noplasticshowers

I should have known. You never forsake a longtime high-on-the-list hotel (the Cowper Inn) on a lark. But the event where I was speaking was in Mountain View and the Kimpton people have been so good lately.

The main problem with the Cypress Hotel in Cupertino is that it is simply too big and way too generic to be a Kimpton. The property itself is newly developed (circa 2002) and the Kimpton people appear to have built it themselves from scratch, but frankly the architecture is generic enough that it seems more like a Sheraton that was updated than anything else. The building is situated on very busy De Anza Blvd which provides great access but also a bit too much traffic. If the building had been better designed with an inner courtyard like the Estancia La Jolla near San Diego or design features that faced “in” towards the fountain instead of lining the highway, things could have been much better. Who was the architect here? Blech.

Case in point. The website features a view of flags in front of the entrance. Actually the flags pay more homage to the parking structure than anything else. Functional? Yes. Luxury? Not by a long shot.

The staff was great as always (especially Christine Nicula). United really screwed me over this trip (flight cancelled at the last minute and very poor substitute routes to choose from), and the staff accommodated a very late checkin and some business nonsense smoothly. I had a rather generic note (welcome back? how about, hope you enjoy your first stay here?!) and a half bottle of wine waiting for me in the room.

Sadly, even a great staff can’t make up for an uninspired property. Here, for example is my room (932). This is in theory a suite.

The hallway that turns this room into a suite is almost a spare room. Almost.

A nicely appointed bed (great linens, nice lamps).

Plenty of windows but a dated entertainment console.

Want some irony? Here I am in Cupertino right next to Apple and there is not an ipod jack to be found anywhere in this room. What, did Microsoft have a hand in developing this room?

Check these ‘lectronics out. No iTunes for you!

And then the bathroom. There is nothing good to say about this bathroom. The shower is small and has a curtain.

And the worst thing in the entire room is in the shower! Right next to the showerhead is a vent that makes fan noises all the time. Even when all of the air systems and switches are off. This is the most annoying thing I have ever encountered in a Kimpton property. The flimsy pocket door that closes off the bathroom is not soundproof enough to fix this problem. The architect needs to go back to HVAC school.

The offending vent. Just awful.

In final analysis, the Cypress must settle for a three showerheads rating. I wish it weren’t so. Palo Alto is just a way cooler place to wander and hang out than Cupertino will ever be. Go north young man.