the staff were very helpful and pleasant. Our only complaint was that our room was not made up after the first night, prior to our second night. The staff knocked on the door to do the room, and we said we needed 5 minutes to get out for them to to the cleaning. We went away for 45 minutes, but upon our return the room had not been made up which was a disappointment as we afforded them plenty of time to clean it and make up the bed, change towels etc. Other than that, we enjoyed our stay, and would definitely stay there again.

8

Charlie

Aug 12, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Expensive. No free morning lobby coffee. A/C in room made noise but didn’t obey thermostat. Permanent stains in shower. Room deodorizer applied to room was strong smelling. OTOH, quiet room, good bed, food in lobby restaurant was tasty and reasonably priced

10

melanie

Sep 10, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Fabulous place! Delicious dinner at restaurant and breakfast buffet was lovely. We enjoyed the pool and hot tub also. Property was spotless, modern, friendly staff, beautiful location. Definitely a place I'll return to in the future.

8

James Lowell

Mar 25, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Nice rooms and easy check in. Breakfast in dining room not so good.

6

Desiree

Aug 7, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

The staff was very friendly. It was a safe and secure hotel. The pool was lovely and the lobby was beautiful. I liked the location. The parking was great. Unfortunately our room wasn't very clean and the telephone didn't work. The dinning experience wasn't worth the price but there are a lot of dinning options in the area. Overall it was a safe a quiet place to stay.

10

lynette

Jun 26, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

We had the best experience! The food was great the bartenders were great! We hung out in the pool and loved the ambiance!

8

Stephanie

Aug 15, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

This was a quaint hotel, tucked away in the hills of Santa Cruz. The fitness center was clean, the pool was heated and the rooms were nice. My only complaint would be there was only one small elevator and I would have loved some fresh coffee for guests in the lobby. There’s a nice coffee shop with a cute name called Brewed Awakening across the street.

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AI-generated summary based on recent guest reviews

Month	Average price
January	$106
February	$141
March	$153
April	$177
May	$180
June	$232
July	$236
August	$240
September	$195
October	$161
November	$136
December	$112

Su	Mo	Tu	We	Th	Fr	Sa
		1	2	3	4	5
6	7	8	9	10	11	12
13	14	15 $397	16 $223	17 $324	18 $428	19 $414
20 $150	21 $164	22 $173	23 $174	24 $170	25 $318	26 $288
27 $156	28 $158	29 $158	30 $150

Su	Mo	Tu	We	Th	Fr	Sa
				1 $155	2 $241	3 $285
4 $129	5 $158	6 $134	7 $150	8 $163	9 $298	10 $469
11 $156	12 $151	13 $142	14 $152	15 $145	16 $226	17 $246
18 $144	19 $134	20 $131	21 $150	22 $150	23 $228	24 $254
25 $133	26 $138	27 $144	28 $198	29 $144	30 $190	31 $254

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Monthly average prices

About this property

Location

Room options

Room, 1 King Bed, Accessible (Roll-In Shower)

Suite, 1 Bedroom

Room, 2 Queen Beds, Accessible (Hearing)

Room, 1 King Bed (Forest View, High Floor)

Room, 2 Queen Beds

Suite, 1 Bedroom, Accessible (Hearing)

Room, 1 King Bed, Accessible (Hearing)

Room, 2 Queen Beds (Forest View, High Floor)

Room, 1 King Bed, Allergy Friendly

Suite, 1 King Bed with Sofa Bed

Room, 2 Queen Beds

Room, 1 King Bed

Deluxe Suite, 1 Bedroom

Room, 2 Queen Beds, Allergy Friendly

Guest reviews

Very good

Who stays here?

What guests think

Property Policies

Check-in instructions

Good to know

Optional extras

FAQs about Hilton Santa Cruz/Scotts Valley

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Prices for upcoming dates