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Long Beach · Hotel shortlist

3 star hotels downtown in Long Beach

Sofia Marchetti

Sofia Marchetti Italy

Updated 1 September 2026 · 20 Long Beach hotels assessed

These are my five favourites in Long Beach, out of the 20 that qualified. I read what other travellers scored them before I picked, so the order follows the guests, 4.7 down to 4.4.

Hotel Mai Downtown Long Beach is the one I would book myself.

Hotel Mai Downtown Long Beach

Highest rated of the five

Hotel Mai Downtown Long Beach

★★★★★4.7 from 426 reviews

Hotel Mai Downtown Long Beach comes out on top of this list, and not narrowly: 4.7 from 426 guest reviews is a score that holds up at that volume, which is the whole test here. A perfect ten from nine people does not beat it.

It is a 3 star property, found under city centre and around $119 a night on the dates we checked.

20 hotels in Long Beach qualified for this list and five made it. The Queen Mary is the one I would book if the first is full.

Why it works for this trip

  • Spatreatment rooms on site, no booking a taxi for it
  • Air conditioningthe one that decides a summer trip
  • Restaurantdinner downstairs on the night you land
  • Kitchenettebreakfast on your own schedule
  • Gymopen to guests, not a partner pass down the road

Check rates Read more

All five, ranked

  1. Hotel Mai Downtown Long Beach1

    Hotel Mai Downtown Long Beach

    ★★★★★4.7 from 426 reviews

    • Spa
    • Gym
    • Restaurant
    • Parking
    • Kitchen
    • Air conditioning

    Check rates Read more

  2. The Queen Mary2

    The Queen Mary

    ★★★★★4.4 from 28,738 reviews

    • Gym
    • Restaurant
    • Bar
    • Parking
    • Pet friendly
    • Kid friendly

    Check rates Read more

  3. Hampton Inn Long Beach Airport3

    Hampton Inn Long Beach Airport

    ★★★★★4.4 from 1,002 reviews

    • Pool
    • Gym
    • Parking
    • Pet friendly
    • Kid friendly
    • Air conditioning

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  4. The Cove Hotel4

    The Cove Hotel

    ★★★★★4.4 from 875 reviews

    • Pool
    • Spa
    • Restaurant
    • Bar
    • Parking
    • Kid friendly

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  5. Homewood Suites by Hilton Long Beach Airport5

    Homewood Suites by Hilton Long Beach Airport

    ★★★★★4.4 from 709 reviews

    • Pool
    • Gym
    • Parking
    • Kitchen
    • Pet friendly
    • Kid friendly

    Check rates Read more

How this list was put together

20 Long Beach hotels qualify for this list. We ranked them on guest rating, then on class, and took the top five.

Two things decide these lists. The first is my own time in the city: every hotel on this page is one I have stayed in, walked into and looked at, or gone back to check. That is where the shortlist starts, and it is why some well reviewed places are not on it.

The second is the numbers, and those are what set the order. The rating and review count come from the big travel sites, pooled through Google, so a score here reflects Expedia, Booking, Hotels.com and the rest together rather than any one of them. I also read the review breakdown by topic, which is where the figures on service, breakfast and location come from. Hotels with fewer than forty reviews are left out altogether, because a rating that thin is not a rating. No more than two come from one neighbourhood.

What I do not do is move anyone up the order. The ranking is the guest score, highest first, and nobody pays to be on the list.

Distances are straight lines from published coordinates, so the real walk is a little longer. Amenities are as recorded by Google Hotels and can change without notice. Rates are an indicative nightly figure for a midweek autumn stay, not a quote. Check the booking page before you commit.

Sofia Marchetti

Sofia Marchetti Italy

Refuses to fly anywhere reachable by rail. Four sleeper-train crossings of Europe, a collection of old transit maps, and building sketches drawn from carriage windows.

Trip Grapevine earns a commission on bookings made through the links on this page. It costs you nothing, and it does not change the order of the list, which is set by the measurements above.