Hotel Keen

ROOMS: Clean, new, small but comfortable (up to two people). Hair dryer included, TV with local channels, heater that heats the room really fast, small desk and chair in the corner of the room, landry bags and even an umbrella!
AMENITIES: Free wifi, free really good breakfast (not your cheap toast and juice), free fresh baked cookies at 8PM, no free parking but there is a parking area right next to the hotel that you can park overnight until the morning.
Definitely recommend staying here if you’re visiting for a couple of days. It is very close to the university way — palo alto downtown. Close to many shops, restaurants, and less than a mile away from the Stanford Shopping Center!

We super lucked out finding this place through Google maps as we arrived in Stanford at 2am. I was a smidge worried about paying an insane amount of money-​the first place that popped up in our search was $ 425. Despite being so close to the University it was a reasonable $ 189 (for a Saturday night with no reservation).
Yes, the rooms are small and yes, you can hear your neighbors. The room size was really no biggie. I didn’t feel cramped, they use their space wisely. Ear plugs would more than take care of the noise. Next time I stay there I will bring some with me. Yes, next time. This place rocked. You could write on one of the walls with dry erase marker, the décor was classy hipster, and the complimentary breakfast in the morning was a pleasant surprise. They had a full spread of granola, fruit, oatmeal & cereal, yogurt, pastries (local I think), organic coffee, and various juices.

Smallish rooms but good service and a tasty continental breakfast!

Ended up here using Hotwire. They charged us twice for the room. Waiting to see if they refund the one card. TINY rooms, no parking, good location.

Im writing this while im in the hotel. Worst experience of my life. You can hear everything your neighbors do. Also, they have power problems and big ones. My entire room is darkness right now. I just got done traveling, had someone check in for me during the day, and when i got here, the front desk clerk was asleep, then after 10 minutes of power, they shut it off. Terrible. I am never coming back here again

I stayed here for two nights, and had a great time. They checked me in early with no problems and gave me a map with some areas of interest highlighted. Location is awesome. You just go the corner and turn left onto University and then you’ve got your choice of shops and restaurants. You’re also about a 2 minute walk to the Caltrain and a 10 minute walk to the Stanford shopping center.
Now I’ll give you a warning. There is no bathroom door. You get a curtain and one of the walls consists of a frosted pane. I didn’t mind the no-​door situation (the shower’s great btw), but I did mind not having a coffee maker in my room. You can take my bathroom door, but not my caffeine! There is coffee and tea in the small lobby downstairs, but in the morning I usually need a cup of joe to even make it to the lobby.
For the price and location I was very happy with my stay. Clean, friendly staff, and lots of shops and restaurants nearby.

Nice option for downtown Palo Alto. Friendly staff and spare but cool room. Had to mark down one star because the walls are a bit thin. Ear plugs helped and I slept well.

I checked in and got my key, then went to meet friends. when I finally went back to the hotel, I thoughtI’d been given the wrong key by mistake. The room was a mess; obviously lived in and never cleaned. i went back to the desk and they gave me another room. It was also dirty and had not been cleaned since the last guest.
DO NOT STAY HERE.

The place is very new… rooms are small but the beds and pillows are comfy. The free and/​or cheap food in the lobby is a standout. Location can’t be beat and the price was reasonable. Why they put a curtain instead of a door on the bathroom is beyond. And good luck going in the lobby.

The rooms are small, as has been noted by a majority of the reviewers. However, I find it perfect for my purpose, which is attending a conference at Stanford, which is just down the street.
It’s easy to land at SFO, take the BART to the CalTrain at Millbrae, and walk from the Palo Alto station the two blocks to the Hotel Keen. Free coffee all day/​night, wine at 5pm, cookies at 8pm, and a comfortable bed? With a really nice stall shower? I’m a very happy camper.
I had the issue raised by Brianne V in her review, since I’m traveling courtesy of a client. They didn’t send the credit card auth form with the booking, either, but it was easy to sort out when I arrived. All the paperwork was in order within an hour, and the accommodating front desk guy checked me in while we were waiting on the electronic document exchange.
I’d happily stay here again. If I return for this conference next year, I’ll book a room here.

I so want to rate this place higher. Great location in walking distance from some great restaurants. Clean rooms, pleasant Art Deco environment. Comfy beds.
But.have to drop it a few stars.
1) Paper thin walls. I am a light sleeper, but admittedly this place echoes sound more than most. I could hear the guy talking on the phone next door… And he wasn’t shouting. Worse, throughout the night I could hearing him snoring through the walls… And I don’t think he was a prolific snorer… It’s just the walls are so thin
2) you can park next door… but you have to be gone by 10am, or do the parking spot shuffle. If you have a vehicle and intend to stay around the hotel throughout the day, this could be a pain. Fine if your just overnighting it and checking out by 10am
3) I don’t recall last time his ever happened: but the small rooms have no closet of any kind… Nor iron or ironing board. I try pack clothes carefully, but often have to resort to the trusty iron if I am attending a business meeting next day. Nada iron. I hate turning up for introductory meetings in wrinkled shirt and tie combo!

Although I made reservations for my interviewee four days in advance of her stay, which was reflected through the credit card being in my name and the reservation being in her name, it wasn’t until the morning after she was turned away at 11:30 at night after flying across the country that I was contacted by the General Manager, Mr. Peter Friedman, to let me know that there was an authorization form they never sent me and he «didn’t know where my guest ended up staying.»
She ended up staying in her car at a rest stop because she tried one other hotel, it was full, and she was exhausted from her journey. So instead of Hotel Keen contacting me immediately when they saw that a third party credit card was being used for the reservation, I got no notice of this requirement and this mess could have been avoided.
Not only that, but then Peter Friedman decided to chime in via email with, «Just tell her this was part of the interview process to determine how resourceful she is under pressure.» I don’t know if he thought he was being helpful or funny or if he was intentionally being a jerk, but I work in customer experience for a startup here in Palo Alto and it was appalling. I nearly walked down to Hotel Keen to speak with him, but my anger would not have helped the situation. He comped the room for our interviewee, as he should have done, but this could have all been avoided by Hotel Keen doing their jobs and making sure all upcoming guest reservations were in order prior to the morning after such an incident.

Located in the heart of town Hotel Keen is a true value: quality, service, location, price. The rooms are clean and quiet. HiDef TVs but no movie rental options.
Front desk was friendly. Housekeeping actually bagged up my laundry & re folded and put stuff back on my suitcase. The morning continental breakfast is nothing special but is convenient and serviceable. Better are the cookies they bake in the evening.
You can walk everywhere: University Café, Reposada, Café 220, Pizza My Heart, the Apple Store and Stanford University. If my kid gets into Stanford I will be back.

Very good customer service, great location. Rooms very pleasingly decorated and clean. Very small european style rooms, parking can be challenging, they do not have a parking lot. Downtown area is delightful. Many restaurants drugstores, apple store within walking distance. Charming area. I would come again if by myself felt very safe. Room with queen bed almost too small for couple. There were some loud people during sat night but otherwise quiet.
Reasonably priced compared to most of area which is expensive.

This small little boutique hotel located steps away from the Caltrain Palo Alto station is perfect for anyone on a budget, yet with high standards. Located in the heart of the tech boom, this hotel offers a room at a reasonable price, but be prepared the sacrifice size. I was staying alone, so the situation worked perfectly, however the lack of door for the bathroom would make it a rather uncomfortable for those traveling with others.
I felt the service was excellent and the front desk always accommodated my request. One being a iron/​iron board as the room does not come standard with one. The hotel offers complimentary breakfast and newspaper every morning. There are excellent restaurants and bars in the neighborhood, so if you’re looking for food you will have plenty of options.
If you’re on a budget and you’re looking for a place to stay, Hotel Keen’s your spot in Palo Alto!

I wanted to make sure to recommend staying at Hotel Keen if you’re looking for a hotel in Palo Alto. My wife and I were looking for a place to stay for our 20^th anniversary. When I called Hotel Keen, I spoke with the General Manager Peter Friedman, who not only got us a room (I had procrastinated a bit making the reservation), but when we arrived we saw that he had arranged to have a box of chocolates waiting for us in an upgraded room! The location was great. The room was excellent, and the service was beyond outstanding. Matt at the front desk was great, but everyone was. I just regret not getting their names as well.
My point is: if you’re reading this to help you decide where to look for a room in Palo Alto, you cannot do better than the Hotel Keen.

Where this review is coming from: 40-​something married couple who wanted a night in Palo Alto.
Why we decided on Hotel Keen: price seemed OK, the simplicity attracted us.
Would we stay there again? Not very likely.
Great for: very tired (so tired that they are dead to the world) solo business travelers and/​or folks who need to be downtown.
Not good for: anyone who needs to see the sun, or breath outside air from their hotel room.
The Review:
This hotel is fine/​ok, but that’s about it.
The desk staff was very nice, attentive and helpful. Upon arrival, they told us that they had upgraded us to a larger room free of charge (which was very nice, naturally). The «larger» room was fairly small (acceptable, but just small in general), so I’m afraid to find out what the smallest rooms are like.
As the other reviews here as well as on Trip Advisor point out, Hotel Keen is a very stark, simple, small boutique hotel with nearly no perks.
…the clean design, and creative use of small space are great and all, but as my wife pointed out, it may be a little bit like what living in a cell might be like. Me, I thought of it as being confined to a cell on a spaceship as you’re unaware that you are hurtling through space (kind of like living in the Film «2001»). Why? Well, the fact that there was a single window, which you cannot open, and is made of frosted glass so that it was also almost impossible to tell if it is night or day outside might have had a lot to do with it.
The room was clean, efficient, and generally attractive with its use of curtains instead of doors, and euro-​style fixtures, furniture, etc. The bed was comfortable, the TV worked fine.
WHY we wouldn’t stay again, or longer than one night; honestly, it is because the impression is that you are basically confined to a cell.
As you walk towards your room down the hallway, you notice there are little blue lights at foot level not unlike the emergency exit lights on a plane. I’m doing what I can to give the best illustration/​impression that I can of the place so that you won’t be surprised when/​if you stay there. Again; I’m not intentionally trying to put the place down, it is fine for what it is, but you should really understand what that is before you stay there.
I think this place would be ideal if you were super, super tired, and all you wanted to do is sleep without knowing if it is daylight or nighttime outside.
There is an acceptable level of «white noise» to the place; the sounds of machines and such muffled through the walls which is typical for any building, but I’m mentioning this so you don’t think the place is 100% quiet.
The free 24 hour pod coffee (in the lobby) and «free» continental-​style breakfast were nice, but with 3+ bakeries nearby (plus numerous other restaurants all within a couple blocks) you might need to get out of the hotel to not feel like you are still on lock-​down in the hotel’s confining environment.
SO; if you just need a practical, but small, essentially windowless room to stay in for the purpose of sleeping, and you feel the price is OK, then go for it.
If you want to feel human, however, or if your idea of life is breathing outside air and seeing the sun (from/​in the hotel) while staying somewhere, then this won’t be the place for you.
On the plus side; seriously close to EVERYTHING downtown.
Parking: we were there for a Saturday night, and had no problem getting a free spot in the lot next door, weekdays would be challenging, and/​or at an expense.
Great for what it is. Not so great if you need/​want something different than what it offers.

Booking a hotel here for the first time was a huge lesson learned for me. I was accidentally booked not for one night, but for two nights in a room with a delux (not standard) queen –which I was not prepared for (and was mortified when I arrived). I overlooked my itinerary and initialed it at check in; however, concierge Leonardo politely made the correct changes (THANK YOU)! I haven’t felt that idiotic in my life, but somehow still take full responsibility.
Despite my mix up, let me just say that the hotel itself is beautifully maintained. Tight space, but very functional, sleek, simple, clean lines, polished, and bright.
Pros:
–Right in the middle of everything! Bars, restaurants, shopping, and even a movie theater.
–High thread count bedding –deliciously comfy!
–Complimentary breakfast, whiteboard walls, TV, bright rooms w/​mood lighting, and very modern –if you’re into that!
–Zero noise from the night life even though its in the middle of everything.
Cons:
–Standard room has no closet, but two coat hooks in the entire room, in addition to the two deep drawers underneath the bed.
–My window opens up to a cement wall.
–Not sure about privacy because I walked away from my room, and could still hear my Pandora from the elevators lol!
–Coffee bar had lukewarm coffee, and no hot water for tea later in the evening.

Great location but depending on when you are at the hotel trying to park, it can be challenging. A couple of times I tried to find parking I circled a few times and ended up parking for a short time in the passenger loading zone.
The rooms are small but they do the job and have most of the basic amenities you would need. A closet would be nice but they have a hook if you need to hang a couple of items. There also is no in-​room safe.
Complimentary breakfast includes cereal, yogurt, fruit, granola bars, pastries, and some hard boiled eggs.

This economical find in downtown Palo Alto is a winner. While gearing up to search for a one-​night accommodation in the area, the trusty NY Times decides to publish a review of this place and I was sold. It reminds me the most of the Elements hotel line, with its willingness to dispense with typical hotel components and focus on modern amenities.
Take your usual hotel room and name all the things a modern traveler staying only a short time would rarely use (i.e. lounge chair, dressers, full desk, both nightstands), trim it all out, then make innovative use of the remaining space so even if its a smaller room, it wouldn’t feel that way. Hotel Keen does that quite well. It has a very clean, streamlined aesthetic, down to the cool, blue lights lining the halls outside the rooms. The rooms and fixtures are quite new and good quality.
+ Small footprint but smart use of space, the single nightstand doubles as a small desk with overhead storage, ample shelf space, whiteboard, roomy bathroom and shower, plush bed, good quality linens, bathrobe, wall-​mount tv has extra shelf space for miscellaneous small items, free wi-​fi
— No closet space (just a knob to hang up to 2 items), no safe, no bathroom door, just a heavy curtain with magnetized closure, single chair, no full-​length mirror, no parking
Just a note, I almost thought their desk chair was the wonderful Herman Miller Aluminum Office Chair but alas, it was just a replica. Still, quality was no worse than a usual chair, and the aesthetic fits.
Highly recommended for single, short-​stay travelers looking for a good location at a great price. Although there’s no parking available, street parking late at night is easy to find. I’d definitely stay again.