Berkeley City Club

Berkeley city club hotel has a rich history, being designed by Julia Morgan, a woman who was truly a pioneer of American architecture in the late 1920's. This hotel was coined the, "Little Castle", and from here began Julia's vision, particularly for women, who needed a place to unite and gather for social, cultural, recreational, and family related connections, in the East Bay. She called it the Berkeley women's city club, and it garnered over 4,000 female only members in 1930 for 33 years, until opening up to men as well in 1963, which then was renamed the Berkeley City Club.

I provide the cursory history to validate my 5-star rating, as I'm in awe of this rich history. Would I normally choose the Berkeley City Club Hotel for my 5-night iconic milestone wedding anniversary with my husband? No way! Why? Well there are a litany of reasons, so let me provide the condensed version: no room service during stay (maybe towels if you ask nicely), need to be quiet as a mouse (unless you want a potential $500+ party disturbance fee, drafty as heck, paper thin walls, and that's just the tip of the iceberg! But, if you want to have a piece of history and really appreciate how well preserved and most recognized hotel that Berkeley has, then you've arrived at the right place. And truth be told, I'm honored and thrilled to be staying here.

This architectural gem is within walking distance of Berkeley college, which is why we chose it. The interiors are spectacular, a bit reminiscent of Hogwarts. Some areas could use an update, as the place feels a little odd. However, the beautiful details, staircases, windows and courtyard make up for it. The rooms are tidy but not luxurious. The service is just ok. Front desk checkin is also odd, not terribly welcoming. The only place to store luggage was self serve and felt less than secure. I can't say I recommend leaving any valuables there. If you want something out of the ordinary and need to be near Cal, this hotel might be for you.

Stayed here for my birthday weekend with the dear husband and I'm in love with this place. I felt like I was a cast in the Harry Potter's series!

Room is dated but with a nice feel to it. Just how I liken I love how quaint it is and the view is fabulous! it's overlooking the bay, UC Berkeley campus and the hills! Bed is comfy!

A little bit of fascinating history was this was designed by a woman architect, Julia Morgan! Super plus! +++

Staff was friendly, he was especially friendly when we were checking in.

It came with a scrumptious continental breakast: quiche, hard boiled eggs, pastries, yogurt, and a slew of more goodness, but most especially, they have Peet's coffee! Indeed, I had a happy birthday!

There is also an olympic pool, however between 9AM-12noon you have to make reservations and after noon, it's open for all.

I would totally recommend and if given a chance, would absolutely stay here again!

Nice place, nice food. Natalie is super sweet, giving her 10 stars. Love the vibe here.

I took swimming lessons from Boris here when I was just 4 years old. I can still remember him. He was such a great teacher. He really taught me how to be a great swimmer because ten years later I was ranked first place in the USA for my event. He would reward me with a quarter if I did a
good job. I thought that was a lot of money. With inflation that would be $2.75 today, because that was 1952. I'm glad to see that after 70 years that beautiful pool is still here. This is a beautiful club with great traditions.wish I lived closer to enjoy it once again.

We had a last minute emergency that required us to change the venue of our fundraiser with less than 6 hours notice and the Berkeley City Club (and specifically Al-Leigh) were so incredibly helpful and accommodating! I am so grateful to their team and will recommend them to anyone looking to host an event in Berkeley.

After considering a membership for sometime and visiting several times, I finally decided to pass. The main reason was they don't offer a single fitness class after work or on weekends. They only offer classes during the week in the late morning or early afternoon. As a person with a full time job, there are no classes I can make, and really undermined the value of a membership. Please offer classes in the evenings and weekend. I'd purchase a membership in a second if you did! This is such a beautiful place.

Stayed there for the night. STUNNING. Will definitely be back again. Beautiful rooms, garden..everything.

Wow, we had such a great night here! This review has been sitting in my drafts for some time so it's a bit late (4 months; not much lol)..

We had our graduation ceremony here on Friday, June 17th and it was amazing. Yulianna, Cynthia, Annie, Maria and all staff were the best with all the planning, event coordination, and making sure everything was setup on time and did it with such grace.

This was my first time attending our event at the Berkeley city club and I would recommend this venue for your future events. We chose the 3-hour top shelf bar, steak/salmon/vegan pasta option, crab cakes, salmon bites, spinach spinikpota,, cocktail shrimps and many other appetizers.

Everyone was so helpful and friendly which made our event very easy to manage. My only advice is to prep the speakers to talk closely and directly into the mic at the podium. Luckily, I have some experience with sound engineering and was able to control the volume/feedback but it's definitely something to keep in mind.

Other than that, it was great event and we will definitely come back next year!!

What an amazing piece of history nestled alongside UC Berkeley's campus!

I have seen a few photos from the Berkeley City club's instagram, but they mainly feature the Julia Morgan Restaurant, the indoor pool (currently closed), and their courtyard for private events.

I loved the character and charm embodied by the little castle! It was welcoming and cozy, and the staff was welcoming while remaining respectful of the social distancing protocols. Upon check in, you receive a small packet of hand sanitizer and disenfectant wipes. Elevator capacity is limited to one-household, and masks must be worn at all times when outside your room.

I felt very safe while on the premises. Additionally, the views from my bedroom window were spectacular! I was in a room on the 6th floor (top floor) and had sweeping views of the bay. While the charm of a historic building comes with a few quirks (low water pressure and a noisy furnace you have to handle with care), I felt these were minor inconveniences to enjoying the overall ambience.

Would definitely recommend to friends and family passing through Berkeley in the future!