The Cardinal Hotel

I wanted to write this review to tell everyone that I could not have been happier with my choice of The Cardinal hotel for my vacation stay. The location was right in the middle of town. The Cardinal's atmosphere is quite vintage and looks fantastic for a 101 year old hotel. The rooms are perfect and comfortable and a great value. The hotel was very clean and was well staffed with some of the nicest people working there. I look forward to staying there again the next time I visit Palo Alto. I visited during the holiday season and The Cardinal was decorated beautifully. Thank you so much for all you did for me while I was at the Hotel.

The meticulously preserved yet comfortable Cardinal Hotel was the unexpected highlight of our visit to Palo Alto. It's 101 years old but in amazingly perfect condition. The lobby is a living museum - original wrought iron light fixtures, faux wood ceramic fireplace and tiled floor. The 1924 switchboard might be the only artifact that's not still in use. The preservation comes at little cost in comfort and function. The vintage elevator appears daunting, with an old-fashioned door you slide open by hand. But once it starts moving, the unexpectedly smooth, quiet ride evinces a modern mechanism. Our bathroom had touches lacking in most modern hotel rooms. The shower/tub had a normal faucet - not one of those single control horrors - and an excellent non-skid surface. The one concession to h

The Cardinal is my favorite hotel in Palo Alto. Pros: it's a good value for the price, the location can't be beat, and the staff are always exceedingly nice. The beds are very comfortable and there are ceiling fans in every room. They also have non-travel-sized hair dryers available at the front desk. ||Things to consider: Some rooms do not have individual bathrooms, so pay attention when you're selecting your room type! Other rooms have small bathrooms with little space for toiletries, and the toilet paper holders are awkwardly placed. The hotel is not air-conditioned, and street noise can be loud on nights when there are a lot of outdoor diners.

We stayed three nights for a Stanford reunion. The location is great, with lots of interesting cafes and bars around, and for us the convenience to campus was great. The room was clean and comfortable, and the shared bathrooms were only a minor issue, as we never had to wait for one, and never even encountered other guests in the halls while in our robes. I was going to complain about the noise level from the sidewalk below until well after midnight, forcing us to wear earplugs to sleep, but on the third day I realized our window just wasn’t shut, so that night was quiet!

Great place with tons of history and character. Excellent facilities and excellent location near restaurants, nightlife, and train station. I would recommend the Rose and Crown pub around the corner. Anyone wearing makeup-- look for the black face towels in the bathroom to avoid staining white hotel towels.