The first thing you're liable to notice about the Sainte Claire, a Larkspur Hotel, is the large vertical sign catty-cornered to the left side of the front entrance. Walk through one of three double doors into a soaring lobby with elaborate gilt scrollwork and hand-carved, hand-painted ceiling panels. Italianate furnishings and arched-ceiling hallways reinforce the old-world grandeur present when the hotel first opened in 1926, a detail that carries over to each of the 170 guest rooms with handmade hardwood furniture, signature featherborne beds, rich wall coverings, ceiling murals and the finest imported amenities.

During the late 1920s, the Sainte Claire stood as the focal point of San Jose's downtown renaissance, and since then some of the city's biggest draws have been constructed around the hotel, including the San Jose McEnery Convention Center, Plaza de Cesar Chavez, the HP Pavilion (home to the NHL San Jose Sharks), the Tech Museum of Innovation, Civic Auditorium, Center for Performing Arts and some of downtown as finest restaurants and entertainment.

The land on which the hotel now stands was once the home of a brewery.

Original Property Opened: 1926

Rate Range:
Single: $99 to $299