Sweet Dreams in San Jose: Hotels, Resorts, and Spas

SAN JOSE, CA — With a rich culinary landscape, a hip creative and performing arts scene, and thriving sports teams, San Jose invites leisurely exploration. Fortunately, the city's wide array of hotels, resorts, and spas stands ready to house and pamper both the business visitor and the vacationer. The area's in-the-know locals are drawn to the cool vibe of places like the Montgomery Hotel, the Fairmont, and the Hotel Valencia for fun weekend getaways (many hotels offer great deals on weekends). And when the sun goes down, nightlife heats up at hotel hotspots like Paragon (at the Hotel Montgomery), ARCADIA (Marriott), the City Grill (Hilton) or the Fairmont's Lobby Lounge Bar, where techies wind down with the Wireless Cocktail, a bracing and colorful swirl of vodka, melon liqueur, orange juice, and grenadine that was voted the #1 cocktail in the country when it debuted.

Savvy fliers arrive via Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC)—it's one of the most convenient and easy to navigate airports in the Bay Area, located only five minutes from downtown; soon, a boldly designed airport expansion with cool amenities will further smooth the journey. Once in San Jose, visitors find a very walkable downtown with handy train and light rail service (there's even a stop in front of the convention center). San Jose is easily accessible!

Boutique Hotels

"What makes being downtown so great," says Max Schultz, sales manager of the Hotel Montgomery, "is the proximity of so many museums, theatres, restaurants—plus being at the center of San Jose's best festivals." And when you want that downtown locale in lodging with an intimate, cozy feel, a boutique hotel (with 50 to 100 rooms) is hard to beat.

Both hip and historic, the Hotel Montgomery offers turn-of-the-century style (it was built in 1911), plus all the new millennium conveniences guests need, like high-speed Internet access, a laptop safe, and iPod docking stations. The hotel's 86 guestrooms include one-bedroom suites. The hotel has become a popular after-hours venue for downtown San Jose—people enjoy playing bocce ball on the hotel's courts and taking in the lively atmosphere of the adjacent Paragon restaurant and bar, with its outdoor dining plaza and weekend jazz.

Hotel De Anza is a historic Art Deco gem. The De Anza has 100 luxurious and comfortable guestrooms (including Junior Suites, Parlor Suites, and a Penthouse Suite), which combine classic architecture with modern comfort and hospitality. The Hotel De Anza's fitness center, business center, La Pastaia Restaurant, and live jazz at the swanky (and recently remodeled) Hedley Club Lounge, or the option of making a midnight snack with the popular Raid the Pantry program, make it a hit with business travelers. Another plus is the hotel's location: it's within walking distance to restaurants, attractions and facilities like the San Jose Convention Center, HP Pavilion, museums and Guadalupe River Park Trail.

Newest to the scene is the groundbreaking Hotel Valencia Santana Row, just a short cab ride from the heart of town. Chic and contemporary, the 213-room hotel blends Old World elegance with a sleek modern design. Urbanites love it's setting: in the heart of vibrant Santana Row, a dynamic mix of upscale shopping, dining, and entertainment. Its guestrooms are plush and quiet, but if you're in the mood to party, the Vbar or Cielo (the rooftop wine bar) provide stylish diversion.

Big Hotels, Great Downtown Locations

If you're looking for a full-service luxury hotel in Silicon Valley, The Fairmont San Jose is a good place to start. The 805-room Fairmont boasts a 1300-piece art collection, so contemporary works grace just about every significant public space. Don't miss a trip to the 4th floor Cabana Level; it's a palm-edged oasis, with a 58-foot swimming pool and a sun deck, plus saunas and steam rooms, a health club, and all the pampering spa services in the hotel's new Tova Day Spa. The valley's big kahunas (and special occasion revelers) head for the 20th floor, filled with grand penthouse suites, its own private boardroom, and spectacular city views. If you're a tireless wireless user, settle in with your laptop in the lobby and sip on one of the Fairmont's tasty specialties, like the Wireless Cocktail. And if you like to travel with Fido, The Fairmont San Jose now offers pet amenities, including pet beds and meals with freshly baked treats from the Barkaroo Bakery. Running to catch a flight out of SJC? You'll find real-time flight info on two 50" TV screens in the Fairmont's lobby (the first hotel to offer SJC screen info) and you can print out a boarding pass here, too.

You can stay really close (actually, connected) to the San Jose McEnery Convention Center when you check into the San Jose Marriott. With 506 rooms, 28 luxury suites and 18 junior suites, the guestrooms beckon with sumptuous pillow-top beds and 32" flat-panel TVs. And a boon to Silicon Valley's plugged-in travelers: all rooms have laptop safes and Marriott's exclusive Smart Desk for telephone and T-1 Internet connections. But you should unplug long enough to dine at ARCADIA Modern American Steakhouse, by acclaimed chef Michael Mina. The Hilton San Jose has 354 guestrooms and suites, all wired for high-speed (T1) Internet access so guests are always connected, and Serenity Beds for a comfy night's sleep. The hotel is set to begin its remodel in early 2008. The $11 million renovation will transform guestrooms, meeting rooms, and restaurant/bar areas. What's on tap: the restaurant and bar will convert into a chic upscale gathering place where guests can relax in cozy seating niches, enjoy a drink, get a little business done. The back patio will become more relaxed, with two crackling fire pits to congregate around. Guestrooms will be graced with 32" flat screen TVs (or 37" TVs in Executive Level rooms), new Hilton Serenity beds, dramatic bathrooms, tiled entryways and more. The changes will present the Hilton's guests a more comfortable environment overall, whether they're planning to do a little business or just relax. The Crowne Plaza - San Jose Downtown just finished a $7 million renovation to its 239 rooms, restaurant, bar and meeting space, transforming the hotel into a technology-oriented facility with a hip, contemporary ambiance. In addition to 32" flat screen TVs and deluxe bedding, the rooms boast Crowne Plaza's signature Sleep Advantage amenities, quiet zones, sleep CDs with Sony Dream Machine alarm/clock radios. The Executive Club Level, encompassing the top two floors of the hotel, features in-room refrigerators, iHomes -- allowing guests to plug in their mp3 players and iPods -- and complimentary bathrobes. A unique landmark, The Sainte Claire Hotel, is a historic convention hotel built in 1926 in the heart of downtown San Jose. Walk through the entrance into a soaring lobby with elaborate guilt scrollworks and hand-carved, hand-painted ceiling panels. Italianate furnishings and arched ceiling hallways reinforce the Old World grandeur at the 170-room property. Hotel amenities include a free business center, business services, art collection, and newspapers. Dining options include an on-site restaurant serving Italian cuisine and a bakery.

Beyond Downtown

Around town, choices range from the elegant Dolce Hayes Mansion to chic, urban hotels like Hotel Valencia at Santana Row to a variety of handy airport hotel locales. Once a lavish private estate, the 214-room Dolce Hayes Mansion Hotel & Conference Center resort hotel was opened to the public in 1994 and expanded in 2002. The swank Conference Center plus hotel is housed inside and around a 1905 Mediterranean Revival-style mansion, one of early San Jose's most graceful homes. Inside, rooms are decorated in traditional style but are airy and spacious, with all the modern conveniences; there's a fitness center, outdoor pool/whirlpool, plus tennis, volleyball and basketball courts. For a unique weekend getaway, Dolce Hayes Mansion offers weekend deals ranging from a Bed & Brunch package to a Mansion Romance package. Newest to the scene is the groundbreaking Hotel Valencia Santana Row just a short cab ride from the heart of town. This contemporary 213-room hotel blends Old World elegance with a sleek modern design. Urbanites love its setting: in the heart of vibrant Santana Row, a dynamic mix of upscale shopping, dining, and entertainment. Its guestrooms are plush and quiet, but if you're in the mood to party, the Vbar or Cielo (the rooftop wine bar) provide stylish diversion.

For travel convenience, it's tough to beat the airport locales of hotels such as the Radisson San Jose Airport , the Clarion San Jose Airport, Wyndham San Jose Hotel, Holiday Inn San Jose, and the Doubletree Hotel San Jose.

Spas in and Near Hotels

Meetings, conference calls, cell phone—eek! You need a respite? San Jose's spas are built to release the tensions of our 24/7 work lives. Whether you're visiting for the day or on an extended stay, a spa visit can work out your hunched shoulders and those keyboard-stressed forearms.

Rejuvenate yourself. There are several hotel spas to choose from. At the Fairmont's Tova Day Spa, you can challenge yourself with a workout designed by a personal trainer, or pamper yourself with a full menu of spa services. Choose from body therapies, massages, or facials at Being Spa at Dolce Hayes Mansion. At Hotel Valencia's AYOMALifeSpa, you can explore the wellness-oriented traditional Indian-style Ayurvedic therapies, as well as standard massages and facials (and spa guests have the use of the hotel's pool and fitness center). 

Near Willow Glen, the Strada Salon and Day Spa offers facials, massage, and haircuts in a Tuscan-themed setting. At Santana Row, visit Burke Williams to dip into a whirlpool or steam room, take a Thai massage, or try memorable treatments like Emilee's Intrigue (massage with hot rocks).

Whether you're a leisure or business visitor to San Jose, explore some of the city's amazing hotels, resorts, and spas; you'll be rewarded, relaxed, and rejuvenated! For more information and a complete list of San Jose's 35 hotels, visit sanjose.org.

About Team San Jose

Team San Jose's mission is to ensure that San Josè's Convention Center and Cultural Facilities are effectively managed to reduce costs, improve the local economy, and add value for our customers, residents, workers, and businesses within the City of San Jose. Team San Jose's board includes local hoteliers, organized labor, the arts and the Convention & Visitors Bureau.