Whether for business or leisure, Hotel Citrine is a contemporary hotel designed to provide a luxurious experience. Moreover, it’s an upscale Silicon Valley hotel yet refreshingly affordable compared to others in its class. Backed with a friendly staff and exceptional dining, this Marriott Tribute Portfolio hotel deserves a closer look. In fact, Hotel Citrine is TripAdvisor’s top-rated small hotel in Palo Alto.
Hotel Citrine, Marriott Tribute Portfolio Hotel
750 San Antonio Road
Palo Alto, CA 94303
(650) 424-8991
www.hotelcitrine.com
Location
Hotel Citrine has a prominent location along San Antonio Road, one of Palo Alto’s major thoroughfares. This makes for an easy drive to Stanford University and major businesses and attractions. For instance, Googleplex is about a five-minute drive, and Shoreline Amphitheatre is about 1.5 miles away. In other words, you can leave your car at the hotel and walk or use ride share to events at this significant Bay Area music venue. Moreover, Hotel Citrine is not far from the three spots that lay claim to the Birthplace of Silicon Valley. Of course, its sister property, AC Hotel by Marriott Palo Alto, is right next door.
Proximity to Silicon Valley Origins
While the legendary HP Garage on Addison Avenue is the official Silicon Valley birthplace, another is closer to Hotel Citrine. This other spot is a few blocks south at 391 San Antonio Road. In 1959, this site was the former location of Shockley Labs, where the first integrated circuit (silicon chip) was first commercially produced. In other words, the technological advancements at this site led to the creation of Silicon Valley. Furthermore, an official plaque marks this spot as the “Real Birthplace of Silicon Valley.” Yet another marker is located on Charleston Road in Palo Alto.
Additional Attractions Nearby
Easy freeway access lets you see many local attractions during your stay. For example, the Computer History Museum is 1.7 miles away, while the Stanford Shopping Center is about five miles away. Other attractions you may wish to visit include Levi’s Stadium, California’s Great America, and the Apple Park Visitor Center.
How to Get to Hotel Citrine
This Marriott Tribute Portfolio property is less than a half mile from the Highway 101 exit at San Antonio Road. This makes for easy access from San Francisco International Airport (SF) or San Jose International Airport (SJC). In addition, the San Antonio Caltrain station is just 1.5 miles from the hotel. In other words, you could take a BART from SFO and then transfer to a Caltrain at the Millbrae station. Conversely, you can transfer from SJC to the San Jose Caltrain station and then take a northbound train to the San Antonio station. Hotel Citrine is also easily accessible with Highway 280 via Page Mill Road or El Monte Avenue. With its easy access to Caltrain, you can take public transportation to other Bay Area cities, including San Jose, Redwood City, and San Francisco.
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Parking
Although there is only valet parking at Hotel Citrine, it’s convenient, and retrieving your car can be pretty reasonable. Valet parking is $22, and there are 18 electric charging stations if you need to charge your vehicle (additional fee). Please note that the parking garage serves Citrine and its sister property, the AC Marriott Hotel Palo Alto.
Accommodations
Citrine features 150 Beleco-designed guest rooms, including five spacious suites across five floors. You can pick from a very comfortable single king bed to a room with two queen beds, including the one-bedroom suites. The 1400-square-foot two-bedroom suite offers a king bed, two double beds, and a sofa bed. Each room category has at least one 65” HDTV, complimentary Wi-Fi, laptop-compatible safes, and mini-refrigerators. In addition, some room categories come with balconies or a patio with stylish outdoor furniture. Of course, there are also fully accessible rooms with features like roll-in showers and lowered electrical outlets.
Pet Friendly
In addition to the many fine amenities and services, Hotel Citrine is a pet-friendly Marriott hotel. Up to two pets can join you during your stay, with a maximum pet weight of 50 lbs—$—a nonrefundable fee per stay and a doggie bowl outside the main entrance.
Accessibility
This beautiful Marriott Tribute Portfolio hotel is fully accessible and offers many convenient features. These include accessible entrances, public restrooms, transportation, and guest rooms. For example, the hotel provides roll-in showers with adjustable wands, lowered electrical outlets, and TVs with closed captioning. In addition, the restaurant and fitness center are accessible, and a pool lift is also available. You can call the hotel for information on its accessible features or services.
Current Hotel Citrine Specials
Hotel Citrine offers ongoing special rates to make booking more accessible and affordable. The current offerings include a Weekend B&B, which includes breakfast at Wild Onion and Bonus Bonvoy Points for Marriott Bonvoy members. Yet another enticing option is the Park & Stay, which includes complimentary parking and charging.
Water/Tea Stations
Aside from all the modern conveniences in your preferred guest room, there is a bonus. On each floor, there are refillable water stations while reducing the use of plastic bottles. In addition to these water stations, unique amenities might not be found on another floor. For instance, you’ll find an assortment of gourmet teas at one station, while items on another floor will be used to create your potpourri. If that’s not enough, a kombucha station will be on a select floor soon.
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Dining at Wild Onion Bistro & Bar
The Wild Onion Bistro & Bar is on the lobby level for fine dining in a business/leisure casual setting. Marked by a genuinely exceptional bar and spacious indoor and outdoor seating, the restaurant features inventive twists on California cuisine. Led by executive chef Julie Cablay and an outstanding staff, the restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch. While every item on the menu seems to be high, there are some recommendations for you to consider. For instance, the steak frites ($65) features a 16oz 28-day dry-aged bone-in-ribeye from Flannery Ranch. That’s not to mention the superb herb-roasted half Petaluma chicken ($34) or the seared Skuna Bay (Washington) salmon ($35). Consider ordering the charred octopus ($22) or roasted jewel carrots ($14).
Drinks
A popular gathering spot at the end of the day for tech workers, the bar offers a variety of your favorite beers, wines, and spirits. This includes signature cocktails, international and domestic wines, and beers on draft or by the bottle. In more detail, among the wine selections you can order by the glass are Rodney Strong sauvignon blanc ($14), Justin Winery cabernet sauvignon ($20), and Chandon Brut rose ($17). Of course, you can order wine by the bottles, with labels like Stag’s Leap chardonnay ($95) and Berringer Knight’s Valley ($78). Together with these options are non-alcoholic drinks, such as sodas, Evian water, Fever Tree ginger beer, and tasty mocktails.
About Chef Julie “Jules” Cablay
Engaging as she is talented, Chef Cablay brings a wealth of culinary experience to Wild Bistro & Bar. This includes some 12 years at the celebrated Sir Winston’s onboard the Queen Mary in Long Beach, culminating in her ascension to sous chef. However, the legendary ocean liner/hotel and its restaurant had to close due to the pandemic. On the other hand, it’s Marriott’s gain as she now serves as the dual campus executive chef for both Citrine and AC Hotel Palo Alto. In over a year, Chef Cablay has established herself as a rising star in California cuisine with a blend of flavors inspired by her Filipino heritage. With all this in mind, it’s unsurprising that Wild Bistro is now among the best hotel restaurants in Silicon Valley.
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Pool
As a symbol of a standing Marriott property, Citrine offers an outdoor pool perfect for a bit of R&R. Open to the hotel is openness only; the pool is probably not long enough to swim laps. On the other hand, it’s large enough to cool off, and there’s a spacious amount of comfortable seating. As an added plus, the pool area is conveniently next to Wild Onion Bistro & Bar. In other words, you can enjoy a pool dip, bar bites, and drinks at the poolside.
Fitness Center
As expected, the onsite 24-hour fitness center is perfect, with a clear-cut edge on premium exercise equipment. The most notable are Peloton bikes, Technogym cardio equipment, free weights, and cable stations. Also on hand are stability balls, BOSU balance trainers, and exercise mats. If you forgot to bring your towel or water bottle, a water station and towels are provided.
Conference/Meeting Space
Like its sister property, AC Hotel by Marriott Palo Alto, Hotel Citrine offers first-class conference and meeting space. More detail: over 2,000 square feet of event space and three dedicated event rooms exist. For this reason, it’s large enough to hold business meetings and special occasions like weddings and birthdays. Moreover, the pool area can be reserved for special events, as well as Wild Onion Bistro & Bar. Likewise, special equipment and supplies can also be provided. For example, you can rent a PA system, AV equipment, TVs, office supplies, blackboards, and more. Of the meeting spaces, the 1061 square foot Avenir has a capacity of 100 guests.
Additional Hotel Services
Marriott hotels are known for providing top-flight guest services, and Citrine is no exception. Other services include coffee in the lobby, valet dry cleaning, a business center, and a gift/newsstand adjacent to the front desk. In addition, the front desk can make arrangements for car rentals, provide local information, and more. Also at the front desk is a safety deposit box for your convenience. That’s not to mention the complimentary use of Public bicycles and complimentary wine at the front desk in the afternoon. It’s also worth pointing out that the hotel also holds special events, such as live music and happy hours.
Insider Tip
Don’t forget to pick up a complimentary piece of citrine quartz and admire the larger citrine display while you’re checking in.
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About the Author
Randy Yagi is an award-winning freelance writer who served as the National Travel Writer for CBS from 2012 to 2019. More than 900 stories still appear in syndication across over 20 CBS websites, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and San Francisco. During his peak years with CBS, Randy had a digital audience reach of 489 million and 5.5 million monthly visitors. Additionally, his stories have appeared in the Daily Meal, CBS News, CBS Radio, Engadget, NBC.com, NJ.com, and Radio.com. He earned a Media Fellowship from Stanford University in 2012.