Prior to the onset of the pandemic, the Cardinal Hotel was working with a team of architects, designers, lighting experts, engineers and contractors, to plan an extensive renovation to our guest rooms, lobby and facade.

Please note: All elements of the historic renovation will be undertaken with approval of the California Office of Historic Preservation and the City of Palo Alto’s Historic Resources Board and Architectural Review Board.

When the decision was made to close the hotel in March of 2020, we decided to focus all of our attention on moving the renovation forward as quickly as possible. Although everyone worked hard and much has been accomplished, there were many unexpected bumps in the road and we finally submitted for our Phase 1 permit on August 12, 2021.

Our plan is to keep the hotel closed and begin the renovation as soon as possible so that we can reopen our doors as soon as possible. Our anticipated reopening date would be Fall 2022.

We are in regular communication with all of our staff and everyone is safe and healthy. A few of us were infected with Covid but everyone recovered fully. We miss working together everyday and serving guests in our beloved hotel.

I will continue to update our website and the staff can not wait to start actively planning our grand reopening.

We send our very best wishes to all. Please stay safe and healthy,

Sincerely,

Stephanie Wansek
Cardinal Hotel, GM