Updated 12pm PT on 1/8: FTC Disclosure: This was a hosted stay, but all reviews and opinions are my own.
Good morning everyone, I hope you had a great weekend. Last week, I wrote about my recent stay at the boutique King George Hotel near Union Square in San Francisco. The hotel is part of the Greystone Hotel Group which has a few boutique hotels along the West Coast. Recently, my girlfriend and I stayed at the Creekside Inn, another Greystone Hotel, down in Palo Alto, a short drive award from Stanford University. We stayed there Friday night in mid December and the property was very scenic and quiet. Here are some photos from near the hotel lobby. As it’s name would imply, the hotel is near a creek and there are a few bridges that cross over the dry creek. Check in was very quick and we drove our car closer to our room.
There was a very comfortable king bed in the room and next to the bed, there was a tablet with hotel info, nearby restaurants, and points of interest around Palo Alto.
In the corner, there was a table with 2 chairs, and an overhead lamp. The was also a dresser and TV along the front wall.
There was also a mini fridge, microwave and coffee maker. We were only there for 1 night, so we did not use any of those appliances. There was also a closet with an ironing board, umbrella, safe, luggage rack, ice bucket, hairdryer, and robe.
The bathroom was very modern and had a big sink with plenty of counter space and a few bathroom toiletries.
The half shower with nice, but I really wish the shower door was longer to keep more of the hot air inside. There was a second robe in the bathroom, so my girlfriend and I could each wear our own.
Off of the bedroom, there was a small balcony overlooking the courtyard. At night, there wasn’t much to see, but during the day, the view was much nicer. The fountain in the courtyard was relaxing.
After we walked across the street for breakfast, we sat by the fountain and relaxed. The fountain is very calming.
If you have business near Palo Alto or are visiting Stanford University (or Stanford Stadium for a college football game), this hotel is very close by (roughly 2 minutes away). If you have any questions about the hotel, please let me know. Have a great day.
Grant –
Did Greystone pay for your two stays? The advertiser disclosure wasn’t clear.
There are *much* nicer hotels than (in particular) this one, but your review doesn’t give any context as to price, etc., or even how to compare it to other hotels in the area. It reads far more like a paid advertisement than a review with paid links.
Your reviews are typically better than this.
Greg
Hi Greg, thank you for reading. Palo Alto does have many hotel choices available, but if you want to stay at a very relaxing, comfortable boutique hotel, the Creekside Inn is the place for you. Safe travels and have a great day.
Grant –
Honestly, I’m pretty disappointed by your response. Did they pay for your stay or not? You didn’t answer the question.
This is the distinction between blogs like Lucky’s, who is up-front when his stay is paid for, and blogs like A Luxury Travel Blog, which is almost purely pay-for-play, but they’re also open about it.
This fundamentally goes to your credibility as a travel blogger. The good ones disclose when the hotels comp them. I’m assuming that since you didn’t answer my question, they comped your stays in Palo Alto and SF.
If that’s the case, then your advertiser disclosure is misleading. It says: “This post may contain referral, affiliate or sponsor links that provide Travel with Grant compensation.” It does not say that you take free stays from hotels that you review.
You might want to look at the FTC rules around blogger disclosures to see on which side of the compliance line you’re falling, because I think you’re at best straddling that line.
Edited response:
Hi Greg, I first wanted to apologize for not being more transparent in my post and in my responses to you. This stay, and my stay at the King George Hotel, were both hosted stays, but all reviews and opinions are my own. Per FTC guidelines, I should be more transparent and include a disclaimer at the top of all sponsored posts. I am sorry for misleading you and other readers, I sincerely apologize. Thank you for reading and keeping me honest. Have a great day.
Thanks, Grant.
As I said earlier, your reviews had historically been better than this. There are lots of bloggers who aren’t up-front about things, and I just don’t read them. I definitely want to keep reading your blog, so I appreciate your update.
I appreciate that. I have a few good posts (not hotel reviews) in the pipeline, so I hope you like those a little more. Safe travels.
thanks for clarifying that your stay was sponsored, because i was very surprised by your review. i stayed at the creekside inn once, and it was a pit — considering the price, the room was depressingly dark and small, and i’ve never been back. the marriotts and hiltons along el camino may have no character, but they’re a far better choice for us hoi polloi.
I believe the Creekside Inn recently went under a renovation, so perhaps the hotel has improved since your last stay. It looked pretty good during my stay. Thanks for reading and have a great day.