Generally considered the best hotel in San Luis Obispo, CA, the Courtyard by Marriott opened in the summer of 2007 and has quickly gained a reputation for style, comfort, service, and reasonable prices. It has a quiet, countryside location 3 miles south of the town center along a side street (Calle Joaquin Rd) 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.

At the corner of Monterey St and Grand Ave, the AAA 3-diamond rated Holiday Inn Express 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 & suites, in quite a substantial 3 floor building that also contains a health/fitness center, newsstand, guest laundry and dining area for free continental breakfast. Outside is a heated pool and hot tub. The nearest restaurant is a seafood place right next door, adjoining the lobby.

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.

Best Western Somerset Manor is part of a long line of hotels along Monterey St through the center of San Luis Obispo. One block south of US 101, the inn is within a mile of most sites in town including California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly), Santa Rosa Park and the Old Mission. The 39 clean rooms (on 2 floors) are in 2 blocks, facing each other across the parking area, many with views south towards the rolling foothills of the Santa Lucia Range. The familiar free continental breakfast is served; for other meals there are 3 diners adjacent - a deli, a steak house and a seafood restaurant. For relaxation the hotel offers an outdoor pool and hot tub.

Comfort Inn Lamplighter provides clean, spacious lodging in downtown San Luis Obispo. The main accommodation block has 3 floors, with many of the rooms overlooking a central courtyard and outdoor pool; some have a private balcony. The inn is situated on the north side of Monterey Street, the main road through town, and is less than a mile from a good selection of shops & restaurants. Cal Poly is a few blocks to the north, on the other side of US 101. Other amenities at the hotel include free continental breakfast and an exercise room.

Directly opposite the Comfort Inn, the Quality Suites at 1631 Monterey St offers 138 large suites 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 & friendly. The above average range of facilities includes free evening reception, free hot breakfast, a gift shop, fitness center and free shuttle from the airport (4 miles south along Route 227).

Once an independent motel, this small, 2 floor, exterior corridor building was acquired by the Rodeway Inn chain in 2008, and now offers simple, clean, budget lodging at the center of San Luis Obispo, CA. All 27 rooms contain a microwave & refrigerator, and some have a balcony; the only other amenity is free coffee and pastries. The inn has a fairly quiet location along a short side road next to a wooded creek, just off Highway 101 and close to various shops & restaurants.