A friend and I were planning a short trip to San Luis Obispo and looking for a place to stay a few weeks before our trip. We’d stayed at other Choice Hotels properties on previous trips and had mixed experiences, but this particular hotel received excellent reviews on TripAdvisor, so we decided to book it. Overall, we had an enjoyable experience — our king bed, sofa bed room was clean and spacious; the staff were all helpful throughout the stay; and the complimentary breakfast, pool, and paid barbecue dinner were very nice amenities. We would definitely stay again.
Upon our arrival, we were greeted by an employee at the front desk, who checked us in, gave us details about amenities at the hotel and relevant times and locations, and showed us a map of the hotel. We were given a room on the third floor overlooking the courtyard pool, which made for a nice view. On both the outside and inside, the hotel is nicely maintained; the outside decorations resemble a California mission, and our room was clean and somewhat-recently renovated. The king bed, sofa bed suite we had included two TVs, a DVD player, a rolling divider between the “rooms,” and two sinks. There was a microwave and mini fridge in the room. The full-sized sofa bed folded out easily, and there was an extra sheet provided to serve as a blanket on the sofa bed. The rooms inside are clean, but definitely standard for a mid-range hotel — nothing particularly fancy or upscale, but that suited us just fine.
Both mornings we were staying at the hotel, we took advantage of the complimentary breakfast. Although this hotel serves all the “typical” items, including bagels, bread, cereal, fruit, and yogurt, there was also a made-to-order breakfast station, where a chef served up scrambled eggs and omelettes, waffles, bacon, hash browns, and more. There was plenty of seating both inside and outside in the courtyard, and as hotel breakfasts go, this one was particularly enjoyable. From 5:30 to 7:30 nightly, the hotel also serves made-to-order barbecue meals on the outside courtyard. We enjoyed dinner here one night, and both the quality and value of the food was good. Hamburgers ($5), hot dogs ($2), and steak sandwiches ($10) were available the night we ordered, each of which were prepared in about 10 minutes and which came with a light salad or coleslaw.
It was great to see a lively crowd for dinner at the hotel — other guests were spread around tables outside on the courtyard, some with fire pits. The pool was nicely heated, although our only complaint was how small it was. It seemed to be about 10 feet by 20 feet, which is on the small side, especially for a 175-room property. Still, it made for a nice after-dinner amenity at the hotel. The lobby also includes a small gift shop with snacks and cold beverages, and each time we went to purchase something, the front desk employees were consistently helpful. The manager, Stephanie Tinoco, was particularly friendly and helpful.
The hotel is located in a nice area, surrounded by other local and chain hotels. We had reached San Luis Obispo via Amtrak and didn’t have a car, so we always walked from the hotel to downtown restaurants. It is about an 8-block, 10-minute walk, but it is fairly flat and certainly safe, so we didn’t mind. A local bus runs hourly from across the street to San Luis Obispo’s downtown transit center, but the times were never convenient enough for our trips, so we walked regularly.
Overall, we really enjoyed our stay at the Quality Suites Downtown San Luis Obispo. Our total price came to about $270 per night, which might have been on the high side given the somewhat-last-minute nature of our reservation, but even so, there were enough amenities at the hotel to justify the cost. The helpful staff, variety of amenities, clean room, and walkable location made for a great stay. If you’re in the area and looking for a mid-range hotel with a variety of features, we’d definitely recommend checking out the Quality Suites!
