Coral Reef Inn & Suites

The current rating of this hotel is accurate. I would give it exactly 2.5 stars, maybe 3 if I'm feeling particularly generous and were able to overlook certain things about this particular hotel and its amenities. However, the customer service was exceptional at the front desk as were the folks who helped me on Booking.com.

I'm not a fancy person, but I have stayed in many, MANY budgeted hotels before in various locations for prices much lower than what Coral Reef asks for, and most of them have been much nicer in terms of cleanliness. I chose Coral Reef because I needed a moderately priced hotel for my work (I work late in Alameda sometimes) and one that could be located conveniently close in terms of commute. Coral Reef has a fantastic location, but let me tell you, it's very run down and kind of a dump.

Cons:
-Old, boxy TV from the 90s?
-Frayed and torn carpet
-Stained and chipped bathtub
-Dust on dressers and lamps
-Paper thin walls
-Cramped parking lot
-Chipped wallpaper and paint
-Musty smell
-Outside, there is rotting wood and paint coming off the front of the hotel.
-WAY too expensive for what you get. They should charge no more than $85/night here.
-Hard mattress paired with stiff, creaky box spring.

Those are my criticisms for this hotel. The rooms are larger than average to be fair, but it feels like stepping into a time machine that takes you to an old 1980s motel with an outdated TV, outdated plumbing and retro wallpaper and fixtures. I'd love to like this place, but I'd honestly rather spend more and get exactly what I'm expecting with the price. Probably won't stay here again.

2.5

We stayed here for about a week this summer and it was ok. It was pretty cheap, plenty of parking in their private lot, and I liked that there was a kitchenette in our room and you could borrow pots and pans from the front desk. We really only needed the room to sleep so it wasn't absolutely horrible. However, it's severely outdated. The floors a very uneven and need redone, the balcony patio we had I wouldn't let my kids out on because the railing would have probably collapsed if you put weight against it. The patio lock was also extremely outdated and worn (it was a screw one but the thing was so worn it wouldn't have taken much for someone to break in). The internet was also not great, which led to a lot of frustration for our kids and we ended up just using our hotspot.

It was clean but also extremely musty smelling. There wasn't mold or dirt everywhere but it definitely needs an overhaul and a lot of TLC from redoing the floors, to updating everything.

Would I stay here again? Yes if we had to. Since it is cheap and we don't use our room when we go places for more than a place to sleep I wouldn't be opposed, but I'd also try to find somewhere better before I made a reservation here again.

I did like that across the road there was a shopping center and Safeway so it was easy to grab snacks/groceries if we needed.

I had planned to book an Airbnb or Hawthorne for my stay, but I procrastinated and didn't get around to it. Consequently, I ended up booking a place that was close to my workplace. I made the reservation online, but checking in was a hassle because my maiden name was different from the one I used to book and pay for the room. However, I had a credit card with my married name on it, so I was able to sort it out.

When I got to the room, I immediately noticed that it was old, dingy, and gave off a creepy vibe. The lighting was also dim and not very bright, which didn't help at all. I slept with the lights on, and before I did, I checked the closet to ensure that no one was hiding in there. The whole experience was quite unsettling, and I had terrible vibes staying there.

The next morning, while getting ready, I accidentally spilled some coffee on one of the double queen beds. When I removed the sheets to clean up the mess, I discovered a large, deep, dark brown stain as big as the mattress on the bed. I was relieved that I hadn't slept on it! The mattress looked highly worn down, and the stain was gross. It was evident that the place was not well-maintained.

To add to the unpleasantness, the toilet already had pee in it when I checked in. Overall, my stay was not a pleasant one, and I would not recommend this place to anyone. It was gross!

This is the worst hotel I've stayed at in recent memory!
Not only were there 2 bullet holes in the curtains but there were knife marks in the floor, a 1940's kitchen, most uncomfortable bed that I've had the misfortune of sleeping on and to be honest a prison bed in solitary confinement would be more comfortable. This hotel is not worth the money they charge and the front desk attendant when we checked in last night was so nasty! He almost refused giving us extra blankets for our kids! Don't stay here trust me you'll thank me later! All photos are attached.

I only gave a star to write this review but they truly deserve 0 stars. I think this place deserves to be shut down, in all honesty. Let me explain...

I got a room here for my father and brother who were traveling here for an emergency visit. They were tired from travel, and unfortunately ended up having to play musical hotel rooms at this place until they ended up in a was "decent". I was there during this process and it was just terrible. From floor to ceiling these rooms looked disgusting.

First room? No power and literally smelled like a dead animal.

Second room? No handle on the shower, so there was no way to turn it on, and the room smelled faintly of gas.Why you ask? The entire stove was falling apart. We discovered the entire range of the stove was falling off.

Third room was simply settled on, but was truly as bad as the other two. They were so tired they slept hot and sweaty on a bed they decided to share(their air conditioner wasn't working in this room, no surprises there!). They were so tired at this point as it was 1 in the morning and they couldn't take it anymore! A horrible first experience for them in Alameda. All other hotels and air bnbs were booked otherwise we would have left!

Normally we are pretty easy people to please, but there was just so many things going wrong here...

Our advice to others...Don't be fooled by their (likely purchased) 4 star reviews & 3.5 star reviews on other websites like we were. Don't be fooled by their really nice and clean lobby... and don't expect breakfast in the morning either! My dad went down for breakfast at 6:30am and found nothing and also spotted baby roaches on the counter.

A nightmare!!!

Dirty dirt carpets, caked and sticky walls and floors, horrible customer service, damp funky smells in the room.

this place needs updated! it's horrible. dirty the house keepers half ass clean! I will never stay here again photos speak for themselves

Can I do a negative 10? I took my cousin to check in and This place is so dirty and gross! There isn't any elevator for my grandma who is in a wheelchair. We went in the room and the curtain had blood stain wtf! Literally throw away the whole hotel! I didn't let my cousin stay and we immediately went to the front desk and ask for a refund! Please stay the fuuuuh away from this place. You will regret it.

Me and my family of 5 rented there suite for 5 days for my 2 youngest daughters birthday the manager of the hotel chose to put us out because the sixth day i misplaced my credit card he had 3 maids carry all me and my children's belongings outside and kept our deposit 3 hrs later i was able to retrieve my card so i booked the room again this time he cancelled! my money was gone! It had been refunded to his hotel and not my card and so today i finally realized I've been waiting for my money to come back but it has already been paid to him! What in the world is going on with the people in alameda. A place of originality and kindness noway you allow people to come here and treat our black women and people this way! I spent alot here not to mention 4 x more because the rate was 114 upon arrival and for some reason i ended up paying 179 a day someone tell me whats wrong here pls?

This has been the dirtiest hotel I've ever been to.
The bed wasn't even made. Also the refrigerator was working. The carpet was just ridiculous! So dirty and I can't even explain the smell you could perceive! We got nauseous!!!!
Please spend a little bit more cause for $100 we stayed in. Marriott in the city with everything and so nice and clean. So please just don't expect anything from this hotel.