We stayed at this hotel while visiting our daughter. She had stayed in the hotel previously, and she was amazed at the transformation. Our room was bright, clean, and had new furnishings. The hallways were also bright and had new carpeting. Our daughter was shocked by the transformation from the hotel she remembered of dark and dingy. We were pleased... more

The Hotel Durant is a venerable Berkeley icon with enthusiastic young people manning the front desk. Presently, it is undergoing renovations, as it was bought by the Joie de Vivre boutique hotels chain. As a result, there were some minor inconveniences that would not stop me from checking in. We were there for our daughter's UCB graduation, and the easy... more

Just returned from Mother's Day weekend at the Durant. Perfect location and only steps from the campus, in the heart of the Greek houses, restaurants and PFA. We booked the Scharffenberger package. A king room with a rollaway. I called ahead to ask which room would best fit the rollaway. Clearly I got poor information, as the room was really... more

We stayed at this hotel for a conference. The two main things it had going for it was the staff - who were exceptionally friendly - and the location - right in the heart of Berkeley. However, the room was old, small, with almost no sound proofing, no air conditioning, and a mediocre bed. There is also no gym -... more

Right now, I can hear the man in the next room talking on his phone as if he were sitting right next to me. Same with the room above -- except the floor creeks when they walk. If you are looking for a quiet, peaceful hotel room, look someplace else. I don't care how much they fix the place up,... more

Rooms are small, bed was lumpy/soft and not too comfortable, linens were not soft/nice and the fitted sheet pulled up from the mattress by morning. I had a bright light from the street that couldn't be dimmed by curtains shining in my eye all night, and the street noise was loud enough to wake us up throughout the night. We... more

The Durant is an old hotel that has been a Berkeley tradition for many years. It is the closest hotel to UC Berkeley and has parking which are its biggest draws for me. As some other reviewers have already said, the rooms aren't that special. I have seen it improve over the years that I have visited but it still... more

The Hotel Durant is my favorite place to stay in Berkeley and quite frankly, it's the only place I do stay in Berkeley. It is my hotel of choice when I am visiting the university for business. The location is unbeatable as is the service and the in hotel restaurant. I often have breakfast and lunch meetings at Henry's Grill... more

Homecoming weekend was our third stay at the Durant. Yes, this weekend is crazy with all of the furniture removed from the Lobby to make way for the giant bar for the overflow from Henry's, and the limited parking due to the bar and barbeque outside. This was expected and not a problem, and it was understandable that the Lobby... more