Hotel Durant

If you come into this hotel knowing how historic it is, the history of Berkeley and the fun and reverence with which this hotel portrays alllllll of that, you gotta love it! It is quirky and classic all in one hotel. YES, even the bong lamps. The rooms aren’t huge, but very comfortable. The restaurant is super cool looking. I had the breakfast buffet and it was good – typical eggs, bacon, fruit, etc., I don’t think it was worth $ 15 that they charge for it and am kinda surprised it’s not part of your stay considering how much the rooms are. Our 1 King bedroom was $ 191/​night.
We ended up not needing the second night we booked and the hotel let me cancel with no penalty or canceling charge, so that was really nice. Parking is $ 10/​night, which is not bad compared to what others charge. Free Wi-​Fi that actually works very well! Thank you for that!
The Durant is a nice change of pace from my usual Hilton stays… I’d stay here again!

Nice place. Friendly staff. Clean basic hotel near UCB. Henry’s restaurant and Bar on the premises has strange hours: 8:00AM for break fast (rather late i would say) and the bar shuts
down at 10:00PM, rather early for my expectation. Hotel itself is good.

To say our stay at the Hotel Durant was a nightmare would be the understatement of the century. As we were arriving, we called to ask about parking. The person who answered the phone told us there was a valet. After driving around 4 or 5 times, there was no valet. We called again and were told to park in the back. When we checked in the person told us they were getting rid of the valet for cost reasons anyway.
The room was small and dingy. There were two pillows and one had a large yellow stain on it. I called the front desk and no one answered. I went down to the desk and told the person about the stained pillow and he said «sorry, I’m the only person here tonight and I don’t know where housekeeping keeps the pillows.» We spent the night sharing one pillow on a tiny uncomfortable bed.
The experience was so awful that we decided to leave at 6am. We told the person at check our experience. He apologized and gave me a card and told me to call the manager Rodolfo after 9am and tell him what had happened.
I called and left 4 messages for Rodolfo and did not get a call back. I called again the next day was told that Rodolfo was on vacation. I left 2 messages for another manager and almost a week later, I’ve yet to receive a call back.
This place is a dump, poorly run, and entirely too expensive for what it is. I’ve stayed at roadside motels and even those places had clean pillows. I can not stress what an awful experience this was. Stay away from the Hotel Durant.

Is there such a thing as a dive hotel? Dive bars usually get that rep because despite their subpar facilities and offerings they’ve got a lot of character. Durant is this version of a hotel.
Arrived via car, there was no valet service in front so I parked in the small 15(?) space lot in the back. Checked in and asked about the car, was told I was in the valet lot (at the hotel that doesn’t actually have a valet stand or person in front) so it was $ 26 to stay there or they could tell me where the $ 16 lot was aways away. I stuck with it because of the convenience (spoiler alert: I picked up my own car on exit as well which I believe is the definition of self parking)
They done all they can to appear hip with the décor. Board games in the lobby. Bong lamps. Etc. However, the rooms are beyond dated. Bed was hard. The AC in the room doesn’t go below 68 degrees, it allows you to punch in a lower number then reverts back to 68. Walls are so thin I was listening to the person next door snore all night. Elevator is slower than molasses. This hotel is not cheap in price but it’s cheap in quality. Spend your money elsewhere.

Imagine a hotel run by a bunch of well meaning but inexperienced students — thats what you have here.
Its funky, its historic its reasonably happening in the bar on a Tueaday. But its not very well organized.
So there is no one to help you with your bag at the entrance, the AC in your room may not work, to get from the parking lot to the lobby requres negotiating thre sets of ateps, there is no soap or shampoo in your room and they serve spinach dip cold (?).
If you are a tired business traveller this is not for you. if you are a kid on a US tour in your gap year maybe you might find it «cool».

Small boutique hotel right neat Cal. Each room is decorated with a different Berkeley theme. Our room had framed photos of streakers on campus from the 1960’s and a cool beaker like lamp.
The hotel is clean and well kept but it’s an older building so it doesn’t have all the amenities of a new luxury hotel. If you like quirky and boutique this is the place to stay.

We held our rehearsal dinner at Hotel Durant and it was fantastic. We had a dinner with ~30 people in the private dining room and then a reception with ~40 additional people in the dining room/​lobby. The food was great and the service was even better. A special shout out to Kevin McHale (the events manager) who helped us with all the details and made it a night to remember. Kevin was super easy to work with, very helpful, and very accommodating.
When we first looked for rehearsal dinner venues, Hotel Durant didn’t pop up on our list. It was only after the original place we booked closed at the last minute that we scrambled and found Hotel Durant. We’re glad we did — the event was definitely better than it would have been at the original venue. I’d encourage anybody looking for a rehearsal venue to put this hotel at the top of your list.

The best part of this hotel is its location next to UCB.
The hotel itself is very dated. Rooms are VERY tiny and hotel is generally noisy (because of the downstairs bar/​restaurant and because of all the traffic/​street noise outside). If you arrive late in the day as we did, the valet lot may be full and you’ll need to pay for parking at a lot a few blocks away.

Hotel Durant is still a little bit run down, but can be a decent hotel if you need to be at an event at UC Berkeley. The hotel itself is just a block away from the south side of the UC Berkeley campus, and is surrounded by the off-​campus dorm units. (Very close to Unit 1 and 2; and just down the street from Unit 3.)
The hotel itself offers parking in its small parking lot for additional rate, although parking is first-​come first-​serve, and can run out if they have too many guests. Guests coming here for the first time should make sure they’re parked in the right lot; the hotel has two — the lot closest to the hotel lobby entrance is for valet only. Entrance to the self parking parking lot is on Channing.
The lobby itself is nice, and reminds me of a classier hotel. The rooms themselves though are a little run down, and definitely nothing spectacular. The décor reminds me of an interesting attempt at showcasing «college life» with the manual/​books looking like giant school notebooks, and the art on the wall a photo of two college kids streaking in the park.
Funny thing is that the bathroom door in my room when I stayed there was broken. As in the door just wouldn’t shut; you would have to use the trash bin to hold the door closed.
The service was decent — nothing out of the ordinary.
My recommendation for this venue just comes down to the location. If you need to be right next to campus or on the south side of campus, this is a prime spot. Very quick walk to nearby campus facilities. Also a good choice if you’re in town for a game, and don’t mind the quick 10 – 15 minute walk to the stadium.

Pros: Clean, cute with contemporary touches (like iphone charging dock for my iPhone 6+. A short walk to UC Berkeley and many delicious restaurant options. Friendly staff.
Cons: Super tiny room fitting for one person. No drawers to unpack a suitcase.

It was my first time at Hotel Durant and I’m down with a place that has funky vintage décor.
From the gate I was happy because they are DOG FRIENDLY!
They are right by UCB campus and a solid hike away from the Botanical Gardens. Do the hike!
There are numerous options of food that are just a few steps away and a ice cream sandwich spot you for sure have to go to.
Parking is limited in their and is $ 16, but that was a better option than coming back late and not being able to find street parking.

Small
Rooms close
To campus
But good touches
Of humor and room was perfectly nice.

After reading some of the Unilocal/​trip advisor reviews, I was a little worried about booking at this hotel. However, I decided to go ahead and book because of the location. (I was attending a friend’s wedding at the Berkeley Redwood Grove). Contrary to the negative reviews, we had a very pleasant experience.
Pros:
LOCATION: The hotel is so close to tons of restaurants and a block away from the University. There was Italian, Greek, French food, just steps away. A Walgreens was about a block away as well. If walking is not your thing, über-​ing it was pretty cheap too. There was also a BART station relatively close, within walking or über-​ing distance.
STAFF: Our flight arrived late at night, so by the time we reached the hotel, we wanted an easy and fast check in. And it was! The hotel staff was super friendly and helpful. Hotel Durant is a green hotel so they offer you incentives to forego daily housekeeping. (Mainly, this means they just don’t change the bedsheets/​make your bed… they still empty trash, etc). You can choose a free alcoholic drink voucher from Henry’s or a snack pack for each night you stay that you forego services. I.e. if you’re staying three nights, you can choose drinks for the first night, full service houskeeping on the second, and a snack pack for the third.
ROOM: We stayed on the third floor, facing Durant Avenue. Although some reviews said it was noisy, I guess because it was summer break it was pretty quiet. There were still quite a bit of college-​age looking students out and about, though. We didn’t have to open windows because our room had a ceiling fan and an air-​conditioner. The windows also had heavy drapery which blocked out the light (not sure if they were blackout though) so if you wanted to sleep in you could do so in peace. The bed was very comfortable! I didn’t see any cleanliness problems as mentioned in some other reviews, but I don’t walk barefoot in hotel rooms anyway.
Cons:
PARKING: Although we didn’t have problems with parking, it could be a con. First of all, you need to purchase a parking pass as they have limited spaces. Parking per day is $ 16 self park, $ 26 valet. We rented a car only for the last day so went down early the morning of to buy a pass. Also the parking stalls are pretty small so if you have a bigger car, good luck.
AMENITIES: This is a pretty no frills hotel. No gym, spa, etc. This didn’t bother us as we didn’t spend much time in the hotel and basically used it as a place to rest our weary heads at night. There is one small elevator that was kind of slow, so we mostly used the stairs. This is not a luxury resort, so if you’re looking for that sort of hotel, book elsewhere. That being said, we felt the price was a bit high (almost $ 200/​night even with Orbitz’s booking discount) for what you do get.
Overall, we were pleased with our decision to stay here and would stay again. If you’re looking for an all inclusive resort type experience, look elsewhere. If you’re all about location, this hotel can’t be beat.

The Bay Area Joie de Vivre hotels I’ve stayed in are filthy and this is no exception. Unfortunately I have to stay here each month for a few days.
The good: lovely staff, in the heart of Berkeley, quirky décor, can get earplugs at front desk
The bad: tiny parking lot, FILTHY (see attached photos of blood, hair and random fluids on my bathroom wall upon check in), noisy beyond belief, no exhaust in bathroom
If this stay weren’t paid for, there’s no way I’d stay here.

I hate leaving negative reviews but this hotel is a dump. The room is mucky. The floor is gross, I’m wearing my shoes, the tub is sticky… They have no ammenities air conditioning, gym. I thought parking was included and found out upon arrival that it’s not. After taking a bath I can hear water leaking behind the wall and there is tons of water damage in the bathroom.
Now what really annoys me… I’m an early bird. I typically eat breakfast at 5am. There room service doesn’t open until 8am which probably means breakfast is at 9am. I called the front desk and the closet breakfast Resturant that’s open is a burger place a mile away? I’ve got to imagine a hotel with guests from the east coast and around the world would like to eat at normal times.
It also seems like this hotel caters to a party crowed. The light fixtures look like bongs and the do not disturb is a paper sock. Its a little embarissing for a married, 33yr old women to put a sock on the door? Last night people were in the hallway intoxicated slamming doors and screaming. Which to some extent I expect from a college town. It reminds me of a hostel.
The only redeeming quality is the location. It’s very close to where I need to be. I found the staff friendly but given the circumstances un-​helpful. (not their fault)
It seems like rather then branding them selve as boutique hotel they should rebrand as the party hostel. I think there would be a lot less disappointed guests and negative reviews.

I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that not everyone wants the same thing when they’re looking for… well pretty much anything. The same goes for hotels. I have a strong preference for boutique hotels and certain things are more important to me than others. For example, the place is in the absolute perfect location. You’re walking distance to dozens (DOZENS!) of eating options, a Walgreens, the UC campus and even light shopping. And I’m talking real walk-​with-​my-​toddler walking distance, not «I need more exercise anyway» walking distance.
But of course, the place is old (like most boutique hotels) and the furnishings are not up-​to-​date (unlike many boutique hotels). There’s of course no refrigerator in your room and there’s not even an ice maker on any of the floors (you have to call for it or go to the front desk). If you want a cushy hotel and don’t care if you’re crawling distance to a gazillion potential eating and entertainment options, then you probably want to go some place else. But if you’re looking to keep your car parked for as long as possible, then I don’t think that there’s another hotel that I’d recommend in all of East Bay.

I can see how people would not like Hotel Durant, but I’m a huge fan. It screams «Berkeley» from every corner, room, and piece of wall décor.
Is it the fanciest hotel with the best amenities and comfiest beds? Hell no. But it’s classic Berkeley and you would be doing yourself a solid to experience it.

I stayed at the hotel one night and had a pleasant stay. The staff was friendly and helpful, and I liked my room. The hotel is of course boutique style and originally opened in 1929. So the rooms and bathrooms are small but still comfortable. I can tell they have spent time investing in nice TVs, several plug-​in docks, complimentary wifi etc… The location is great for campus and absolutely phenomenal for grabbing ethnic food. There’s Chinese, Italian, Korean, Indian, and much more in less than a block.
This place failed at telling me about the renovation noise. There is a sign in the lobby, but I spotted that after I heard drilling and hammers until 9 pm. I feel like since I checked in around 6 that afternoon someone should have mentioned that. I was also exhausted from my five hour flight and even longer travel day.
PARKING NOTE
If you are driving to the hotel parking is on the rear. Either turn on Bowditch street before you approach the hotel to park or send your GPS to Channing Way the street parallel and behind Durant.

I never had breakfast at The Durant and most likely never wii again. Not to waste my time or yours…
Pros: the server was nice.
Cons: paper cups for hot drinks, plastic «Budweiser» cups for water, paper napkins, and «potato» compost cutlery. Boiled red potatoes with no flavor and the smallest eggs I’ve ever seen (and they weren’t quail)! One piece of sourdough toast, cut in half, already buttered. Ketchup in a little cup?
A $ 29 Bill for two Americano Breakfasts w/​tea and coffee.
PS-​tried to email my concerns and The Durant’s «contact us» doesn’t even work. Was two stars, now one.

3÷23÷14
Ummmm so this is what you get when you Priceline hotels!!! I’ll pass! So my boyfriend decided that he wanted to stay in Berkeley since it is a bit cheaper than trying to stay directly in the Bay area. I’m easy peasy and go with the flow so let’s do this! He told me he booked the Hotel Durant! Me being the Unilocaler I am I looked it up and immediately began to question this place based on the pics and reviews. It seems quaint so we’ll give it a try!
When you pull up to the front it looks really nice. It is right next to the Berkeley campus and a lot of fun blocks of shops and places to eat. Ok I can deal so far. We paid for parking in their lot since the times for street parking are a going to be in effect as tomorrow is Monday. The lot is TIGHT!!! I mean every space seems too small, but we make it work with the Altima we rented. Thank God we didn’t drive the X5! We enter into the back of the hotel and I am oh this is a cute unique hotel. The lobby is small and a little out dated to me. Very historic looking. The elevator is old school and small. We get to our floor and find our room and I swear I thought this was joke! Seriously my dorm room in college was bigger! Wait that’s it, it reminded me of a dorm room. A BAD ONE!
I see the look on my b/​f face and he is livid! I wanted to laugh but I could see it would make things worse. It was going to have to make due at this point. Before we can even put our stuff down the phone rings and it is the front desk making sure we are ok. I joked saying they want to make sure we are staying lol! We get settled a bit and lay down since we have been driving around a lot that day! I keep thinking we should have stayed at the Ritz-​Carlton at Half Moon Bay! We get up to head out to grab some dinner. We stopped by one of the fire escapes that had a lovely view of the Bay area! As we are heading out the front desk calls us over and gives us a pretty ok bottle of wine since they heard it was my b/​f birthday. Real nice of the staff, who were polite and friendly.
After dinner we returned and I am sure everyone could hear us because we could hear everything that was going on in our hallway. We got up the next morning pretty early and my boo was so irritated by the place that I was like let’s get on the road and get some breakfast and enjoy the rest of his birthday! The only plus besides the wine and the staff, was the interesting bong lamps! Very unique!
Was an experience, I plan on NOT having again. Unless my kid winds up going to Berkeley for college.