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Palo Alto does not have grand hotel towers. What it has instead is a set of small, distinctive places to stay, many of them independent or run by the same family for decades. They range from a 1924 hotel with shared-bath rooms to a 23-suite hotel where meals and drinks come with the room. Several sit within a short walk of University Avenue. Others hide garden courtyards behind the traffic of El Camino Real.
This guide covers the independent and small hotels we have profiled, based on the hotels' own sites and records summarized on each profile. We do not rank them or publish prices. For live rates, search boutique hotels in Palo Alto and then check each hotel's own site for packages.
Small hotels at a glance
| Hotel | Size | Character |
|---|---|---|
| Cardinal Hotel | Three stories, varied rooms | 1924 Spanish-style downtown classic |
| Hotel Keen | 41 rooms plus a Wellness Studio | Compact and efficient, by Caltrain |
| el Prado | 62 rooms and suites | Courtyard hotel, the former Garden Court |
| Nobu Hotel Palo Alto | 73 rooms | Japanese-inspired design hotel |
| The Clement Palo Alto | 23 suites | All-inclusive, across from Stanford |
| Dinah's Garden Hotel | Low-rise garden buildings | Family run since 1957 |
| Coronet Motel | 20 units | Mid-century roadside motel |
| Creekside Inn | 136 rooms and suites | Gardens beside Matadero Creek |
| Park James, Menlo Park | Room count not published | Patio restaurant, near Caltrain |
| Stanford Park Hotel, Menlo Park | 162 rooms, per Michelin | Red brick, fireplaces, family owned |
Downtown: four small hotels
Cardinal Hotel
The Cardinal has stood at Hamilton Avenue and Ramona Street since 1924. National Register records for the Ramona Street Architectural District credit the architect William H. Weeks. The lobby keeps period pieces such as an old switchboard desk and wooden phone booths. A 2025 local magazine feature reported that the Dahl family bought the hotel in 1945. Room types include standard and deluxe rooms with private baths and a Shared Bath Style Room with one queen bed, one of the few lower-cost ways to sleep a block from University Avenue. There is no pool, gym or restaurant.
Hotel Keen
Hotel Keen opened in May 2010 in the building of the former Palo Alto Hotel at 425 High Street. It has 41 compact guest rooms plus a single Wellness Studio, built around platform beds with built-in desks. Breakfast, Wi-Fi, 24-hour Nespresso coffee and bike rental are complimentary. The homepage advertises free parking every weekend. The Caltrain station is a few minutes away on foot.
el Prado
For decades the hotel at 520 Cowper Street was the Garden Court. It reopened as el Prado in 2021 after a redesign by the San Francisco firm NICOLEHOLLIS, with greens, blues and terracotta around a courtyard with a large fireplace. It has 62 rooms and suites, a breakfast cafe, a second-floor bar and about 6,000 square feet of event space. It is independent, with no Marriott, Hilton or Hyatt flag. Its amenities page lists 24-hour valet and dog-friendly rooms with a nightly cleaning fee.
Nobu Hotel Palo Alto
Nobu Hotel Palo Alto on Hamilton Avenue began as The Epiphany. The Nobu restaurant opened on the ground floor on July 7, 2017. Nobu Hospitality took over management that October. Nobu is a brand, but a small one. The hotel has just 73 rooms over eight stories. The Ryokan rooms and suites blend Japanese and Californian design. Pets are not allowed and there is no pool.
Family hotels on El Camino Real
Dinah's Garden Hotel at 4261 El Camino Real opened in 1957 on what had been an apricot orchard. Milla and Raymond Handley built it with partners as a quiet garden complex rather than an ordinary roadside motel. Their daughter Julie took over management in 2009 and became the owner in 2010, according to the hotel. Ponds, gardens and an outdoor pool fill the grounds. Two restaurants share the property. The Railroad Baron Suite honors Leland Stanford with an electric train that runs around the ceiling. Parking is free.
The Coronet Motel at 2455 El Camino Real is the smallest place on this list, a family-owned, 20-unit motel that bills itself as vintage Americana. It sits a block from California Avenue's restaurants, three blocks from the Caltrain station, with free parking and a seasonal pool.
Between the two, the Creekside Inn at 3400 El Camino Real is larger, with 136 rooms and suites. It earns a place here for its setting: rooms open onto gardens and balconies along Matadero Creek, with a heated pool the hotel says is open year-round.
The Clement: 23 suites, all included
The Clement at 711 El Camino Real opened in March 2016 and has kept a format no other hotel in town uses. Every room is a suite. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, beer, wine, cocktails, valet parking, Wi-Fi and gratuities are part of the rate, according to the hotel. A rooftop pool with cabanas looks out over El Camino Real. The hotel is named for its owner, Clement Chen, whose company also runs the Sheraton and the Westin next door. It is the smallest full-service hotel near campus.
Independent hotels in Menlo Park
Just over the creek, two Menlo Park hotels round out the list. The Stanford Park Hotel at 100 El Camino Real is family owned and part of the Woodside Hotels collection, a small group of independent hotels and restaurants. Its website calls it the only family-owned, locally operated hotel in the area. Expect red brick, fireplaces, a 50-foot heated courtyard pool and free loaner bikes.
About a mile north, the Park James at 1400 El Camino Real is an independent boutique hotel a few blocks from the Menlo Park Caltrain station. Its interiors by Parisa O'Connell Studio nod to Menlo Park's Irish heritage, down to Connemara marble and an event space called the Galway Room. The Oak + Violet restaurant spills onto a large patio under an oak tree.
How to choose
- Want history? The Cardinal, in a 1924 building on a National Register block.
- Want simple and central? Hotel Keen, with breakfast and bikes included.
- Want style downtown? el Prado for a courtyard, Nobu for the restaurant.
- Want everything included? The Clement.
- Want gardens and free parking? Dinah's.
- Want a budget motel by the train? The Coronet.
Small hotels have trade-offs. Rooms vary in size, especially in older buildings. Few have pools or gyms. They fill fast on big weekends, so book early for Stanford commencement, June 10 to 13 in 2027. For a wider downtown picture, read our guide to downtown Palo Alto. For higher-end options, see our luxury hotels guide.
Architecture worth noticing
Several of these hotels are part of what makes downtown look the way it does. The Cardinal and el Prado both draw on the Spanish Colonial Revival style that spread through Palo Alto in the 1920s and 1930s. Our guide to Spanish Colonial Revival architecture explains the style and where to see it. A slow walk down Ramona Street between University and Hamilton avenues, now permanently car-free, shows the best of it.
Good to know
- The Cardinal is the oldest downtown hotel, built in 1924.
- el Prado and the Garden Court Hotel are the same hotel.
- The Clement has just 23 suites, all inclusive.
- The Stanford Park Hotel and the Park James are in Menlo Park.
Small hotels often post their best offers on their own sites, such as multi-night discounts or breakfast packages. Compare those with a booking site before you commit. You can compare downtown Palo Alto hotels on Hotels.com to see several at once.
Frequently asked questions
What is the oldest hotel in Palo Alto?
The Cardinal Hotel at 235 Hamilton Avenue was built in 1924 and is the oldest of downtown's operating hotels. National Register records for the Ramona Street district credit the architect William H. Weeks. It still offers shared-bath rooms alongside private-bath rooms.
Which Palo Alto hotels are independent?
Downtown, the Cardinal Hotel, Hotel Keen and el Prado do not carry a big chain flag. On El Camino Real, Dinah's Garden Hotel, the Creekside Inn and the Coronet Motel are independent. In Menlo Park, the Park James and the family-owned Stanford Park Hotel are too.
What is the best small hotel in downtown Palo Alto?
It depends on what you want. Hotel Keen has 41 compact rooms with breakfast and bikes included near Caltrain. el Prado has 62 rooms around a courtyard. Nobu Hotel Palo Alto has 73 rooms and a famous restaurant. The Cardinal offers 1924 character and shared-bath rooms.
Is el Prado the same as the Garden Court Hotel?
Yes. The hotel at 520 Cowper Street ran as the Garden Court Hotel for decades and reopened as el Prado in 2021 after a redesign by the San Francisco firm NICOLEHOLLIS. It is independent and not part of a chain loyalty program.