Background:
We came to the Courtyard for one night prior to our morning flight home after 12 days at Los Suenos Marriott, which was amazing.
I stay in Courtyards regularly, so I won't compare this hotel to the Marriott (not a fair comparison). Most of the other reviewers have covered the features of this hotel well. My "items to note" below cover the items that I think are valuable tips to share with others.
Hotel:
This is a typical Courtyard hotel. The rooms are King or 2 Queens, and have the standard amenities, including free in-room internet, and wireless in the lobby.
My room had a nice sized balcony overlooking the Hooters and Outback restaurants (there is a shopping center with a bunch of food options, a short walk right across the parking lot). Lots of security staff--felt safe while staying there. There is an in-room safe for your valuables as well. Didn't have any noticeable noise.
Some of the rooms have whirlpool tubs. Note that there are both smoking and non-smoking rooms--so make sure you get what you have been guaranteed with your reservation.
For those without a laptop, there are two computers available for your use free of charge (they were occupied most of the evening, so don't expect to waltz in and get one). I thought it was a nice perk for tourists/vacation travelers, but I stuck to my laptop.
Check In:
As a Platinum member with Marriott, I was disappointed to be given a bad-smelling smoking room when my reservation guarantees a non-smoking King (Yes, Marriott still has smoking rooms outside of the US). I asked for a non-smoking room, and the front desk person said that they were "full",and could only give me two Queen beds. I mentioned that I was Platinum with Marriott, and all of the sudden a NS King room with a whirlpool tub magically became available. The manager did a nice job of correcting the situation--but it should never have been an issue. The hotel was definitely not full.
You can also pay your departure tax at the front desk ($4 "convenience fee" applies to each person). The staff were very helpful with making sure we were all set with the departure tax and shuttle options.
Internet:
The wireless in the lobby worked great--but the staff never gave me the password when I asked them about it. Luckily there was a nice gentleman who shared the password with me, so I didn't have to go back and ask again.
The internet in the room didn't work until I was online with the wireless in the lobby. Then it was great. Others I talked to had no problems connecting. Nice and fast.
Items to note:
-This hotel is not "close" to the airport. It looked like the Marriott San Jose is a bit closer. Free shuttle does not equal close to airport--our driver said to allow 30 minutes from the Courtyard to the airport, particularly during rush hours. I was fine with this, but it's good information to know when planning.
-The hotel does offer a free shuttle to the airport (good). It begins at 5:00am, so if you have a really early flight, plan accordingly for a taxi. A taxi would run you approximately $18 to the airport.
-Definitely worth taking a tour of downtown San Jose if you have time. We paid our driver to give us a tour, and you could tell he was really proud of his city. There are some unique buildings, embassies, craft markets, and other points of interest that were very interesting.
-There is a large shopping mall across the highway if you are interested in shopping. The hotel is apparently in a very nice part of San Jose, and the mall reflects that.
Overall:
An uneventful stay overnight. Nice standard Courtyard room. Staff were friendly for the most part.
