Nobu Hotel Epiphany Palo Alto

I had a very disappointing phone experience tonight while trying to make a reservation at Nobu Palo Alto for Friday. I spoke with Alara, and the interaction came across as unnecessarily rude, dismissive, and unhelpful. I was simply trying to understand the reservation options, but instead of feeling welcomed or assisted, I felt as though my questions were an inconvenience. For a restaurant with Nobu’s reputation and price point, I expect the guest experience to begin well before arriving at the restaurant. Courtesy, patience, and professionalism should be basic expectations when someone is calling to make a reservation. Unfortunately, this interaction left a very poor impression and made me question whether I wanted to dine there at all.

We stayed here for a couple of days with the family and had a good time. The hotel is clean, really well designed and the rooms are comfy and modern. Staff was super friendly, too. The reason for the 4* is the misleading "Zen Suite" - that's not a suite but just a standard room with an extra little corner "living area" that apparently was left-over behind the elevator. That is just a rip-off, sorry.

The perfect place to stay in Palo Alto. The room was both calming and beautifully designed — We didn’t want to leave. And having Nobu downstairs was such a treat — incredible food just steps from the room. Truly one of those places where everything feels thoughtful and special.

I had high expectations for NOBU, but was very disappointed by a basic design flaw in the room: the drapes don’t fully cover the windows, leaving a large gap between the drapes and the wall. As a result, the room was flooded with light by 6 AM every morning. For a hotel at this price point, proper blackout functionality should be standard. Unfortunately, this made restful sleep impossible. Would not recommend for light-sensitive travelers.

I realize that it is an American/California issue more than anything. For the price, the hotel and the service is -1 star at best. The hotel lobbies and elevator smell like fish from the sushi; the gym is not a gym for people who like to do non-cardio workouts; the breakfast service was mediocre-took 35 minutes for a capaccino (the breakfast itself was good) and the staff was lacking; the room service breakfast was missing the coffees because the staff couldn't be bothered to turn the door order form over-and then the "manager" delivered (40 minutes later) cold incorrect drinks and made a point to say "complimentary"; the room provides an espresso machine but for a Japanese themed hotel, I would have expected a green tea offering; No pool and a very small "garden" area with no umbrellas; the maid service never came till we called at 2 PM and the turn down never showed up; and last but not least, no bell service to help with our many bags and the car took an hour to arrive for our departure....In summary, skip it, you can do better.