The Cardinal Hotel

Property class: 2.5

Choose dates to view prices

Photo gallery for The Cardinal Hotel

Interior
Designer store
Family dining
Lobby sitting area
Room amenity

Room options

Standard Room, 1 Queen Bed, Private Bathroom

8.4 out of 10
Very good
(14 reviews)
  • 250 sq ft
  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 3
  • 1 Queen Bed

Standard Room, 1 King Bed, Private Bathroom

7.2 out of 10
Good
(12 reviews)
  • 250 sq ft
  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 3
  • 1 King Bed

Standard Room, 2 Double Beds, Private Bathroom

8.6 out of 10
Excellent
(7 reviews)
  • 250 sq ft
  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 4
  • 2 Double Beds

Deluxe Room, 1 King Bed, Private Bathroom, Corner

8.4 out of 10
Very good
(5 reviews)
  • City view
  • 260 sq ft
  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 3
  • 1 King Bed

Similar properties

About the neighborhood

Palo Alto

With a stay at The Cardinal Hotel, you'll be centrally located in Palo Alto, within a 10-minute walk of Stanford University and Stanford Shopping Center. .This hotel is 1.9 mi (3 km) from Stanford University Medical Center and 3.5 mi (5.7 km) from Facebook Campus.

What's nearby

  • Stanford University - 5 min walk - 0.3 miles
  • Stanford Shopping Center - 6 min walk - 0.4 miles
  • Stanford Stadium - 19 min walk - 1.0 mile
  • Lucile Salter Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford - 3 min drive - 1.4 miles
  • Stanford University Medical Center - 4 min drive - 1.6 miles

Getting around

  • Palo Alto Station - 6 min walk
  • Norman Y. Mineta San Jose Intl. Airport (SJC) - 21 min drive

Restaurants

  • ‪Verve Coffee - ‬3 min walk
  • ‪Curry Pizza House Palo Alto - ‬3 min walk
  • ‪Hidden Tap and Barrel - ‬3 min walk
  • ‪Maruwu Seicha 丸宇製茶 - ‬2 min walk
  • ‪Ramen Nagi - ‬2 min walk

About this property

The Cardinal Hotel

The Cardinal Hotel offers 63 accommodations with laptop-compatible safes and complimentary bottled water. Pillowtop beds feature Egyptian cotton sheets, down comforters, and premium bedding. 42-inch LED televisions come with premium satellite channels.

Bathrooms include bathtubs or showers, bathrobes, slippers, and designer toiletries. Business-friendly amenities include desks and phones; free local calls are provided (restrictions may apply). Additionally, rooms include hair dryers and irons/ironing boards. Housekeeping is offered daily and hypo-allergenic bedding can be requested.

Stay in one of 63 guestrooms featuring LED televisions. Your pillowtop bed comes with down comforters and Egyptian cotton sheets. Satellite television is provided for your entertainment. Bathrooms feature bathtubs or showers, designer toiletries, and hair dryers.
Make use of convenient amenities, which include complimentary wireless internet access and a fireplace in the lobby.
Satisfy your appetite at the hotel's coffee shop/cafe. Full breakfasts are served on weekdays from 7:00 AM to 10:00 AM for a fee.
Featured amenities include express check-in, express check-out, and a 24-hour front desk.
Full breakfasts are available for a surcharge between 7:00 AM and 10:00 AM on weekdays.

Property amenities

Internet

  • Available in some public areas: Free WiFi

Parking and transportation

  • Offsite parking available (USD 20 per day)
  • Onsite parking options include a garage

Food and drink

  • Weekday full breakfast available 7:00 AM to 10:00 AM for a fee: USD 22 for adults and USD 22 for children
  • A coffee shop/cafe

Things to do

  • Art gallery

Family friendly

  • In-room crib

Conveniences

  • 24-hour front desk
  • Guidebooks
  • Luggage storage
  • Water dispenser

Guest services

  • Housekeeping (daily)

Accessibility

  • If you have requests for specific accessibility needs, please contact the property using the information on the reservation confirmation received after booking.
  • Assistive listening devices
  • Elevator
  • Visual fire alarm

More

  • 1 building
  • 3 floors
  • Built in 1924
  • Fireplace in lobby
  • Smoking not allowed
  • Traditional architecture

Room amenities

Bedroom

  • Down comforter
  • Egyptian cotton sheets
  • Free crib
  • Hypo-allergenic bedding
  • Pillowtop mattress

Bathroom

  • Bathrobes
  • Bathtub or shower
  • Designer toiletries
  • Hair dryer
  • Shampoo
  • Slippers
  • Soap
  • Toilet paper
  • Toothbrush and toothpaste (on request)
  • Towels provided

Entertainment

  • 42-inch LED TV with premium satellite channels

Food and drink

  • Free bottled water
  • Restaurant dining guides

More

  • Ceiling fan
  • Desk
  • Electrical adapters
  • Free local calls
  • Heating
  • Iron/ironing board
  • Laptop workspace
  • Laptop-compatible safe
  • Phone
  • Portable fan

Policies

Check-in

Check-in start time: 2:00 PM; Check-in end time: anytime
Contactless check-in available
Express check-in available

Check-out

Check-out before 11:00 AM
Contactless check-out available
Express check-out available

Special check-in instructions

An adult age 18 or older must assume all liability for the booking
Front desk staff will greet guests on arrival at the property
Information provided by the property may be translated using automated translation tools

Access methods

Staffed front desk

Pets

Pets not allowed (service animals are welcome, and are exempt from fees)

Children and extra beds

Children are welcome
Rollaway/extra beds are available for USD 20.0 per day
Free cribs are available on request at the property

Property payment types

Important information

Optional extras

  • Fee for full breakfast: approximately USD 22 for adults and USD 22 for children
  • Nearby parking fee: USD 20 per day (39 ft away)
  • Rollaway bed fee: USD 20.0 per day

The above list may not be comprehensive. Fees and deposits may not include tax and are subject to change.

You need to know

Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card, or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
This property accepts credit cards and debit cards; cash is not accepted
This property reserves the right to pre-authorize the guest's credit card prior to arrival.
Cashless transactions are available
Safety features at this property include a carbon monoxide detector, a fire extinguisher, and a smoke detector

We should mention

Only registered guests are allowed in the guestrooms
This property welcomes guests of all sexual orientations and gender identities (LGBTQ+ friendly)

Property is also known as

The Cardinal Hotel Hotel
The Cardinal Hotel Palo Alto
The Cardinal Hotel Hotel Palo Alto

The Cardinal Hotel Reviews

Reviews

9.0

Wonderful

Rating 10 - Excellent. 282 out of 420 reviews
Rating 8 - Good. 78 out of 420 reviews
Rating 6 - Okay. 36 out of 420 reviews
Rating 4 - Poor. 14 out of 420 reviews
Rating 2 - Terrible. 10 out of 420 reviews

9.6/10

Cleanliness

9.4/10

Staff & service

8.4/10

Amenities

8.8/10

Property conditions & facilities

Reviews

2/10 Terrible

Peter

Stayed 1 night in Jan 2026

6/10 Okay

Selena

Business traveler
Disliked: Amenities
Room was clean and in good condition but no water and minimal staffing available.
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2026

8/10 Good

E. Lloyd

Stayed 1 night in Jan 2026

10/10 Excellent

Marc

Stayed 1 night in Jan 2026

10/10 Excellent

Deanna

Stayed 1 night in Jan 2026

10/10 Excellent

Liovardo

Stayed 1 night in Jan 2026

10/10 Excellent

Helen

Stayed 1 night in Jan 2026

8/10 Good

Aaron

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Liked proximity to Stanford University.
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2026

10/10 Excellent

Maksym

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2026

10/10 Excellent

Paul

Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Everything was great! Definitely recommend if you will be in the area
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2026

10/10 Excellent

Judy

Traveled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Parking was somewhat easy. Staff were very accommodating. Ships were available and suitable. I loved the experience
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2025

10/10 Excellent

MARIA

Stayed 1 night in Sep 2025

10/10 Excellent

Arthur

Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2025

8/10 Good

Brian

Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2025

10/10 Excellent

Vinie Marwa

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
all of the above
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2025

10/10 Excellent

Ligia María

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
All thinks was very very nice
Stayed 6 nights in Nov 2025

10/10 Excellent

Zach

Stayed 1 night in Dec 2025

10/10 Excellent

Chris

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Parking was easy and the neighborhood was fantastic. Very comfortable room, would have been nice to have a small fridge but it was a great stay.
Stayed 4 nights in Dec 2025

10/10 Excellent

Harold T

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Very nice
Stayed 4 nights in Nov 2025

10/10 Excellent

Grace

Traveled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Smooth check-in/check-out process, comfortable + clean room!
Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2025

8/10 Good

Kelvin

Stayed 1 night in Nov 2025

8/10 Good

Jennifer

Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Beautiful Ambiance and very comfy beds
Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2025

8/10 Good

Tom

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
Great location but the room was too warm, even turning off the radiator in the room.
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2025

4/10 Poor

Robert

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Disliked: Room comfort
Didnt park. Great shops. But no thermostat, had to use portable heater and windows. Thus very uncomfortable.
Stayed 3 nights in Nov 2025

10/10 Excellent

Linda

Business traveler
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Ideal for public transportation and walking to restaurants and theaters. Sweet older hotel with charm.
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2025