Hotels near New Thought Community, Fresno County

My husband and I paid for a night at University Square Hotel, but we left before sundown (something we’ve never done before) because we didn’t feel safe for ourselves, or safe to leave our car in their parking lot. The property itself is an older hotel, built in the 80’s and in need of renovation. That is fine, as we expected not the best condition given the low price. The rooms are large, and it seems like it was probably a perfectly nice place years ago. The biggest problem is the very sketchy tenants who seem (judging from a conversation b/w a tenant and the housekeeping staff) to be living there. We should have worried when we had to sign a waiver stating that no “drugs, including *********, illegal activities, domestic violence or pets” would be allowed. Never seen that before. Also, they required a $100 “room security deposit” in addition to the hotel rental fee. The hallways and elevator smelled strongly of ****. The floors etc were very dirty and the place was generally beaten up. Inside the door of our building was a large hand written sign warning that any residents who propped the self locking door open would be required to leave, along with their guests. Every time we went thru the door we noticed that the corner of the rug was pushed up into the door frame, which prevented the door from closing all the way (and locking). I am sorry if this sounds snobby, but the only other guests we saw looked like they had recently been living on the street. The car next to ours in the parking lot was in such bad shape - it really looked like it should be in a junk yard. We saw a couple of people circling the building on skateboards and checking the door (the one that isn’t supposed to be propped open). Not sure what was up with that but it didn’t give us a good feeling. The air conditioning does not work well, and our room never got below 78 degrees. We asked at the desk about the A/C and they guy said it was because the thermostat was controlled by motion sensor. Not sure what happens when you go to sleep. Does the A/C just turn off? The photos on their website must be a number of years old. If we had known what it was really like we never would have made a reservation. We ended up deciding to just move and pay for a different hotel rather than risk our car in the parking lot and ourselves in the room - didn’t think we would be able to sleep anyway.

The room space is good, parking is free, breakfast is a little less neat and orderly, there are few choices, and some of the missing categories are not fully replenished. The accommodation is OK.

Great for families if you want value, safety, cleanliness and 45 min to Yosemite, Mariposa North and all Fresno County So. All Top Medical hospitals, clinics, 10 to 15 min drive. Shopping centers, restaurants 5 to 15 minutes. Sports and fun activities.

So glad we picked this hotel. Our first night stay was just what we were hoping for. Very comfortable mattress, friendly staff, quiet, easy check out the next day. We returned at weeks end staying on a Friday night catching a plane out of Fresno at midnight. We checked out around 10 p.m. Unfortunately, our plane was cancelled. I called the hotel and asked if we could check back into the same room, and they said the keys would be waiting. I called back again because I realized we had already returned our rental car. I asked if they could send the hotel shuttle and they did. I called a third time because waiting for our luggage was a nightmare. They said the driver was already on her way, but they'd call her to go back to the hotel, and for us to call when we got our luggage. So, I called one last time when we finally got our luggage, and they came and picked us up. So friendly! That's good service!! P.S. Breakfast was good, too!

Clean and big room. Helpful staff. Front desk was so super efficient and coordinated. Amazing lobby restaurant with great tapas, live band, good selection of drinks, and very friendly staff. Great vibe. I was trying to book Piccadilly inn airport in Fresno but ended up booking this. Was asking if there’s any airport shuttle and found out I booked wrong hotel 😂. It wasn’t that far with Uber to airport and downtown Had a big shopping mall next to the hotel so very convenient. Also a great Italian restaurant close by. Provide to go breakfast and very good coffee. Has a coffee machine in room. Overall great experience.

Parking is convenient, because it is very empty in the mountains, and there is a Schafer Lake nearby. It is beautiful to be able to play cruises early. There is a pizzeria nearby at night, only the one that is open until the latest. The bed is not big, and the room is warmly decorated, with a fairy tale feeling. The landlord’s husband and wife are very nice. The host is called Greg. It’s too sweet to come over and cook French toast for breakfast in the morning. The amount is also large. There is also a buffet of fruit, milk, cookies and red wine. By the way, when it's late, follow the instructions in the email and pick up the keys from the mailbox on the left side of the front door.