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San Jose · Hotel shortlist

The best hotels near Santana Row

Gerald Whitfield

Gerald Whitfield The American northeast and Canada

Updated 1 September 2026 · 9 San Jose hotels assessed

These are my five favourites in San Jose, out of the 9 that qualified. I read what other travellers scored them before I picked, so the order follows the guests, 4.3 down to 4.1.

All five are within 2.6 km of Santana Row.

Hotel Valencia Santana Row, Valencia Hotel Collection

Highest rated of the five

Hotel Valencia Santana Row, Valencia Hotel Collection

★★★★★4.3 from 1,716 reviews

Hotel Valencia Santana Row, Valencia Hotel Collection comes out on top of this list, and not narrowly: 4.3 from 1,716 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 4 star property, found under poi and around $1217 a night on the dates we checked.

9 hotels in San Jose qualified for this list and five made it. Studios Inn by Daiwa Living California Inc. is the one I would book if the first is full.

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All five, ranked

  1. Hotel Valencia Santana Row, Valencia Hotel Collection1

    Hotel Valencia Santana Row, Valencia Hotel Collection

    ★★★★★4.3 from 1,716 reviews

    under 200 m from Santana Row

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    • Studios Inn by Daiwa Living California Inc.2

      Studios Inn by Daiwa Living California Inc.

      ★★★★★4.1 from 122 reviews

      400 m from Santana Row, about a 5 minute walk

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      • The Row San Jose, BW Signature Collection3

        The Row San Jose, BW Signature Collection

        ★★★★★4.1 from 896 reviews

        1.0 km from Santana Row, about a 12 minute walk

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        • TownePlace Suites by Marriott San Jose Cupertino4

          TownePlace Suites by Marriott San Jose Cupertino

          ★★★★★4.2 from 380 reviews

          2.1 km from Santana Row

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          • Aloft by Marriott San Jose Cupertino5

            Aloft by Marriott San Jose Cupertino

            ★★★★★4.1 from 654 reviews

            2.6 km from Santana Row

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            How this list was put together

            9 San Jose hotels qualify for this list. We ranked them on guest rating first and on how close they are to Santana Row second, then 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.

            Gerald Whitfield

            Gerald Whitfield The American northeast and Canada

            Volunteers three days a week and travels the rest. Maritime museums and working boatyards in 19 countries, mostly by ferry and train, talking to the shipwrights in every one.

            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.