A very disappointing experience despite the promising reviews on which we based our decision to stay. We stayed two nights at this ‘hotel’ – a motel by any other name. This is not a hotel, but a motel that has been renovated (the rooms have been modernized and a slight attempt to make the parking lot to feel like an Asian garden - NOT), but as pointed out by one of the reviews this means that you do have to put up with the noise of cars coming and going, and other guests talking and pulling suitcases to their rooms, and passing traffic on a very busy road. Our first night was horrendous. While there are blackout curtains, the windows in the bathroom (which open onto the bedroom – the shower and toilet is in separate room from the sink) do not, and the light from the outside balcony came into our room, and lit the room up. Other guests then talked on their cellphones after stepping outside so as not to wake guests in their own rooms! The beds are comfortable, but the pillows are made for hobbits – they are only half the size of standard pillows so I would suggest you bring your own. Breakfast in the lobby added insult to injury. Scrambles eggs were tasteless and rubbery, the bacon looked like it was man made, and the oatmeal was floating in lukewarm water. We requested to be moved for the second night to overcome the light issue. This room was much smaller and darker, but alas we were woken very early in morning by cleaning staff pushing their trollies in the parking lot. Needless to say we skipped breakfast the second day – we decided starving was a better option. Check out is at 11, but don’t be surprised if cleaning staff come knocking on your door an hour before that. In summary, this motel is anything but Zen – it is not peaceful, tranquil or nourishing to the mind, soul or stomach.

Although my husband's company party was only 20mins from our house, we decided to leave the kids with the grandparents and make a weekend of it. When we checked-in the front desk staff were very helpful and insuring our stay was comfortable. The bed was incredibly comfortable, the decor was modern and very clean, and even the morning breakfast was great! I would definatly recommend this hotel and stay there again.

Great hotel just off the main thoroughfare through Palo Alto. There is excellent wifi and the rooms are decorated according to an Asian theme. Breakfast is buffet style and includes fresh bagels and pastries as well as plenty of coffee and juice. The one negative is that the rooms centre around the car park (with the doors opening directly into the car park) and we did find it noisy. The main problem for us was probably that our room was located right next to the ice and vending machines, both of which created noise when used. That said, it was great value and is well located, a 15 minute drive to downtown Palo Alto (walking into town is not realistic, this is a hotel for people travelling by car).

I stayed at the Zen Hotel recently for two nights while I attended an event at Stanford. Pulling in to the hotel I was highly disappointed after the impression that I got from their website. It appeared to be a Motel 6 with some bamboo planted in the parking lot. The door was beat up looking and when I got inside the room it just seemed OK. I did however get to like it more as time went on. The bed and pillows were very nice. The shower and amenities were clean and everything worked great. I had forgotten to pick up more water after my flight and there were not one, but two free bottles of water in the room, which I devoured. Then the bottles were replaced when I returned that night. It was VERY quiet in the rooms, this is something that I care more and more about traveling. The hotel was packed, but I didn't hear any other voices, noises or anything else in my room. All in all I would recommend it, it didn't have quite the elegance that I expected, but it was a solid room with good service and a great breakfast.