Review: Staybridge Suites SFO – The Best Airport Hotel

After an enjoyable week seeing Chicago and hanging with friends in Detroit, my son and I managed to snag the upgrade to Delta First Class, landing late at SFO. We’d have to drive home the next day, as it was already after 10:00 PM. My choice of hotel was the Staybridge Suites SFO, an excellent airport hotel pick, and one of the best uses of IHG free night certificates out there.

The one hiccup was that there was no availability for the night we needed. I kept checking back, delaying booking our SFO airport hotel. But eventually, during our second to last day traveling, award rooms opened up, and I was able to snag one! The value for an airport hotel here is insane.

With rooms going for $351 before taxes, you’ll be pushing $400 all-in. This makes using a free night certificate very much worth it. I’d even opt to spend IHG points for this airport hotel, something I’m generally loathe to do. It might seem odd that I’d rather burn a certificate, but I prefer to use anything that is only good for one night for just that. Plus, the Staybridge Suites SFO requires 40,000 IHG points per award night, which is at the maximum value bookable with this certificate.

Arrival at the Staybridge Suites SFO

The Staybridge Suites SFO has a free hotel shuttle that runs routinely. The wait wasn’t bad. Arriving this late, I always call the hotel to check when it will be by next and also let the know which terminal we are at. We arrived at the hotel around 11:00 PM.

When I asked if our room had a sofa bed, the guy at the front desk immediately offered to see if they had any two bedroom suites available. Normally upgrades aren’t offered on IHG award nights, but he was able to accommodate us. We’d get two entirely separate bedrooms in a very large suite. Score!

We spun the wheel they have at check-in to see if you earn any extra points. I spun a big, fat nothing. It was like the only zero slot. Yet he gave me 2,000 points, which was the slot adjacent to it. If gambling was always this forgiving, I might consider it.

The Staybridge Suites SFO hotel consists of multiple structures. There aren’t any elevators, so keep that in mind if you need an accessible room. They have a good number of ground floor rooms, but I also know that some people don’t enjoy those either. 

Two Bedroom Suite

All rooms at the Staybridge Suites SFO are large, offer a kitchen and living room, and are overall an excellent design. I’ve really liked this hotel every time I’ve stayed here. The suite opens into a full living room, enough for a whole family to sit and enjoy watching TV or a movie. The sofa is also an extra bed, in a pinch. The two bedrooms are on either side of the living area.

There is a desk behind the living room area as well, along with a bar/table near the entrance to the kitchen. The one downside of the Staybridge Suites SFO is that most rooms do not offer a true dining table or area.

The first bedroom has a queen bed, with nightstands on each side and a stool.

I like that the hotel has added power banks/charging units to each of the night stands. I do not recall these being here last time I stayed at the hotel. You also get a set of earplugs. More on those later.

Each bedroom has a TV as well, and each is a true suite. You can close the doors completely between the bedrooms and the living area.

The bathrooms are nicely appointed and very clean. This is the bathroom in the queen bedroom.

I like that one of the bathrooms offers a shower, while the other has a tub/shower combo.

The Staybridge Suites SFO has moved away from providing individual amenities, instead providing these three bottles in each shower. This does reduce waste, but I know some guests do not like using the shared bottles that stay in place through many guests.

The second bedroom also features a queen bed. No power banks on the nightstands here, though.

This bedroom had more than just earplugs, including a bag of “Sweet Dreams” tea as well. Given the location of the Staybridge Suites SFO, you are right underneath the flight path of jets taking off from runways 28L and 28R. The widebodies that pass overhead can be quite loud. And there is a whole bank of them that take off during the middle of the night, including Korean Air, Asiana, Cathay Pacific and China Airlines flights.

The second bedroom has both a TV and its own desk. I guess this is the “master” bedroom? It was hard to tell. I preferred the bathroom of the other bedroom.

The bathroom here has a tub/shower combo and is about the same size as the other.

One feature of the Staybridge Suites brand is the full kitchen they offer in all their suites. The brand is analogous to Marriott’s Residence Inn and Hyatt House (both of which I really like as well). With a full size fridge and plenty of counter space, the Staybridge Suites SFO is one of the nicest extended stay hotels I’ve ever stayed at.

The hotel has enough table settings for six people, which is excellent. This hotel would comfortably fit our entire family.

For cooking, the Staybridge Suites SFO offer a stove-top and microwave. You also get a full-size coffeepot.

Finally, the closet is actually a decent size. There is plenty of room to unpack, just maybe not enough hangers. But who unpacks like this on vacation?

Overall, the rooms at the Staybridge Suites SFO are excellent. They have exceeded all expectations every time I have stayed here. This is by far my favorite SFO airport hotel.

Staybridge Suites SFO Breakfast

The breakfast offered by the Staybridge Suites SFO is decent. They have sausage, eggs, waffles, cereal, oatmeal, and a selection of fruit. Oddly, they also have a soda machine, which appeared functional in the morning. 

The hotel isn’t all that large, but I don’t find the breakfast area to be especially spacious, given the potential traffic. There were only two open tables when we went to sit down.

In addition to free breakfast, the hotel offers an evening reception of small bites (or a single, larger dish). This is complimentary as well. We arrived too late to enjoy this, but it is a nice perk if you plan to stay here for an extended time. Can’t beat free breakfast and dinner every day!

Other Hotel Amenities

The Staybridge Suites SFO does have a pool. Given the mild weather in San Francisco, an outdoor pool isn’t especially fun. But when it does warm up, I’m sure it is nice.

The Staybridge Suites also offers “The Pantry”, a place where you can buy an assortment of food and other items. I had to laugh at the fact that their “snacks” rack is grossly mislabeled.

The last thing I want to mention is the proximity to the BART station. It’s an easy walk away. This is yet another feature of the hotel that I appreciate. You can take the shuttle to the hotel from the airport and then catch BART to wherever you’re going. I’ve also previously parked long-term in that BART garage, which is cheaper than airport parking.

Conclusion

The Staybridge Suites SFO tops my list of best SFIA hotels. It is the one I return to most often, and I’ve now used a whopping four IHG free nights at this property. The excellent rooms, great amenities, and location of the hotel combine to make it one of my favorites. Can’t say that about an airport hotel very often! The only detraction is the aircraft noise. But they even give you earplugs for that!