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The lobby of the newly renovated Hotel Shattuck in Berkeley // (c) 2010 Hotel Shattuck |
As any travel agent can tell you, San Francisco has no shortage of great hotels that can fit any client’s needs; however, this has not been the case across the bay in Berkeley, Calif. In particular, downtown Berkeley, near the University of California campus, has few options for out-of-town visitors.
“What we found was that downtown Berkeley was a surprisingly underserved market,” said Scott Slocum, director of sales and marketing, for the newly reopened Hotel Shattuck Plaza, in an exclusive interview with TravelAge West. “We’ve seen guests coming for a wide range of business reasons at the university; fans coming in for football games and other sporting events; families visiting potential school choices for their soon-to-be freshman kids; and your typical leisure travelers, and the hotel really is well suited to all of them.”
Located just two blocks from the U.C. Berkeley campus and right near the downtown Berkeley BART station, the 100-year-old Hotel Shattuck Plaza is in an ideal location for guests. The historic hotel underwent a complete renovation and reopened in September 2009. While there are still many historic touches — including the original chandelier in the lobby — the hotel now has an upscale, boutique vibe that is perfect for the cutting-edge Bay Area city.
The guestrooms are very modern and, perhaps not surprisingly considering its proximity to Silicon Valley, they come with all the latest high-tech bells and whistles, including free Wi-Fi. The hotel also has plenty of meeting space and a grand ballroom that has proven popular for weddings.
One of the hotel’s highlights is the stylish Five restaurant, featuring a menu created by renowned Bay Area chef Scott Howard. Playing off the popularity of Berkeley’s world-famous culinary scene, the hotel will soon be offering packages that include a shopping trip with the hotel’s chef and a walking tour of the shops and restaurants that make up Berkeley’s famous “Gourmet Ghetto” area.
“Right now, we really want to get the word out because there are probably a lot of people that don’t realize that the historic Hotel Shattuck Plaza is completely different these days,” said Slocum. “In particular, we are really hoping to work more with travel agents because we think we can help them with a variety of different clients.”
Hotel Shattuck Plaza
510-845-7300
www.hotelshattuckplaza.com
