Nice, upscale room; slow check-in; meh pool.. The ...

Nice, upscale room; slow check-in; meh pool.. The Oakland Marriott City Center offers a very comfortable place to stay in Oakland, with well-appointed amenities onsite, but a few downsides. The rooms and public areas are very pleasant and well-furnished, and we got to enjoy a thorughly spectacular view of San Francisco (sunset!) from our room window. However, checking in was a dreadfully slow experience: long wait time in line, and really slow to process our booking because their reservation system is not properly integrated with corporate (from whom we had a complete confirmation, but the hotel did not). If you plan to stay, you might want to call ahead to confirm they have your booking, and look into mobile check-in, if possible. Finally, their swimming pool is on the small side, and does not have a jacuzzi/spa, and I had to seek out housekeeping for them to restock pool towels.