First of all, if you are staying at this property you have to understand that, due to it's location, it is primarily a business hotel and it is fairly isolated. During the week this hotel, which is surrounded by major businesses, caters primarily to business travelers. However, since it is somewhat isolated, it gets little use over the weekend. This is your chance to turn this into a liesure traveler's advantage!

I actually work for a Starwood competitor and I recommend this hotel to friends looking for a weekend getaway quite often. In my case my job takes me on the road approximately forty weeks per year---almost always on weekends. I stay at this hotel 3-4 times per year for business----but on weekends.

If you are aware that the location is a bit out of the way and where the hotel traffic is generated you can easily turn this to your advantage. If you are coming to the area for weekend events like the Sunset Magazine Festival, Art and a la Carte or the women's pro tennis tournament at Stanford University you can have a terrific location and save a lot of money by checking out the W Silicon Valley. All of those events are an easy 15 minute drive from the W. I used to stay at the Westin Palo Alto (which I really like) but it costs about three times as much for smaller rooms.

Super Bowl weekend I actually had a weekend off! So what did I do? Well, on Saturday, I flew from Orange County into San Jose, rented a car and drove into San Francisco. After a really nice afternoon at the SF MOMA, lunch and a little shopping, I drove to Silicon Valley and checked into the W. I picked up a nice bottle of wine on the way, checked out a movie video from their library and ordered room service. They've got a cheeseburger that I think is terrific but they also have some other nice things on the menu and what I've eaten there is usually pretty good.

A very nice suite, a great bed, a modern decor that I like with a 'frige, wet bar, seperate shower and tub, spa products, fluffy robe, CD player with a romantic CD.....just too bad I was there without some female companionship. LOL. Oh well, maybe next time. Anyway, slept in, had a nice breakfast in their restaurant (not the buffet, BTW, which I agree is not very appealing) and drove to the San Jose Airport. Caught my flight and was back in Newport Beach for a Super Bowl party. Ahhhh....sometimes life is good! :-)

This hotel absolutely blows the entire W hotel brand.

After several stays in W properties, I'd come to trust that a reservation in a W was guaranteed good service, great decor, and good times.

The W "Silicon Valley" failed on all counts. The location is SO remote that there's literally nothing to do or even any place to eat.

The bar and restaurant at this place are pathetic excuses for food or drink...appropriately, no bothers to hang out there.

While the room was large, the design was cheesy...and the building looks like an old La Quita Inn painted gray. The pool/beach is small and ugly.

There was a single helpful person on staff, and he was great...but everyone else was bored and unresponsive.

This place isn't worth the money...no matter how low their rates have to go to get guests. I paid $99, and was still disappointed...so don't bother with this one.

Overall this is a decent enough hotel in a quiet, suburban, safe location - especially for women business travelers on their own. It's quiet too. Friendly staff and a casual, groovy atmosphere ring well with the under-40 or so crowd. While it's out of the way to locales like San Francisco city, it's central Silicon Valley location is good for those who have business in San Jose or nearby. A government rate of $110/night was hard to beat, too, as well as free parking.

This place has some pitfalls however. The rooms are large but mine was stained and dirty. That is, stained carpets, furniture, and marked and chipped walls and doors. The bathtub had a soap scum ring in it, yuk. The windows could not be opened. Some of the saving graces were the large size of the bathroom and comfy bed, and the in-room microwave and mini-kitchen (no stove but a mini-fridge, sink, coffee maker and basic china and utensils).

The other disappointment was the pool area: although the outdoor pool area and hot tub were in principle open during the winter, the pool was full of crud, and the hot tub had dirt and sand in it, and frankly looked gross.

If these kinds of problems don't bother you, the W is a good choice for a number of reasons. If you want cleanliness, stay somewhere else.

We booked a one night stay at this hotel in order to take advantage of a SPG Triple Points promotion. We were not expecting much. Much to our (pleasant) suprise, the W delivered.

The rooms are all suites--ours was a tastefully done, well laid out "Wonderful" suite, which is the lowest category, but still quite nice. The sitting/working area was separated by a large TV stand (the TV sits on a swiveling base to allow you to watch from the sofa or bed). The bathroom has a separate shower/tub, though one would be hard pressed to call the tub a soaking tub. The toiletries were bliss products. The room was clean and generally well maintained, save for a few stains on some furniture.

We used the pool/hot tub area at night. It's a surprisingly nice pool area, with nice teak lounge chairs and huge cushioned seats. There is also a fire pit at night. All in all, when the music is playing at night and bar patrons are having drinks outside near the pool, it feels a little bit like being in LA.

I used the gym, which is serviceable, though nothing spectacular.

The hotel is located in an office park, and there is nothing in the way of restaurants, shops, or bars. If you go expecting to be in the heart of Silicon Valley, you will be disappointed--it's abouta 15 minute drive to Palo Alto and environs. However, if you go knowing that it is in an office park off of a highway, then youll be pleasantly suprised by the quality of this establishment.