I will follow up after I have stayed here at the end of May. I have to admit the reviews scare me a little and I hope it's not as dirty as everyone has been saying. The price of $50 is pretty great though. Glad I don't have to pay more to find out if it's really awful. More later.

My wife & I stayed at this property, while relocating to the area. The staff was very accommodating & friendly. They even went out of their way to make sure our stay was as expected. The Cityside grill offered excellent service & meals. In the hotel lobby, there are plans for a renovation to the guestrooms, this will only add to the beautiful property. It is also conveniently located to the Arden Fair Mall and Cal-Expo.

I stayed here because it was the venue for a conference. The price negotiated for the conference was very good.

The room was good - spacious and well set up. The only thing missing was the fire safety notice that should have been on the back of the door! Coffee maker and everything else was as expected and things were replenished daily.

The food was pretty ordinary but I am never very impressed with USA hotel food at the best of times...

If you are without a car, then it is a bit awkward to get from the hotel to anywhere else relying on public transport. I ended up going to the Arden Mall and getting directions there as there did not seem to be anyone providing the concierge function at the hotel although there were two guys that seemed to hang around the desk a lot - mainly to help with people's luggage I think.

There appeared to be a lot of car parking available.

The bar had a strange disco in it on weekend evenings. I could not figure this out as it seemed an unlikely choice for a funky night out but there were queues of people lining up to get in and there was a cover charge (waived for hotel guests). Maybe this is a Sacramento thing. If you had a room towards the front of the hotel then noise might be a problem.

Lucky me, I get to stay at the Doubletree Sacramento a few times a year. That's sarcasm. While it is just baseline acceptable for a basic no frills motel/hotel, it is not on standard for a typical Doubletree. At least you can get the Hilton points. And is not as scary as the Red Lion across the street!

As you read the reviews note that the state of rooms can be quite drastic, but most are all very outdated with old furniture, old TV, old carpeting, and old bathrooms. What sums up the state of this property and age best is the low ceiling and dark hallways and epileptic-seisure-inducing-1982 carpet design throughout the whole property -- and to top it off the doors going into the rooms are 70's/80's wood-design and open into the hallway, not inward to the room (they seem like the kind easily kick-in-able).

But, while recently there in February 2008, they had a display in the lobby showing the winning designs for the new renovations that are soon coming. So, keep that in mind when chosing to stay here (I would call ahead and find out what that construction and renovation status is!).

The hotel has many different wings and can be quite challenging figuring out where to park and where to wind yourself around the hallways to get to your wing. This place is the most oddly laid out design to a building for a national hotel chain like Doubletree -- it clearly must have been some old local motel under a different name that was bought out years ago. As some reviewers mention, the parking lot seems sketchy and dark, but the rooms have inward facing doors (into hallways) and you need a key to get into the building wings at all times from the outside or ground levels.

The beds are the only thing that have been updated -- at least they are comfortable with good Hilton-chain type linens and pillows. But, you will deal with an old and antiquated heating/cooling system that works differently in the different wings.

I always check out the status of the room here before unpacking. Once, the heater only worked and it was 75 degrees outside. So, I had to switch rooms. Another time I was on the first or second level up off the ground (not a full two stories) and the slider door was broken and did NOT securely lock. Clearly, they've lost the attention to details here (why sell that room then) -- I would think with 100's of rooms they would not sell rooms that have problems?

Another time the bathtub in my room filled up with disgusting dirt and gunk when people above or down the hall would shower, nice, huh?

The last time something got dropped behind the nightstand. I don't think the maids are tasked with cleaning back there -- it was scary and disgusting. I wouldn't look back there if YOU have to stay at this property.

You can hear people above you walking around and making noise -- especially the last time I stayed there with the smoker up above who opened the slider door once or twice an hour to go onto the balcony to smoke until really late hours.

Ok, the positive:
-large bathroom (old and moldy in the corners, though) with lots of counter space IN the bathroom and another sink just outside (good if sharing with someone else)
-The rooms are pretty large
-Internet, but not free (unless you accidently use the wrong room # when signing in).
-Ample parking.
-Free cookies.
-Staff at the front desk and encountered in hallways are generally very friendly, smile, and acknowlege you.
-Restaurant is decent for breakfast, lunch, dinner (offers room service)
-Bar
-Great location across from Arden Mall, Cheesecake Factory, Elephant Bar, lots of other restaurants and shopping not too far of a drive. And not too far from airport or downtown.

All in all you can do better at other newer properties in the area, especially if paying more than $150 which this place often charges (often it is around the $179/night rate!). I cannot wait to see the renovations once they are completed.