San Luis Obispo Hotels

Hotel Cerro, a member of Marriott's Autograph Collection, is a luxury, boutique, city center property - along Choro Street right in the middle of downtown, close to numerous shops, restaurants, bars and other attractions. The Marsh Street exit from US 101 is half a mile west. Highlights are a rooftop pool with poolside dining, a spa, a distillery in the lobby, a courtyard veranda, a fitness center and a garden area where edible herbs are grown. The onsite restaurant/bar is open for breakfast, lunch, dinner & drinks.

Generally considered the best hotel in San Luis Obispo, CA, the Courtyard by Marriott has a reputation for style, comfort, service, and reasonable prices. It enjoys a quiet, countryside location 3 miles south of the town center along a side street (Calle Joaquin) close to US 101, and most of the 139 rooms & suites have wide ranging views over the Irish Hills which separate San Luis Obispo from the Pacific Ocean, just 9 miles south. The Spanish-style hotel also offers a restaurant/bar (Courtyard Cafe) serving breakfast & dinner, a convention center, outdoor pool, gardens, whirlpool and hot tub.

The Residence Inn is the more upscale component of a dual-brand Marriott long-stay property (also including the SpringHill Suites), open summer 2025, part of a larger development just south of SLO Promenade Mall, close to US 101, and 2.5 miles south of the city center. Laguna Lake and its adjacent city park are just one mile away. The hotel offers accommodations in two bedroom, one bedroom and studio layouts; all have a full kitchen. Hot breakfast is complimentary. The hotel has an outdoor pool, a fitness center, and meeting space.

The full service Embassy Suites San Luis Obispo adjoins the main shopping area in town (Madonna Plaza), and is opposite a drive in movie theater, but otherwise the surroundings are peaceful and rural - the hotel sits beside US 101, 2 miles south of the city center and 10 miles from the Pacific Ocean at Avila Beach. Central attraction of the hotel is the beautiful atrium lobby, setting for the free hot breakfast and free evening receptions; also available are an indoor pool, fitness center, business center, conference center, and all day dining at the California-style Greenhouse Grill & Cafe. This is an all suite hotel; rooms have a separate living area, executive desk and kitchenette with microwave, refrigerator & coffee maker.

Hilton Hotels are represented in San Luis Obispo by the 84 room/suite Hampton Inn, three miles south of the city center alongside US 101 at the junction with Los Osos Valley Road, which provides a quieter alternative to the highway for visiting the coastal parks of Morro Bay and Montana de Oro. The hotel is quite new, open 2012, and it has a pleasant, semi-rural location, bordered by grassy hills to the west and within sight of higher peaks in most directions. Good quality free hot breakfast is provided and there are several restaurants (and shops) a short walk northwards. An indoor pool, hot tub, fitness center, business center and 990 sq ft meeting room are the other amenities.

The mid range Marriott long-stay brand is represented in San Luis Obispo by the 113 room TownePlace Suites, on the western US 101 frontage road at the Los Osos Valley Road exit, bordering open farmland to the rear yet within walking distance of many shops and restaurants. The city center is 4 miles north along the freeway. All accommodations are suites, complete with full kitchen and plenty of living space. Free breakfast is provided, and the hotel also offers a pool, fitness center and a 708 square foot meeting room.

SpringHill Suites is the more affordable of a pair of extended stay/all-suite Marriott hotels adjacent to SLO Promenade Mall, just off US 101 near the south edge of San Luis Obispo. It features spacious studio suites with microwave, refrigerator and separate living area. Complimentary hot breakfast is prepared each morning, and the onsite restaurant/bar provides evening meals. For recreation the hotel has a fitness center and an outdoor pool. There are plenty of other restaurants in the vicinity, and the natural landscapes of Laguna Lake Park Open Space.

At the corner of Monterey Street and Grand Avenue, the Kinney hotel is right in the middle of San Luis Obispo in a busy area of shops, restaurants and hotels just south of Highway 101, yet within walking distance of fields and woods in the countryside. The hotel provides 100 rooms and suites, contained within quite a substantial three floor building that also holds a health/fitness center, guest laundry and a lobby bar, providing meals and drinks, plus arcade games. Outside is a heated pool and hot tub.

On the southwest approach to San Luis Obispo, the Best Western Royal Oak Motor Hotel has a fine location with the Madonna Plaza Mall on one side and the hills of Laguna Lake Park on the other. The mall has a selection of restaurants and there is one within the hotel (IHOP); other on-site amenities are an outdoor heated pool, spa, guest laundry, plus free continental breakfast. The inn is a 99 room, 2 floor building with most rooms having long distance views over the hills that surround the town. The center of San Luis Obispo lies 2.4 north, along US 101, while the nearest beach is an easy 7 mile drive to the south.

The Quality Suites along Monterey Street offers 138 oversized guest rooms in an extensive 2 floor, all-white building that is surrounded by a line of mature trees and encloses two shady courtyard gardens, one with outdoor heated pool & hot tub. Rooms at the rear back on to the wooded San Luis Obispo Creek, and all the place is quiet, clean, comfortable and friendly. The above average range of facilities includes free evening reception, free hot breakfast, a gift shop, fitness center and complimentary transportation to/from the airport (4 miles south along Route 227).