El Capitan Hotel, part of JdV by Hyatt

The El Capitan is seems more like a place for dining and getting a drink, coffee or alcohol, rather than enjoying a comfortable nights sleep. We needed a place to stay the night before our daughter college orientation. We didn't arrive at the hotel until close to 9 PM. We found the parking which is far from the hotel enterance. We walked around the hotel and eventually found the lobby. It was not obvious using the signs from the parking structure. Checkin was easy. Staff were friendly. Finding our room was easy enough but the halls were dark with bright lights at eye level. The room was very dark as well. Black and green was the theme. Since hotels don't have overhead lighting the color scheme was dated it made the room seem like a casino and it was harder to find enough lights. The bedding was high quality and the beds were soft. The real hangup was the trains that honked 8-12 times every hour. The hotel tried to help but provided cheap earplugs that are not dense enough to block the sound. Our family did not sleep. I don't know how anyone can sleep that lives in that part of town. Go to the movies or get a drink in downtown Merced. Do not spend the night.

Last minute trip to visit family. Our stay was great, high quality service and we were treated as VIP's. Every staff member was professional and friendly! The surroundings were convenient and safe. We will definitely stay here again.

We were relocated to Merced after a fire broke out in Mariposa. El Capitan was a great price and they had a room that would be perfect for our family. They didn’t have the room we originally booked but they called and offered us an extra king room to make up for error. Check-in was smooth and the dining options were wonderful. Parking was super easy through valet and it was an awesome perk with my status. Some things we didn’t love: The room was super hot and took a while to cool down The staff didn’t mention the strange housekeeping policy of every other day When we came to ask about it, the front desk agent was a little rude After complaining we still didn’t get our room serviced

Had a huge wedding with loud music right outside our room in patio. Asked for some sort of accommodation so my family and I could sleep. Nothing was done and we had to deal with loud music till midnight.

Great boutique hotel with a super friendly and efficient staff. We have family in Merced and this will now be our new “go to” hotel when we visit. Thanks for a great stay.

My daughter attends UC Merced and we’ve stayed at several hotels in the area. This is my first time staying at El Capitan and it is going to be my go-to from here on out. I loved it. It was clean and comfortable and everyone was really nice. The decor in our room was beautiful, to the point that I took pictures to show family. We ate dinner next door at The Mainzer and then breakfast at Rainbird (downstairs in the hotel) and I was incredibly impressed with both prices and quality (all locally sourced.) Super adorable co-op art gallery in the same block (the Mac) and saw a community theater production at the same location. The show was an incredible community theater production. I will definitely choose El Capitan on all future stays. Valet parking was super convenient and easy.

We stayed at El Capitan during Thanksgiving '23. We loved the hip vibe, amenities in the room, cafe/bar downstairs, and pleasant staff. Unfortunately, this hotel is very loud with street and train noise, and paper thin walls. Most of my family did not sleep during our three day stay.

We love this Hotel Great for the whole family

Our family enjoyed the very comfortable room which was tastefully decorated and included pour over and steeped coffee too. Some street and train noise into the night and starting in the early morning was the only real negative.

Beautiful hotel! My husband and kids loved our stay. Very clean and posh decor. Food from Native Son was delicious (albeit a little pricey). We all slept comfortably. Lovely in-room coffee and tea station. Nice toiletries and amenities. We will be back.