Guest Resources

If you are considering renting a car in either San Francisco or San Jose airport, we recommend considering how you will use the vehicle when you are in Palo Alto.
If your main purpose is to visit Stanford University, and the University is NOT providing parking for you during your stay, you should consider UBER from the airport and for getting to and from campus (1 mile from the Cardinal Hotel).
We often see people rent a car, drive to the hotel, spend time looking for parking. Once they have found parking, they end up paying $25/ day to park in the public lot across the street from the hotel and take other transportation to visit Stanford University. In this case it would be better to NOT rent a car.
Also, you can find almost anything else you would need during your visit within walking distance from the Cardinal Hotel.

We always do our best to accommodate early check-in and late checkout requests, however these will be honored on an availability basis. Please inquire at the Front Desk about late checkout. After 1:00pm a full day’s rate will apply and the room will be extended for that night.

You may cancel your reservation without penalty only if you cancel by 2:00pm the day prior to arrival. If you cancel after 2 pm the day prior to arrival, you will be charged a penalty equal to the cost of 1 night’s room + tax without exception.
The Cardinal Hotel will not waive late cancellation charges for any situations that are considered outside of the guest’s control such as a flight cancellation or delay, a personal or family member illness, or change in business related plans. We encourage you to purchase travel insurance to insure against any unexpected changes in your travel plans. We will not refund a no-show charge incurred due to a booking error made by the guest or the guest’s booking agent.

The maximum length of stay allowable is 28 days.

• 20 miles from San Francisco International Airport - approximately 30 to 60 minutes away by car or taxi, or 1 hour and 15 minutes by CalTrain (plus bus or BART)
• 16 miles from San Jose International Airport - approximately 20 to 60 minutes away by car or taxi.

• The Cardinal Hotel does not have on site parking. Guests must park on the city streets or in the public parking lots.
• The closest public parking lot is located diagonally across the street from the hotel underneath Palo Alto City Hall.
• Weekday parking in Palo Alto is free but time limited from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m - 3 hours underneath the City Hall and 2 hours for on street parking.
• Daily parking permits are available for purchase for $25.00 per day at the front desk.
• Weekend parking is free and unrestricted from Friday at 5:00 p.m. until Monday at 8:00 a.m.

Concierge service is available at our front desk. Our team is well versed in recommendations regarding local dining, attractions and special events.

Yes, our Front Desk will receive packages on your behalf during your stay. Within 3 days of your arrival we can receive up to 8 cubic feet of packages. Prior to 3 days before, the hotel will charge a storage fee of $5.00 per day per cubic foot and a minimum storage fee of $10.00 per day.
We can not receive and store packages after your stay.

The front desk will be happy to send or receive faxes for you as a registered guest. Please be advised that there is a $.50 fee per page for this service.

Due to the increasing lack of reliability of our local taxi company, the Cardinal Hotel does not recommend using taxis for your transportation needs.

To accommodate guests that do not have an Uber account, the Cardinal Hotel has established a Cardinal Hotel Uber account that we can use to book Uber rides for our guests. The hotel will bill the cost of the Uber directly to the guest’s room

Due to the historic nature of our hotel, our guest rooms do not have air conditioning. All of our rooms do have windows which open and feature ceiling fans. We also have Dyson fans available by request available.

Each guest room is fitted with luxurious white goose down comforters. All of our luxuriously soft beds sport both white goose down pillows and hypo-allergenic pillows.

We also offer hypo-allergenic bedding and pillows upon request for our guests.

We offer a wide range of room categories to meet your needs. Please see detailed descriptions under the rooms section of this website.

The Cardinal Breakfast is included in all reservations for Standard and Deluxe room types booked directly with the hotel or via our website. 

Complimentary breakfast is not included with our Shared Bath Style rooms.

Looking to stay active while you’re in Palo Alto? Downtown offers several fitness options within an easy walk or short ride from the Cardinal Hotel.

• YogaSource — A longtime downtown Palo Alto studio offering yoga, Hot Pilates, barre, strength, and sculpt classes.
• [solidcore] Palo Alto — A high-intensity, low-impact strength workout using a reformer-style machine, located on University Avenue.
• Functional Lifestyles — A downtown strength and conditioning studio focused on personal training, functional movement, and coached workouts.

Class schedules, drop-in availability, and reservations vary, so we recommend checking directly with each studio before visiting.

Please visit the Stanford Sports Website for ticketing information at www.GoStanford.com

Complimentary high-speed WiFi is offered in all common areas of the hotel and guest rooms.

There are many consulate offices located in downtown San Francisco which is approximately 60 -90 minutes travel time from the Cardinal Hotel in Palo Alto. Further information can be accessed via the San Francisco Chamber.