Check in was great . I got there at noon and they had a room for me. My room was made up with care and had a back door to a running water fountain for ambience. Breakfast was free and was different each day. The location is 2 miles from campus an easy drive to California open space hiking trail and plenty of restaurants. Good choice as an alternative to big chain hotels. I would stay here again.

I was put in charge of selecting and booking a hotel in Palo Alto for a company trip. We had a strict budget, but also wanted someplace that would be updated, comfortable and convenient. After reading and comparing reviews of pretty much every hotel in the area, I decided to take a chance on The Zen Hotel. It turned out to be a great decision, and my entire team was really happy with our stay here.

I worked with Ricardo to arrange the group booking. He deserves special recognition for getting our group booked, dealing with several rooming changes and last minute credit card confusion. He was unfailingly helpful and polite, a real asset to this hotel.

The Zen Hotel has free parking, free wifi and free breakfast. Very cost effective, and a big plus for our group. The breakfast was pretty tasty, too! Cold cereal, oatmeal, various hot dishes (eggs, bacon, etc.), pastries, coffee and juice. Definitely a nice way to start the day. From Zen Hotel to downtown Palo Alto (University Ave) never took more than 10 minutes in the morning, which was very convenient. The staff at the front desk were really nice and helped our team with all manner of requests. There is a Walgreens directly across the street for any needed snack or supply runs.

I was booked into a room right at the corner of El Camino and Maybell, and the first night I was woken a couple of times by larger trucks passing by. The next day, I bought a cheap pack of earplugs at Walgreens and slept undisturbed the rest of my stay. My co-workers stayed in rooms further from the street and had no trouble with noise whatsoever. My room was spacious and nicely updated. It was very clean and the decor was modern and tasteful. The bed was comfortable, the bathroom immaculate, and there was a fridge, coffeemaker and hairdryer in the room. The space seemed recently redone and was a great place to call home for a week.

The last night we were in town, our client arranged for us to stay at the Crown Plaza just down the street. Let's just say that it paled in comparison to The Zen Hotel, and we were all sorry we'd had to move. If business takes us back to Palo Alto, I would absolutely book us at The Zen Hotel again. It was a very positive experience and a most comfortable stay.

Needed a place to stay for medical tests being done at Stanford Hospital. We were immediately impressed with the room upon opening the door. The room was decorated with a Far East flavor, which looked extremely inviting and relaxing. The room was spacious, neat and clean. Along one wall where the flat screen TV sat, was a very long credenza, with ample space to sit and work on a laptop and to spread out paper work. The beds were cozy and very comfortable and there were many pillows supplied for our comfort which was a big plus. There were low light reading lamps on adjustable arms beside the beds, which made it possible to read at night without lighting up the entire room and disturbing other's sleep. We made good use of the small refrigerator in the room which kept everything very cold. There was complimentary bottled water, Arrowhead Spring Water and a good array of coffee, tea, creamers and sweetners in the room. The room was quiet, except for people slamming doors now and then. The toilet was a problem. The design of the toilet was not suitable for solid waste to be thoroughly flushed without using an ice bucket to fill the bowl with ample water to completely flush the toilet clean. Just trying to flush toilet paper was a also problem on occasion and required several flushes before the paper was flushed completely down. The parking spaces in front of the rooms in the main courtyard could pose a problem for people in wheelchairs or on crutches. The stepway to the front door of the room through bamboo plants set in planters cut into the concrete are aesthetically beautiful, but make for narrow footing and rather precarious navigation. All in all though, our stay was comfortable and relaxing. The staff seemed very helpful and genuinely interested in making our stay a pleasant experience. The Zen Hotel is conveniently located near Stanford, great restaurants and shopping. We will be booking another room there in the near future.

My husband and I stayed here on a recent training trip for me. We got what we asked for: a quiet room (even though the main street's noise can be quiet loud). Note to fellow Zen guests: gently close the door to your room...if not, it makes a loud, resonating sound that disturbs the zen zone.
The service was outgoing, friendly and helpful.
The room was small and clean. Too bad some slightly off measurements in cutting finish work to the room happened. If all these little details had some together well, it'd be a very nice little room.
Wi-fi was slow. Sometimes trying an alternate connection would work. Other times, it was pointless to even try. Oh well, I didn't need to reply to work email anyway!
The mattress was not springs, so that's a plus. Unfortunately for fans of firm, cool mattresses this mattress was very soft (my husband referred to his side of the bed as "his hole" to sleep in) and the flippin' pillow top padding (please let this fad pass away into non zen sleeping habits of the past!) was mooshy and trapped body heat. So it was another couple nights' sleep of cold on top and hot on the bottom.
Overall, it's a good place to stay.
Loved the little zen garden area back behind the front first floor rooms. It was nice having the bamboo in the room, along with the fridge and microwave. Breakfast is the typical make your own, on a small scale. Good coffee. Cookies in the evening are fairly calorie-worthy! Cute neighborhood in the back for evening strolls.