Sterling Hotel

The Sterling Hotel used to have an incredible reputation. For years, it stood as a beautiful, well-kept Victorian gem—full of vintage charm and cozy elegance. It was worth navigating the frustrating downtown Sacramento parking and city chaos because the stay itself felt special. Sadly, that’s no longer the case. The hotel now describes itself as an “Airbnb-style” space—which seems to translate to “low to no upkeep.” During our recent weekend stay, my boyfriend and I were met with: * Leaking, crusty sink fixtures * Outdated, tiny, and frankly scary-to-use toilets * Cracked, questionable tub/shower combo * Faux plants coated in dust and grit * Ventilation grates so dusty they were fuzzy * A “coffee station” with a moldy pod left inside, no cups provided * An ice bucket half-filled with old water and no liner bags anywhere The once-elegant décor has been replaced by generic, stiff lobby furniture straight out of a roadside motel. Gone are the soft featherbeds and antique four-posters that made the rooms feel dreamy and romantic—now replaced with stiff, boring mattresses and drab surroundings. Even the lovely sitting room just off the lobby, which used to feel like a secret garden of calm, has been walled off entirely—now seemingly reserved for private rental events only. The price of the stay is no longer justified by anything the property offers. They provide no parking assistance or validation for the expensive garage next door. And while their business model now clearly relies on being a wedding venue, I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. I certainly won’t be returning. Adding insult to injury, the guest experience is now entirely “contactless”—but not in a good way. I had to download two separate apps, create accounts I’ll never use again, and still couldn’t get into the room. The mobile key gave me an error, and I was told to “see reception”… which had closed over two hours earlier. So much for a smooth arrival. I was forced to track down a physical lockbox key, after dealing with vague text responses that felt partly AI-generated and partly disinterested customer service. Apparently arriving at 6:30pm on a Friday was unreasonable? I have such fond memories of staying at the Sterling Hotel in the past—when it felt like a true escape. Now, it's just another sad example of a beautiful, historic space gutted by the modern “charge more, offer less” approach. Truly disappointing.

AVOID THIS HOTEL! This was hands down the worst hotel experience I’ve had in my life and I travel for business regularly! The front desk is only open from 800a to 430p, so I called to confirm my reservation several days beforehand. I also confirmed that there would be no issue with me checking in after the front desk closed. I was assured that I would have no issue on the night of my arrival. When I arrived on the night of my reservation, I found my room dirty. The bed had been slept in and was unmade. There were old food containers scattered all over the room, there was food and trash in the trash cans and a dirty bathroom with dirty towels on the floor. It was obvious that the room had not been cleaned from the last occupant. This being 12 AM in the morning I was stuck with no room and no front desk help or anyone to make it right. I called their afterhours answering service three times and the lady who answered each time told me that she could not get anyone to answer any of the emergency phone contacts. I had to leave and travel across town and check into another hotel at twice the price because I was a walk in. Worst of all to this day no one from management has ever called me to apologize for my horrible experience or to offer in any way to make it right. Moreover, they still charged my company for the full stay, which was two additional nights! It is businesses like this one that give small businesses a bad name and allow the corporate giants to come in and monopolize an industry! I have requested that my company remove this hotel from our hotel options/corporate travel website.

Charming hotel but courtyard was unavailable and the tv did not work.

I arrived at 4:00pm and the room was not ready - even though they had clearly said that the room would be ready no later than 3:00pm. I had to change and clean-up in a very small and overly warm hall bathroom. The clerk attendant was very nice and put my luggage in the room later as I had to go to a meeting. I don't blame her. And the air cooling in the HVAC system in my room was NOT working. It was 75-76 degrees all night in my room. Rather unpleasant. The room (#103)--and most of their other rooms are spacious and nice. But they need to make sure the HVAC system is working.

Comfortable and Cozy My stay there was very comfortable and cozy. Check-in was easy. I had a broken air conditioner and they changed me to a different room with ease. On Check-out day my key was demagnified. I downloaded the keyless app but it would not open my door. I called the emergency number and left a message, but no response. The front desk note reads that someone would be there by 8:30am. Being locked out of my room i could not checkout. I left for breakfast at 10am and the front desk was still unoccupied. I was very disappointed. I had to return at noon to checkout. I really recommend that you have a 24 hour phone number in case of emergencies.

Beautiful place, spacious, clean, well-appointed room. Great staff.