Rosewood Sand Hill

My wife and I recently celebrated our anniversary with a 2 night stay at the Rosewood Sand Hill Hotel in Menlo Park. I booked the room through AmEx travel and received a $100 hotel credit, daily breakfast for two, an upgraded room (based on availability), 4 PM late checkout, and no charge for parking. We have dined at the property’s award winning restaurant, Madera, on many occasions but never stayed at the hotel or any Rosewood property for that matter. Summary I was impressed. The Rosewood Sand Hill has excellent service from the front desk to housekeeping to the restaurant. I give them a 5 out of 5 for service. The quality, presentation, and taste of all our meals was very good to excellent. 4.5 out of 5. The rooms and facilities were clean, clean, clean but slightly dated. 4.5 out of 5. Located in the northern foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains I give them 4.5 out of 5 for location. I rate the overall value for this high end Bay Area resort, 4.7 out of 5. This hotel gets my highest recommendation. If interested, there are more details about my stay below. My wife and I live in the Bay Area and rarely stay at local hotels. We toyed with the idea of going away for our anniversary, but our schedules before and after the weekend didn’t allow us to travel far. We wanted an upscale, quiet place rather than something in the city. The Rosewood checked all the boxes since it was close (30 min away), had an upscale reputation and nice location, I could use AmEx points to cover one night, and lower incidental costs paid for by booking through AmEx. The question was if we would feel like we were “away” when only 30 min from our house? The answer turned out to be “Yes”. We booked our room an hour before arriving at the hotel. Arrival & Service We arrived about 12:30 pm and self parked near the lobby. The front desk staff seemed to be expecting us which felt very welcoming. They acknowledged the AmEx benefits and said that we had been given a room upgrade. In our case it was the room we booked but with a great location and view (upstairs, building 12) We learned that on the weekends, the hotel offers afternoon tea from 2-4 pm in the “Library” adjacent to the bar. We decided to try it out but the online reservation system said they were full. I replied to a welcome text from the front desk asking if there was space for us. The answer was Yes and they booked a 3 pm reservation for us. Daniel, our server, did a great job explaining how the tea service would unfold. We added a celebratory glass of champagne to be festive and thoroughly enjoyed the tea sandwiches and desserts. I really appreciated that the overall experience was totally unrushed. Note: Since my wife and I didn’t want to get too full right before dinner, we shared one serving and took the rest back to our room for snacks later. We are already planning to return with our granddaughters. The Room Our room was spacious with simple, but nice furnishings. Replacing a “Do Not Disturb” sign there is an electronic “do not disturb” button and a doorbell by the door. There is a shelf outside the door for room service trays which is so much better than leaving them on the ground outside the door. The balcony, furnished with a table and chairs, had with an unobstructed view of the Santa Cruz Mountains. There was some noise from a nearby freeway (which you can’t really see) but the sliding glass door completely shuts out all sound. The mattress was super comfortable with very soft linens. The AC worked well and was very quiet. The walk-in closet had plenty of room for hanging and folded clothes and luggage (think weddings). The bathroom was roomy and nicely appointed. The room was extremely clean and the evening turndown service included a refresh of towels and resupply of amenities such as water or coffee modules. Madera Rosewood has one restaurant: Madera. It is the only dining option on property for guests but is a good one. Breakfast and lunch is casual with a regional, sometimes eclectic menu. Dinner gets the fine dining treatment ala Silicon Valley (Coat and tie are not required). The ingredient quality, preparation and presentation of the dishes is very good to excellent. As locals, we’ve dined at Madera many times for breakfast or special occasions with positive experiences. If for some reason you prefer different food choices, Palo Alto is home to hundreds of fine restaurants of every flavor. Reservations can be made through the hotel concierge. My wife and I came away from our stay with several impressions: • We had the feeling that we were “away” at the Rosewood even though we were in an urban area. • The staff and service were excellent in every department. • The hotel came through with the promised benefits from AmEx. I have top tier status with two other hotel loyalty programs and the benefits and upgrades are largely at the discretion of the property. As a first time visitor with no status, Rosewood treated me like an honored guest. • The hotel is only 30 min from my home (or many places in the Bay Area) in clear driving. That makes the Rosewood more convenient than going to Monterey/Carmel, Half Moon Bay, Marin county or Napa. The Rosewood Hotels do not have a loyalty program like other hotel groups. I learned that they give incentives to certain travel agencies, such as AmEx travel, and provide top tier benefits. I have no status with Rosewood and was treated as well as other hotels where I do have status. We received a nice bottle of pinot noir and fresh plums as a welcome amenity. Later we received a complimentary bottle of sparkling wine and chocolate as an anniversary gift. The guaranteed 4 pm late checkout is very nice. I give the Rosewood Sand Hill my highest recommendation. Whether you are a local resident looking for a getaway or a Bay Area visitor who doesn’t want too much hustle and bustle.

This is my favorite place ever! I love that this place has a tasteful interior design and beautiful grounds, hospitality and friendliness, positive energy and warm ambiance. I love to come here for a business lunch, for brunch or lunch with my lady friends or family. The menu is exquisite, gourmet and high end. They have an open kitchen and use wood for cooking. It smells devine! The service here is also amazing. I come here every year for Christmas High Tea in the library by the fireplace and I love it! There is also a gorgeous bar and the restaurant of course. I am also an Event Planner and a Coordinator and I planned and coordinated a wedding here together with Caitlin from Rosewood Sand Hill. Caitlin is very organized, professional and proactive. Her event planning and coordinating skills are very advanced and she can open her academy to teach local event planners how it should be done! It was a pleasure to work with Caitlin! The venue spaces are grand and beautiful. Kevin was very hospitable during the event and made vendors, guests and our clients feel so comfortable! I recommend Rosewood Sand Hill for celebrations, dining and business meetings. Dina from Dina's Deluxe Events

I recently stayed at Rosewood Sand Hills, Menlo Park for a retreat, and I can confidently say it was a spectacular experience. The property is simply exquisite, featuring expansive grounds that are beautifully maintained. My room was incredibly spacious, providing the perfect space to unwind just next to the pool and spa. I particularly enjoyed taking morning walks around the property, soaking in the serene atmosphere, and the large heated pool was a fantastic way to relax after a long day. While most of our meals were served in the retreat conference rooms, I did manage to enjoy a couple of meals in the main dining area, and the food was nothing short of spectacular. One night, I had the sea bass, and it was absolutely to die for! This is a place I would love to return to with my family for a longer holiday. I’ll definitely work hard to make that happen, despite the higher price point. I highly recommend Rosewood Sand Hills for anyone looking for an unforgettable getaway!

To return to the Rosewood after a long hiatus was something I looked so forward to. Rosewood has always upheld its standards as the only place to stay in Palo Alto. Prior to my stay, a kind guest relations person emailed a pre-welcome hello. Unbeknownst to me, Josh Clark with his mind reading/FBI undercover operative skills is the most intriguing hotel staff member ever. He met my pillow and early check in request and added his special touches. There is customer service then there’s Josh Clark’s brand of hospitality! Josh’s PR acumen is next level. He may be young but he’s wise beyond his years. He adorned our space with a picture of my husband and myself, my favourite bath products, my favourite soap (Rosewood it carried ages ago and I loved it) then laid out snacks of my favourite cheese, fruit and wine. How he knew all this astonishes me. The gratitude I have in my heart is immense. Thank you, Josh. Besides “the star of the show”, Joey Marcacci in in-room dining, Roman the valet and Sandy Oliviera at the front desk were exemplary humans. Kindness, patience and happiness oozing from their pores. The cherry on top was meeting Eva, the yoga teacher. What a kind and lovely person she is. I’ve been going through health issues and her yoga was restorative, helpful and calming. The 7am scheduled classes were too early for us travelling from Texas and the East. We requested an 8am class with Eva and she so kindly obliged. I’m returning to stay just to take Eva’s classes again next month! I have to say the spa being under renovation was a very sad point for me when I arrived but all these people made up for it. I did spend my few days solely at the property while my husband was at meetings. Yoga, the outdoor gym and pool kept me busy enough. Room service was totally en pointe. I ordered their incredible roast chicken a number of times. I’m looking forward to returning for a repeat performance!

This was my second time staying at this hotel and definitely my last! The breaking point came for me when l was returning to my room after dinner at the Madera. The lighting/signage is very poor and l was trying in vain to find my room in the darkness. There a woman with her naked child standing outside of a room. I was really struggling to see the room numbers and had to walk part way to the entrance of the room just to see the number. This crazy woman immediately began screaming very nasty obscenities at me accusing me of trying to break into her room and kidnap her child!. Huh? She continued to threaten me by calling security. I was so shaken and traumatized by this that I called the manager, but he really wasn’t interested. Finally, the rooms are incredibly outdated with walls so thin that you can hear your neighbors talking and moving around their room. No quiet night’s sleep here. Next time l have a very early morning appointment in Menlo Park, l will just stay home where there are no crazy people and it is quiet, then drive in from the City.