"While the spa most recently operated in its current location for approximately 25 years, wellness has never been confined to a single space at the Claremont." General manager Edward Roe sent that statement to The Oaklandside after the Claremont Resort & Club closed its 25,000-square-foot spa in August 2026. The amenities he listed after that sentence were for club members and hotel guests. A Claremont Hills resident without a room key or a membership can still use the building, though. Their access comes through the lobby, the dining room and a holiday calendar that has grown well beyond tea service.
The wellness list Roe gave is for guests and members
According to Roe, club members and hotel guests still have eight tennis courts, four pickleball courts, three saltwater pools, indoor and outdoor fitness facilities, three fitness studios, and locker rooms with steam, sauna and whirlpools. Berkeleyside reported that the private club has 1,500 members. The resort's public membership page has an inquiry form and a phone number. It lists no prices, local-resident rate or day pass.
The newer additions are behind the same line. Ohana Real Estate Investors bought the property in 2023, and HEI Hotels + Resorts took over management in February 2025. By spring 2025 the pool area had been renovated, a former storage room had become Bayview Terrace, a counter serving lobster rolls and wild-mushroom flatbread, and two tennis courts had become four pickleball courts. Bayview Terrace is described as a poolside venue for hotel guests and Club members. The guided Historical Walking Tour runs Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 2 p.m. from the Concierge Desk and is likewise listed for resort guests. The resort's own FAQ now just says there is no spa.
That leaves a fairly specific set of things a neighbor can do.
Where the line falls this fall
| Offering | Who it's listed for | Terms as posted |
|---|---|---|
| Curator in Residence, Lobby Lounge | Guests, members and local neighbors | Saturdays, 4:30 to 8:30 p.m., no fee listed |
| Live music, Lobby Lounge | Members, guests and the public | Select Tuesdays and Thursdays, 6 to 9 p.m. |
| Limewood Bar & Restaurant | Public restaurant | Weekend brunch 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., dinner nightly |
| East Bay Provisions | No restriction stated | Daily, 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. |
| Holiday Teas, November and December | Public, by reservation | $125 to $145 for ages 14 and up |
| Tree lighting, Dec. 1 | Guests and neighbors | Free, with a suggested $10 donation for cocoa and Santa photos |
| Historical Walking Tour | Resort guests | Thursday to Saturday at 2 p.m. |
| Bayview Terrace and Club facilities | Guests and Club members | Membership by inquiry |
The open column is centered on one room. The two lobby programs are the only standing weekly events the resort labels as open to neighbors.
Saturday evenings in the Lobby Lounge
Every Saturday from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m., Curator in Residence Suleyman C. Cooke hosts a rotating pop-up exhibition from Salon D'Art's paper collection, which covers more than five centuries. An art advisor stays on site to answer questions about the works, and some pieces are offered by silent auction. The event page says it is "open to resort guests, members, and local neighbors" and lists no admission fee. It is the only weekly program on the resort's calendar that names neighbors as part of its audience.
Tuesday and Thursday nights through November
Live music in the Lobby Lounge runs from 6 to 9 p.m. on select Tuesdays and Thursdays. The resort lists it as open to club members, resort guests and the public, and the page shows no cover charge. Here are the remaining dates as of early October:
- Tuesday, Oct. 6: Joyce Grant & Company, jazz and R&B
- Thursday, Oct. 8: Cadena de Alma String Quartet, in its first performance at the resort
- Tuesday, Oct. 13: Naté the Soulsanger, with Cam Perridge on guitar
- Tuesday, Oct. 20: Daria Nile, vocal jazz
- Thursday, Oct. 22: Ariel Marin, billed as Sade of The Bay
- Thursday, Oct. 29: Rumbache, Latin jazz and salsa
- Tuesday, Nov. 3: Joyce Grant & Company returns
- Tuesday, Nov. 10: The N.T.B. Collective, jazz fusion
- Thursday, Nov. 12: Darryl Rowe, a Bay Area jazz singer of more than two decades
- Tuesday, Nov. 17: JazSynergy, funk and soul jazz
- Thursday, Nov. 19: Charged Particles, piano trio
- Tuesday, Nov. 24: Rumbache, Latin Nights
The posted hours for the Lobby Lounge itself differ by source. The resort lists 4:30 to 11 p.m. daily, and OpenTable shows 5 p.m. to midnight. On music nights the 6 p.m. start is the time that matters.
Mornings start at the Carriage Entrance
Neighbors can also come in earlier in the day. East Bay Provisions, a counter-service café at the Carriage Entrance, opens daily at 6 a.m. and closes at 4 p.m. Limewood Bar & Restaurant, where Joseph Paire is chef, serves weekday breakfast from 7 to 10:30 a.m., weekend brunch from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and weekday lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Dinner runs 4 to 9:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Its OpenTable listing says it welcomes locals as well as travelers.
Parking is the detail to confirm before you go. OpenTable advertises up to two hours of validated parking for Limewood diners. The resort's FAQ says only that complimentary validation is offered for a "limited time" and doesn't list a visitor hourly rate.
Limewood's next special dinner is a House of Far Niente wine dinner on Wednesday, Oct. 21, at 6 p.m. It costs $265.50 per person, prepaid.
October's two ticketed events have already sold out
As of the first weekend of October, the resort's own calendar shows both of the month's ticketed specials as sold out. Haunted History Tours run Friday and Saturday evenings in October from 6 to 7:30 p.m., except Saturday, Oct. 17, when the resort lists no tour. They are open to non-hotel guests 21 and older and include access to areas usually closed to the public, including what the resort calls the "haunted room." The resort lists them at $55 plus tax and gratuity, while the Tock header shows $65. The Friday, Oct. 9 High Tea + High Style event, which features Oakland designers, tea service and pop-up boutiques, was $110 per ticket and is also sold out.
Because both sold out, the holiday listings are where booking early makes the most difference.
The holiday calendar opens the most doors
From mid-November on, more of the resort's programming is listed as open to the public than at any other point in the fall.
Holiday Tea, November: Saturdays and Sundays, Nov. 7 to 22, with seatings at 10 a.m., 12:30 p.m. or 3 p.m. It is open to the public by reservation and costs $125 for ages 14 and up and $75 for ages 4 to 13, plus tax and gratuity.
Holiday Tea, December: Fridays through Sundays from Nov. 27 to Dec. 13, then daily Dec. 18 to 27, at $145 for ages 14 and up and $85 for ages 4 to 13. OpenTable's listing excludes Christmas Day.
Santa's Tea Experience: This is a public seating for groups of up to four on Dec. 4 to 13 and daily Dec. 18 to 24. The detailed event page gives a total of $772.50 including tax and gratuity, while the holiday landing page lists $600.
Tree lighting: Tuesday, Dec. 1, at 5:30 p.m. It is open to guests and neighbors and free to attend. The resort asks non-guests and non-members for a suggested $10 donation for cocoa and a photo with Santa, which benefits Make-A-Wish.
Cookie decorating at East Bay Provisions: Saturdays, Dec. 5 to 19, from 2 to 3 p.m., at $45 per kit plus tax and gratuity.
Thanksgiving, Nov. 26: Limewood serves a family-style meal from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. at $115 per adult and $65 for children 5 to 12. The dinner-to-go costs $355 for a smaller party or $475 for 6 to 8 people, with pickup from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Two resort pages give different noon order deadlines for the Monday of Thanksgiving week, so confirm the date when you order.
New Year's Eve: Limewood offers a three-course dinner at $95 per person for the 5 to 7 p.m. seating and $135 for the 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. seating, which includes a midnight champagne toast. In the Lobby Lounge, "Midnight Bites & Bubbly" runs from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. at $110 per person.
The former spa space has no announced use
Roe told reporters the resort is "thoughtfully evaluating opportunities to reimagine the space." He described the goal as keeping the Claremont "a relevant, welcoming, and engaging destination for guests and members." When Berkeleyside and KTVU reported the closure in August, neither outlet described a specific plan for the space. Whatever goes there will be a change inside the city of Oakland. Despite the hotel's Berkeley mailing address at 41 Tunnel Road, Oakland's public information officer confirmed the 22-acre property sits within Oakland city limits, and the hotel pays Oakland's transient occupancy tax. Until a plan is announced, a neighbor's way into the building is the Lobby Lounge on Saturday evenings and on music nights, Limewood at brunch, and the tree lighting on Dec. 1.
Living within walking distance of a 1915 landmark with a public lobby calendar is part of what a Claremont Hills address offers, and it's the kind of detail an accurate home value should account for. If you're curious what your home is worth in today's market, Shalaya Shipman can prepare a data-backed valuation that takes into account what's nearby. Get your free home valuation.
