This darling hotel far exceeded our expectations. We were greeted with the friendly & helpful valet before we entered the hotel. We didn't opt to use the service, there is an option to park your car in the garage behind the hotel or on the street. Since there was little traffic and plenty of room, we chose the street option. The hotel was thoughtfully and creatively decorated, and the room had everything we could need (including a clothes steamer). The pillows were so comfy!!!! We ate dinner in the onsite restaurant - it was amazing! In the morning we enjoyed coffee in the onsite coffeeshop, again wonderful! I cannot say enough good things about this gem in downtown Merced!

Wow! This place is stunning! The decor is amazing! The facility is impeccably clean! I wanted to stay an extra day just to enjoy the beauty of the hotel! I couldn’t believe that it was in such a small town! I’m trying to find a reason to return. For those who complained about noise, I heard one train in a distance (and I do live around trains, so I know how annoying they can be), it was not annoying at all! I enjoyed knowing that I had several choices for restaurants. Two of them are accessible in the hotel itself, and one associated with the hotel is less than a block down the street, which was the one I went to since my event ended later in the evening and it was open. The food was delicious. As for my room, I had all the amenities I needed, and the bed was comfortable! Although I didn’t use it much, I enjoyed the choices of the TV and being able to hook my iPhone up to it and enjoy the apps I like to watch. In the morning, I was able to make a cup of tea in my room, and I went down and looked at the breakfast choices, which most would be marveled at. If I didn’t have to rush to go to my next destination, I would have enjoyed a restaurant breakfast.

Beautiful spacious room and convenient bathroom, both very clean. Kettle and fridge in the room. The parking on the street was actually for free (not for 15 USD per day like it's mentioned on the hotel's booking page). The ways to Yosemite and Sequoia parks take approximately 2 hours each with no traffic so it's quite convenient if you want to visit both.

There is a train rail right outside the hotel and the trains run every couple of hours all night long, honking annoyingly loudly. There is also a very bright flickering light on a fire detector on the ceiling in the room which was disturbing while falling asleep.

The staff, as always, were fantastic. They are always friendly and professional. Giving a warm welcoming. The room was spacious, clean, and well maintained. The amenities were well stocked. The bed was comfortably firm. Really good deal on a room for a last minute reservation on Valentine's Day.

Valet Parking was full, but this was not their fault as it was Valentine's Day and their hotel is on Main Street. We ended up in a two bed suit instead of a one bed suit due to late check in. Again, not their fault there was no parking nearby until later because of the day and location. There really is not much to put here as a detractor.

The El Capitan Hotel offers a clean and well-maintained environment with lovely rooms that make for a comfortable stay. One standout feature is the distilled and sparkling water dispensers by the ice machines, a thoughtful touch that adds extra convenience. Additionally, its location makes it a fairly easy and convenient place to stay for those planning a trip to Yosemite National Park.

One major downside of the El Capitan Hotel is the complete lack of vegan options, despite having multiple eateries on-site. If you're vegan, you'll need to bring your own food or eat elsewhere, which is super disappointing and inconvenient. Additionally, the hotel does not have dedicated parking, requiring guests to park in a public structure next to the property. Parking was limited, and we were only able to find a spot because we happened to catch someone leaving as we were about to give up and looking to park elsewhere.

The hotel smelled wonderful like a high end resort, the food at the Rainbird has to be some of the best hotel food I’ve tasted in a while. And it was like this last time I was there. The server was amazing for my mom, he went out of his way to try and accommodate her food to get puree it since we had forgotten her teeth at home.

No iron in room. And it’s a little loud at night outside (not sure why, it’s not like there’s a whole lot of activity going on at night, as kids we called Merced Merdead) but they do give you earplugs lol! That’s it.

The charm of the property, decorations, hang out spaces, comfort of room, access to food, kettle in the room.

Silly thing - there isn't a check in parking space up front, so it was a bit confusing where to park short term and long term, as the spaces were full in the lot and are likely full most the time. Access to water to fill water bottles and couldn't find the ice. I did find the way to fill bottles near the downstairs bathroom. Really it was a great stay and will stay again.

Very well equipped, modern hotel. Clean and all the necessary amenities.

Price was high compared to others, and didn’t include breakfast. Take a $100 deposit per room, which doesn’t get returned to your account for days (not received yet but assured is on its way). No other hotel we booked did this, plenty scanned a credit card but none actually took the money. Can add up if booking multiple rooms and then have to trust the money is returned. Less than ideal and a policy I would recommend the hotel reviews to bring onto line with other hotels.

This is one of the best hotel experiences in the Yosemite Gateway, and local business hotel in the whole area. The architectural features from the rebuilding -totally- an old hotel to the highest modern quality of just recently rebuilt-charming, warmth, friendly, large enough for privacy, and cozy enough in the wonderful Rainbird restaurant. In the week we stayed -happily, peacefully, and joyfully with the design, colors, upscale very expensive amenities, perfect lighting, very expensive features--and one that's the best in any hotel in the world; black interior walk in showers with 1 door on shower part, but handle for water is without a door where you'd step in; the floor of the shower was special, no slip, the bathroom with upscale floors, the rooms are spacious, inclusive of olden days portable record player with 50's hit records. The robes are unique. The bar is friendly, serves food too. The hallways are old-fashioned wide with wall to wall carpeting in a Persian runner in cranberry. All in all, this is the place anybody going anywhere at any time in Merced, should try. The Staff is friendly, generous, and will talk if you want to. I HOPE YOU DO NOT UP THE PRICE. Folks won't go there, the fun is over.

This property is an absolute jewel! The perfect anchor for, a now, thriving downtown Merced!! This is absolutely THE premier property in Merced. NOTHING comes close. The staff is key here. My wife and I have stayed at the El Capitan many times and always are welcomed by a great staff..hats off to Ryan and Lauren..two individuals at the front desk that practice the lost art of customer service to perfection.

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