Cardinal Hotel

Overall it’s a great location and place to stay. Very comfortable. Not a fan of the truck noises early in the morning though. I still like this hotel for every business trip I’ve had in Palo Alto.

Exellent

The Cardinal is the best hotel in the Bay Area! Historic charm welcomes you and keeps you coming back again and again. Euro feel in downtown Palo Alto with many excellent restaurants a few steps away. Safe neighborhood, easy parking. Taking the train to SF is a traffic free treat and the station is just a few blocks from the hotel. Highly recommended!

No breakfast

Staff was so friendly, old hotel like in the movies. Beautiful

Shared bathrooms, but I booked last minute and that’s all they had left. But they were clean and have everything I needed. New experience

A fantastic hotel, and a great location.

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 history is the lack of air conditioning. The ceiling fan and cross ventilation in our deluxe corner room was enough for us. Had it been hotter, we would have avoided the top floor. Some rooms lack an en-suite bathroom, but that only adds to the vintage atmosphere as long as you don't choose one of them. Our room included breakfast at the adjoining French bistro. Hot chocolate and excellent coffee are also available in the lobby. The desk staff was unfailingly pleasant and helpful.

I can't believe I paid a premium for this stay. Old building that hasn't been renovated with care. A thousand layers of paint prevented the bathroom door from latching. We just had to keep the bathroom door ajar. Front door dead bolt didn't work. No A/C (which isn't uncommon for these older buildings), but mediocre ceiling fan and poor ventilation. In an attempt to cool down the room, we kept the window open. That meant no privacy. It also didn't help much and was very noisy. Closed the window and we slept in a sauna; it wasn't even a hot day. Just zero ventilation. Squeaky floors above us, loud pipes, super loud ice machine in the hallway, and hallway ceiling lights would buzz at a high pitch pretty regularly. TV is basic cable without even a decent channel guide. Pros: comfortable mattress and bedding, convenient location on Hamiton and Ramona. Overall, I do not recommend this hotel.