Waterfront Hotel, a Joie de Vivre Boutique Hotel - Oakland 37.79529, -122.27836

The Waterfront Hotel is situated in the Jack London Square in Oakland. The postcard scene of sailboats slowly docking into their berths is breathtaking. There is an outdoor pool with clear weather-barricades that allow one to look out and enjoy the scenery. Also, there is a restaurant onsite which features "New Orleans" style cooking. Order the eggs benedict with crab or cajun frittata while gazing through the glass windows... The rooms are cozy with large-sized beds with designer linens. In the larger rooms, a gas fireplace is available. Bathrooms are large and come with designer amenities. If you can get a room overlooking the water, that is even better... you'll pay though :) Exclusive views are available for the upstairs penthouse suite, which must be fabulous with views overlooking the water! A few problem areas: the sounding of train horns every 2 hours at the nearby train depot..... business center had broken computers.... a loud party in one of the conference rooms which had bathrooms that weren't cleaned.

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Wonderfully set down by the water front, the Waterfront staff was very considerate and professional. They quickly changed our room to one larger with a balcony when we weren't happy with the size. The location was great and having a bar/restaurant attached was also very convenient. We will definitely stay here again next time we're in Oakland.

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Great location in oakland close to ferry to S.F. Room had Nice view. Had a few hassles though, Toilet did not function properly very slow to flush, Maintenance was sent toilet was a little better but still not right, t.v. remote did not work, requested new batteries still did not work. Came back to our room on the second day to find our key did not work. Went to the front desk to find out that they locked us out because there was a problem with our credit card for incidentals. Room was prepaid but parking was charged nightly. instead of leaving us a message in our room or calling cell phone they locked us out until we came a gave them a new credit card. they had are car keys and our car in valet where did they think we were going. Also found our car was left unlocked one of the nights it was valeted. at checkout mentioned the issues and they offered us a free breakfast in the restaraunt up to 50 dollars, which we ate. I felt they should have done more or at least comp parking instead of breakfast. Overall room was clean, location good, but for the price we paid expected no trouble. probably will not go back

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Smallish room was supposed to be a water view. Well you could see the water if you looked way to the left, but you are over a grass area. I paid too much for the room I'm sure. NO VENDING MACHINE on property. I wanted a snack and they said they would bring it to me, but they were out of any snacks except soda. Staff were very nice. Not a great neighborhod to walk around in. I don't think this is a bad hotel, but if you have another choice I would use that one. I will not stay at this hotel again.

Right in the midst of all the activities and restaurants Jack London Square has to offer as well as next to a convenient ferry ride across the bay to San Francisco

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My husband 7 I booked online and we told we would have the city view room. We were happily surprised when we saw our room. The window faced the Jack Londen courtyard with views of the water and boats. Room was large, well-lit, quiet and wonderful

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While the restaurants and overall entertainment and convenience in access to transportation was great, the loud train in the mornings and evenings was not. I recommend, if your not a sensitive sleeper.

We thoroughly enjoyed staying here--very comfortable rooms,very attentive staff, really great location. Very close to Ferry station-15 minutes to San Francisco, 3 blocks from train station. Wonderful Jack London Square surrounding hotel, with large bookstore, movie theater, great restaurants within very short walking distance. Farmer's Market on Sunday was an extra bonus. Super place for a restful, fun weekend!

Great dog hotel and nice location to public trans and major hwys. Beds were comfy, room was clean and big. There's alot of cute shops and dining options within a short walk. Great big grass area for dogs to rome. View was nice, pool was clean and security was everywhere..my family felt right at home for 5 days...would recommend...ask them not to use carpet cleaner if your staying more then a day...the wet carpet each day was obnoxious...but once we had them stop it was all good. Smelled like home :)you can request fridge if your staying a few days and there is a bevmo in walking distance as well as a farmers markets and B&N for reading times...will always stay here when visiting the east bay...

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Near Bart, Shuttle service 4 mile radius, shops near by. Hotel staff very nice. Train runs all night could be distracting if light sleeper.

Everything was great. Except for I paid for a King Size bed and got moved around twice and still had a Queen bed. I don't think they had any King size beds. Other than that my wife and I had a great time. Save your money pay for a queen bed.

Besides the loud doors, it is a GREAT place to stay at. The staff were super friendly and nice! The room was beautiful. The bed was comfortable. Love the pillows. Big flat screen TV. The only down thing is the neighborhood. Not much to do around there. Lots of industrial looking buildings. Kinda dead. But we planned on going into san fran only anyways so it's ok plus, it's right next to the water and quiet and calming so can't beat that!

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On the Oakland Waterfront; exceptionally clean room; friendly staff; within walking distance of Amtrak and bus stops; Walk about nine blocks to BART system to access airport and San Francisco; ferry stops next to hotel and goes to San Francisco Waterfront;felt safe and peaceful

The hotel is located near Rail Road tracks. You hear not only the train passing by, it blows the horn in passing. My last evening I counted: a train passed every 15-30 minutes.

For the money, this hotel was a decent deal. We were given a unique room on the 5th floor -- long and spacious with a wrap-around balcony, 2 sliding-door windows and a fireplace, couch and sitting area. We only paid for a city view room. We'd asked for a king bed and this room had a queen. The staff offered to move us but we decided we liked the uniqueness of the room. The staff was very friendly and very responsive, the room was clean and well-maintained. However, we discovered that many, many trains go by all hours of the day and night blowing their whistles the entire time. There are commuter trains, freight trains and long-distance Amtrak trains just a few hundred yards away. Even with the double-pane windows, if you're a light sleeper you'll still hear every train. Also, on the roof of the next building we saw and heard lots of seagulls. Seeing their babies was very cute but hearing the screeching gulls just added to the noise at this hotel. The other rooms on the waterfront side of the hotel might be quieter but I think they would still hear the train whistles. You could not talk above them while on the balcony. One small mention is that the tv was next to the bed and the couch was in front of the fireplace so it was awkward to watch tv. The pool was closed and there is no room service. The restaurant on site was very expensive and had a very limited menu. We paid $40 for breakfast and I had an omelette and my husband had a waffle.

A bit noisey because of train but overall it was a pleasant stay. Very convenient for taking the ferry and eating.

stayed with a two-year old and a dog. staff was very friendly and tolerant.

This waterfront hotel is near the ferry to san francisco. The views are amazing. One problem was breakfast on Saturday is does not open until 9 am, and there was no where near for coffee.

Convenient location, cost to park the car is $20 though, for "valet", but parking is right out front and you could do it yourself for no cost...clubs, restaurants are all in walking distance and harbor/boats provide fabulous views. Didn't spend much time in the room, but when we asked for water view (we paid for city view), the front desk gave us a corner room which had both water and city view (perfect!), larger space and fireplace. Very cool!

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good location, no public/self-parking, valet parking only but it was all good because there were eveveral nice upscale restaurants within short walking distances along the marina, very nice walk

This boutique hotel's best asset is it's staff. From the friendly and professional valet to the maids. Everyone I came in contact with were willing to do what it takes to satisfy the customer. The room was neat and clean and smart deco.

We loved the location. It's basically next door to the ferry, so we didn't have to take the car to San Francisico...just hopped on the ferry! Our view was wonderful and we didn't miss having a balcony since the windows open. We actually liked having the extra space in the room. The Sunday farmer's market was a real treat and so was Scott's Restaurant. The only disappointment was we didn't realize we could have gotten a newspaper and minifridge by asking until the last day. There was a little leak in the bathroom from the floor above us...disconcerting but not a show-stopper. Oh, and there's a $20/day fee to park, but overall we'd stay there again.

The accomidations are great, the best thing about this boutique hotel is the people. Everyone showed a genuine interest in the guests. Smiles all around and they went out of their way to accomodate me. Only improvement I would suggest is the coffee service in the room was ordinary. they should put better condiments for the coffee addict like me.

This is a great hotel and Jack London Square is nice, but there's not much to do and you don't want to stray off the Square especially after dark. Fewer stores and shops than my last stay which was a year ago. The hotel just completed a remodel and is in great shape. Staff is nice, especially the valet/bell staff. Be nice to them if you drive, they can keep your vehicle close where it is safe or if you decide to be cheap they can park it a block away where you wouldn't park if it were the last free spot available.

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We had tried to stay in the Courtyard Marriott, but they had misrepresented the size of the room. The Waterfront fit our needs perfectly. We had 4 adults (one night 5 adults) plus 2 babies in a pack n' play, and we all fit in a double queen room including using 2 cots! The location is awesome. There are lots of places to walk, and the area felt safe. They offer free dance lessons nearby on the weekends. There are noises, such as a train moving through frequently, but we actually enjoyed it. We were right by the water, which was great. The restaurant is good but expensive. We also had great seafood at Scot's nearby. Overall, we really enjoyed our stay!

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We expected more from a Joie de Vivre Boutique hotel. The staff wasn't particularly warm and welcoming. Our "waterfront" room faced the pool; we had to crane our necks to see water. The room was musty. We're glad we only booked one night.

I had heard great things about The Waterfront, from business colleagues and the web. When I arrived, I wondered if there wasn't another hotel with the same name and if I had gone to the wrong one. I overpaid, I think, for the king room I reserved, which featured a Murphy Bed (really!) instead of a regular bed. The room layout was awkward and it was difficult to use the closets in that they were located in odd spaces (in a narrow space where you could not open your suitcase to unpack and in the bathroom alcove). The room service menu is VERY limited and non-existant at lunch. I ended up getting take out. The view of the marina is nice and the gym facilities are fine. My room also had a working fireplace, which was nice. But the location is a bit out of the way. I asked for a cap to take me to the city center for a meeting and ended up having to do the meeting by phone because, despite calling for the cab a good 30 minutes before my meeting, one did not arrive until an hour later. If on business in Oakland, this place is definately not a recomendation unless you've got business in that area (ports, etc). Instead, stick with the Marriot in the City Center, which is right downtown, across from the BART and has a regular line of cabs right outside.

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the neighborhood has only an hourly parking garage and the hotel charges an additional $20.00/ night for parking. I inquired about parking and was informed available however no place did it mention the additional charges.