The Cardinal Hotel

2.5 star property
Hotel near Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto

Choose dates to view prices

Photo gallery for The Cardinal Hotel

Interior
Lobby sitting area
Designer store
1 bedroom, Egyptian cotton sheets, premium bedding, down comforters
Business centre

Reviews

9.0 out of 10
Wonderful

Popular amenities

  • Breakfast available
  • Housekeeping
  • 24/7 front desk
  • Free WiFi

Explore the area

View in a map
235 Hamilton Ave, Palo Alto, CA, 94301
  • Stanford Shopping Center
    ‪6 min walk‬
  • Stanford University
    ‪2 min drive‬
  • Stanford University Medical Center
    ‪3 min drive‬
  • San Jose, CA (SJC-Norman Y. Mineta San Jose Intl.)
    ‪22 min drive‬

Room options

Standard Room, 1 King Bed, Private Bathroom

7.2 out of 10
Good
(11 reviews)
  • 23 sq m
  • Sleeps 3
  • 1 King Bed

Deluxe Room, 1 King Bed, Private Bathroom, Corner

8.4 out of 10
Very good
(5 reviews)
  • 24 sq m
  • City view
  • Sleeps 3
  • 1 King Bed

Standard Room, 2 Double Beds, Private Bathroom

8.4 out of 10
Very good
(5 reviews)
  • 23 sq m
  • Sleeps 4
  • 2 Double Beds

Standard Room, 1 Queen Bed, Private Bathroom

8.8 out of 10
Excellent
(10 reviews)
  • 23 sq m
  • Sleeps 3
  • 1 Queen Bed

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About the area

Palo Alto

University South stay.With a stay at this University South hotel, you'll be within half a mile (1 km) of Stanford Shopping Center and 2 miles (3 km) of Stanford University Medical Center. Also, Stanford University is within 2 miles (3 km) and Facebook Campus is within 6 miles (10 km).

What's nearby

  • Stanford Shopping Center - 6 min walk - 0.6 km
  • Stanford Stadium - 18 min walk - 1.5 km
  • Lucile Salter Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford - 2 min drive - 1.5 km
  • Stanford University - 2 min drive - 1.8 km
  • Stanford University Medical Center - 3 min drive - 1.9 km

Getting around

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

Restaurants

  • ‪Verve Coffee Roasters - ‬3 min walk
  • ‪Salt & Straw - ‬2 min walk
  • ‪Nola - ‬1 min walk
  • ‪Pho Ha Noi - ‬3 min walk
  • ‪Pizza My Heart - ‬2 min walk

About this property

The Cardinal Hotel

Hotel near Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto
There's a coffee shop/cafe on site. Public spaces have free WiFi. The Cardinal Hotel also features a fireplace in the lobby, express check-in, and express check-out.

This Palo Alto hotel is smoke free.

  • 1 building
  • 63 guestrooms or units
  • 3 levels
  • Built in 1924
  • Breakfast available (surcharge)
  • Front desk (24 hours)
  • Express check-in
  • Express check-out
  • Storage area for luggage
  • Fireplace in lobby
  • Elevator
  • No smoking on site
  • Water dispenser
  • Coffee shop
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.

Languages

English, French, Spanish

Similar properties

Property amenities

Family friendly

  • In-room crib

Internet

  • Available in some public areas: Free WiFi

Parking and transportation

  • Offsite parking available (USD 15 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

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

Room amenities

Entertainment

  • 42-inch LED TV with premium satellite channels

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

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

Access methods

Staffed front desk

Pets

  • No pets allowed, but service animals are welcome

Children and extra beds

  • Children are welcome.
  • Rollaway/extra beds are available for USD 20.0 per day.
  • Free cribs (infant beds)!

Property payment types

Important information

Optional extras

The fees and deposits listed below will be charged at the time of service, check-in, or check-out.

  • Fee for full breakfast: approximately USD 22 for adults and USD 22 for children
  • Nearby parking fee: USD 15 per day (39 ft away)
  • Rollaway bed fee: USD 20.0 per day

This may not be a comprehensive list. Fees and deposits are subject to change and might not include tax.

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 and a smoke detector
Charges for extra guests may apply and vary according to property policy.
A cash deposit, credit card, or debit card for incidental charges and government-issued photo identification may be required upon check-in.
Special requests are subject to availability at the time of check-in. Special requests can't be guaranteed and may incur additional charges.
    This property is managed by a professional host. The provision of housing is linked to their trade, business, or profession. This property accepts Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and debit cards. Cash is not accepted. This property reserves the right to pre-authorize the guest's credit card prior to arrival. For guests' safety, the property includes a carbon monoxide detector and a smoke detector in each accommodation. Cashless payment methods are available for all transactions.

We should mention

  • Registered guests are the only ones allowed to be in 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. 210 out of 314 reviews
Rating 8 - Good. 57 out of 314 reviews
Rating 6 - Okay. 29 out of 314 reviews
Rating 4 - Poor. 10 out of 314 reviews
Rating 2 - Terrible. 8 out of 314 reviews

9.6/10

Cleanliness

9.4/10

Staff & service

8.4/10

Amenities

8.8/10

Property conditions & facilities

9.0/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

8/10 Good

Seung Eun

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

전반적으론 만족

공용욕실로 된 방을 예약해서 걱정했는데, 공용욕실이나 공용샤워실을 사용할 때 다른 사람 때문에 기다려본적이 없어 편리했고 관리도 굉장히 깨끗하게 잘되어 있었다. 1층에서 따뜻한 물을 컵에 담아올 수 있는 점도 좋았다. 다만 공용샤워실의 수압이 내 기준으론 너무 낮아서 샤워하는데 오래걸린 점이 가장 불편했고, 이미 알고 예약하긴 했으나, 개인 방에 냉장고가 없는 점이 아쉽긴 했다.
Stayed 1 night in May 2025

10/10 Excellent

Edgar

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in May 2025

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Worth the experience

Great place to stay, but lots of noise in the morning from streets
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2025

10/10 Excellent

Yanhua

Travelled with family, Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Quiet, convenient for shopping and transportation.
Stayed 3 nights in Apr 2025

10/10 Excellent

Derek

Liked: Amenities
Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2025

6/10 Okay

Karen

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Disliked: Amenities
The front desk staff was very nice and the hotel is in a great location. However, it was very noisy. I could literally hear every step the person in the room above us took as well as his conversation verbatim. Lastly, there is no air conditioning which could have been miserable if it was warmer.
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2025

10/10 Excellent

Elizabeth

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Beautiful old building.
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2025

8/10 Good

Jeff

Stayed 1 night in Apr 2025

10/10 Excellent

john

Stayed 1 night in Apr 2025

2/10 Terrible

Kristy

Travelled with family
Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 4 nights in Apr 2025

10/10 Excellent

John

Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 3 nights in Apr 2025

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2025

2/10 Terrible

Nour

Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2025

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
The front desk and housekeeping staff were very friendly and helpful. Hotel is in a great location near lots of shops and restaurants. Bed and bedding were comfy. Elevator door opening was a little small for moving all my belongings, but I made do. There was no air conditioning, but open window and fan worked.
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2025

4/10 Poor

sunah

Travelled with partner
Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Amenities
The old building is certainly historical looking and pleasant. The neighborhood is nice with several restaurants you can walk to. However, no modern amenities are to be had. The elevator felt like it could break down, the outer second door on it could injure someone as it snaps closed and there is no coffee machine or microwave in the room. A small carafe of coffee was available in the lobby, but promptly taken away at 9 AM. The walls are thin and we heard noise from the room above us till 1 AM. The sunlight streamed in at 7 AM through the old wooden shutters. No blackout shades. The old style radiator made the room so stuffy. We had to leave the fan on all night. Bed was uncomfortable and the pillows were either too flat and soft or too hard and high. Only street parking available and you have to move your car every two hours 8 to 5. We cannot recommend this hotel, although the staff are helpful and friendly,
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2025

10/10 Excellent

Ryan

Business traveller
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2025

10/10 Excellent

kaori

Stayed 4 nights in Mar 2025

10/10 Excellent

Debra

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2025

8/10 Good

Patricia

Stayed 5 nights in Mar 2025

10/10 Excellent

Marat

Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2025

10/10 Excellent

Yulia

Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2025

8/10 Good

TOSHIAKI

Liked: Cleanliness
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2025

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Business traveller
Disliked: Room comfort
Extreme street noise made untenable for business trip
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2025

10/10 Excellent

Florinda, Page

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Staff are amazing! My stay was wonderful! Highly recommend!
Stayed 3 nights in Feb 2025

10/10 Excellent

Gumaro

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Gorgeous hotel
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2024