When I first stayed at the Garden Court in Spring 2012, it was a brand new discovery (and a welcome relief from suburban-style hotels in the Mt View area). Recently, I had the opportunity to stay at The Garden Court again -- but this time for a family event in the SF Bay area.

I wondered if I would like it as much the second time around? The stakes were high -- this time we had booked several rooms, and I had told family how wonderful it was....

Fortunately, the answer is "Yes". It was just as beautiful as I remembered. We stayed in a sunny room with huge French doors across one wall opening onto a balcony with a street view. Having real doors that open onto a balcony you can step out onto is so lovely. My husband sat on the balcony and worked on his laptop. He chatted with his Dad, while they enjoyed watching the quiet foot traffic on the street below.

What makes this hotel so good? In short, I love the classic design, the smart colour scheme, the artwork, the architecture and the gracious service. (I left a thank you note and tip for the cleaning staff.)

I also love the location -- it is so pedestrian-friendly. Palo Alto has so many great shops and restaurants -- all within walking distance of the hotel. As in my first review, I found it to be a romantic place to relax and recharge!

I highly recommend it and can't wait to return -- again!

I have stayed at the Garden Court Hotel many times and have loved each one. The staff is friendly and efficient. The location in the heart of downtown Palo Alto is ideal. The rooms are neat, clean and wonderfully decorated. But the best part of all are the beds. Some of the best hotel beds I have ever slept in. So soft and comfortable! If you want a good night's rest, check in here! The morning coffee and pastries and excellent too!

I have stayed at the Garden Court over 10 times
The staff is terrific and very helpful.
They organized an onsite 3 day meeting for and it went flawlessly.
The restaurant attached Il Fornaio is a great Italian restaurant.
The best part about the Garden Court is the location in downtown Palo Alto, you can walk to everything you need!

Stayed at the Garden Court over Labor Day weekend. This was the perfect time to stay, as this is a business hotel, and there aren't many business travelers on a holiday weekend. I called ahead to make a reservation, as I had a gift certificate. Jose was extremely helpful, and pre-blocked a great room for me. Since it was the weekend, I parked in the lot right next door to the hotel for FREE! Free parking on the weekends. I was ready and prepared to pay the $17 valet, but since self parking was free, I took advantage of it. Check-in process was quick, no problems. Arrived to the room, and it was one of the best I have seen. I work for a 5-Diamond hotel, and this room was definitely up to those standards. The fresh fruit bowl in your room was a nice touch, as was the Molten Brown amenities. The lotion was amazing....I wish I could have taken home 20 extra bottles of the lotion! The wireless internet didn't work for some reason, but I logged on to the restaurants free WiFi and it worked just fine. Our room had a balcony overlooking the courtyard. The King bed was huge and comfortable. My roommate was on the sofabed. We called housekeeping to come make up the bed. They arrived within 5 minutes. She brought a memory foam mattress topper to put on the sofa-bed mattress. This made the sofa bed almost as comfortable as my King bed! Very nice touch. When I felt the sofa-bed mattress by itself, I was a little worried because it felt awful! Note for management: I could not find the "Guest Services Book" explaining the amenities of the hotel. There was also no ice-bucket in the room, and I did not see an ice-machine on the floor. When we left Monday morning, there were pastries and coffee in the hallway on each floor. Delicious chocolate croissants. In the room, there was a huge 52 inch flat screen TV. We walked 3 blocks to the 7-11 and rented a movie at the RedBox. I was disappointed there was no DVD player. I even called the front desk. Oh well. I ended up watching the movie on my laptop. Seeing that the DVD player would be the only problem I had, this hotel definitely deserves the 5-star rating I gave it. From the service, to the quality and comfort of the room, the Garden Court in Palo Alto is a fantastic, and convenient, place to stay when visiting Palo Alto or even San Francisco. If you stay here, do me a favor.....bring home the Molten Brown lotion.....you will love it!