Pre-Galápagos Hotels · Quito
Twelve hotels for the night before, scored on what they publish, not on reviews. Three print a free shuttle on their brand pages, two of them at the airport; the six in the city are a long drive away. One brand page puts breakfast in the rate.
Three taps and we’ll show your three picks.
Change any answer and the picks change with it. They’re built from the same published facts as the ranking below. No hotel pays for a place here. Booking.com links earn us a commission, and they don’t change the order.
Matching weighs your answers against each hotel’s published shuttle, parking, breakfast, pool, kitchen and pet policies.
Five answers, and the page builds the whole thing: the hotel, the ride in, the ride to the airport, what happens to the car, what time to leave, and how you get home. Every figure is one the hotel, its brand, the line or a named report publishes, or a straight-line distance between our own map pins. Where nobody publishes a number, you’ll see that instead of a guess.
There’s no long-stay parking to price here, so the plan assumes you fly in.
Who’s coming and the mood come from Your Match; the plan uses the same answers.
There are no partner links inside this planner. It’s built only from what the Galápagos park and governing council, the lines, each hotel or its named listing, and the news reports we name publish. Every price is in US dollars.
Wyndham and Holiday Inn tie on 67, each with a free shuttle, a pool, a spa and a gym on its brand page; Wyndham ranks first on distance by our pins, which are rough. Rincón de Puembo is a point behind in third, with free breakfast, a free 24-hour shuttle and a heated pool, per Best Western.
Narrow the twelve by what your night needs. Save the ones you like. Tick up to three to compare side by side — the order is ours, the shortlist is yours.
Why twelve? We checked fourteen and left two out — they’re at the bottom of the page.
Add your flight date and the links open on the night before.
Booking.com links are affiliate links: Seabound Journeys may earn a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you. It doesn't change our rankings, which come only from what each hotel publishes. Affiliate disclosure.
All 12 hotels
At the airport, with a free 24-hour shuttle, a pool, a spa and a gym on its own brand page.
At the airport, with a free shuttle you reserve ahead, an outdoor heated pool and pets allowed, per IHG.
Gardens and a heated pool in Puembo, with free breakfast and a free 24-hour shuttle on Best Western’s own page.
A 31-room mansion on Plaza San Francisco with a restaurant, a rooftop terrace and an airport transfer it arranges.
A Tababela hotel with a free shuttle, a pool and a spa on its Hotels.com listing; only distance scores.
A 19-room Tababela hotel with a US$8 shuttle and extended parking on its listing; only distance scores.
A 17-room hostería in Tababela with a pool, quad rooms and a US$5 shuttle on its listing; only distance scores.
Five restaurants, an outdoor pool and the Zumay spa in La Mariscal, about 37 km from UIO by road, per Marriott.
Amrita Spa, a pool, four places to eat and executive apartments, about 45 minutes from UIO by its own count.
A rooftop pool, a sauna and free parking on Amazonas; breakfast is a rate option, per Accor.
A design hotel in the old town with Bistro 626, about 42 km from UIO by road, per Marriott.
Fifteen suites on Quito’s main square, with a restaurant and Bar 1936 downstairs.
Booking.com lists airport taxis you can book ahead. Check the pickup point, the price and the cancellation terms before you book.
Booking.com links are affiliate links: Seabound Journeys may earn a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you. It doesn’t change what we recommend. Affiliate disclosure.
Pick how you’re arriving. The board counts what each hotel publishes, the table lights up that column, and the cards below are the rides from the airport.
Diario Expreso (June 2025) puts an airport taxi at about US$25 to 30 and a private car at about US$15 to 20; buses to the city terminals cost US$2. Wyndham, Holiday Inn and Rincón de Puembo list free shuttles on their brand pages; three Tababela hotels list shuttles only on Hotels.com.
Quito Airport · at Tababela, about 18 km east of the city in a straight line
Per Diario Expreso (June 2025); the fare depends on where you’re going.
To the Río Coca and Quitumbe terminals, per Diario Expreso; the Río Coca route now reaches El Labrador station, per Vistazo.
Celebrity meets 10-night-plus cruisetour guests at the airport and transfers them to the hotel.
Driving? JW Marriott prints US$35 a week for self-parking, unconfirmed for a car left during the trip, and several hotels list parking for the night, so see the parking note below.
| Hotel | To the airport | While you’re away | From UIO |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free 24-hour shuttle | Long-stay parking unconfirmed | Free shuttle, 24 hours | |
Mariscal Sucre International Airport (UIO)The brand page lists free 24-hour transportation. Hotels.com says to contact the hotel with your arrival details before you travel. To the airportWyndham lists free 24-hour transportation to the airport. Hotels.com says it runs every 30 minutes and asks you to send your arrival details ahead. Ride it over for the TCT counter and the bag check. | |||
| Free shuttle, book ahead | Long-stay parking unconfirmed | Free shuttle, reserve it | |
Mariscal Sucre International Airport (UIO)IHG lists a complimentary shared airport shuttle, subject to availability and a prior reservation. To the airportIHG lists a complimentary airport shuttle, shared and subject to availability, with a prior reservation. Book it when you book the room, and ride it to the TCT counter. | |||
| Free 24-hour shuttle | Long-stay parking unconfirmed | Free shuttle, 24 hours | |
Mariscal Sucre International Airport (UIO)Best Western lists a complimentary shuttle, available 24 hours. Hotels.com says it’s about 30 minutes by car. To the airportBest Western lists a complimentary shuttle, available 24 hours. Hotels.com puts UIO about 30 minutes away by car. Tell the hotel your flight time when you book. | |||
| Transfer offered, no price | Long-stay parking unconfirmed | Transfer offered, no price | |
Mariscal Sucre International Airport (UIO)The hotel offers airport transfers but publishes no price. Its blog puts a taxi at about US$25 and the drive at about an hour. To the airportCasa Gangotena says it offers airport transfers, without a price. Its own blog puts the airport about an hour away and a taxi at about US$25. Leave early for the counters. | |||
| Shuttle per a listing | Long-stay parking unconfirmed | Free shuttle, per a listing | |
Mariscal Sucre International Airport (UIO)Hotels.com lists a free 24-hour shuttle on request; contact the hotel at least 24 hours before you land. To the airportHotels.com lists a free 24-hour airport shuttle on request, with 24 hours’ notice. We couldn’t confirm it with the hotel, so it doesn’t score. | |||
| US$8 shuttle, per a listing | Long-stay parking unconfirmed | US$8 a car, per a listing | |
Mariscal Sucre International Airport (UIO)Hotels.com lists an airport shuttle at about US$8 per vehicle one way, on request 24 hours a day. To the airportHotels.com lists a shuttle at about US$8 per vehicle each way, on request around the clock, and puts UIO about 16 minutes away. It’s a listing, so it doesn’t score. | |||
| US$5 a head, per a listing | Long-stay parking unconfirmed | US$5 a head, per a listing | |
Mariscal Sucre International Airport (UIO)Hotels.com lists an airport shuttle at about US$5 per person one way, requested in advance. To the airportHotels.com lists an airport shuttle at about US$5 per person each way, booked ahead, and puts UIO about 14 minutes away. It’s a listing, so it doesn’t score. | |||
| No shuttle, per Marriott | Long-stay parking unconfirmed | Third-party transfer | |
Mariscal Sucre International Airport (UIO)No hotel shuttle, per Marriott; transfers through Tours Milenium, with no price. Diario Expreso puts an airport taxi at about US$25 to 30. To the airportThe hotel doesn’t run a shuttle; Marriott says transfers are available through Tours Milenium, with no price. Marriott puts the airport 37 km away. Celebrity uses it for the post-cruise night on its Flora cruisetours. | |||
| Shuttle not stated | Long-stay parking unconfirmed | Not stated | |
Mariscal Sucre International Airport (UIO)No airport shuttle is listed. Diario Expreso puts an airport taxi at about US$25 to 30, and Casa Gangotena puts the drive at about an hour. To the airportNo airport transfer is listed. Swissôtel says the airport is “just 45 minutes” away; Diario Expreso puts a taxi at about US$25 to 30. | |||
| Shuttle not stated | Long-stay parking unconfirmed | Paid service, no price | |
Mariscal Sucre International Airport (UIO)Accor lists a paid transport service with no price. Diario Expreso puts an airport taxi at about US$25 to 30. To the airportAccor lists a paid transport service with no price. It puts the airport 13 km and about 25 minutes away, which is far shorter than the other sources we read — plan on 40 minutes to an hour. | |||
| No shuttle, per Marriott | Long-stay parking unconfirmed | No shuttle | |
Mariscal Sucre International Airport (UIO)No shuttle, per Marriott. Diario Expreso puts an airport taxi at about US$25 to 30. To the airportCarlota says it doesn’t run a shuttle, and Marriott puts the airport about 42 km away. Book a taxi; Diario Expreso puts one at about US$25 to 30. | |||
| Shuttle not stated | Long-stay parking unconfirmed | Not stated | |
Mariscal Sucre International Airport (UIO)No airport shuttle is listed. Diario Expreso puts an airport taxi at about US$25 to 30, and Casa Gangotena puts the drive at about an hour. To the airportNo airport transfer is listed. The airport is a long drive from the old town: Casa Gangotena, a few blocks away, puts it at about an hour. Book a taxi. | |||
Every distance ends at Wikipedia’s airport coordinate, not the terminal door, and every one is a straight line between our own map pins. Most hotel pins are our estimates from street addresses, so treat the order inside a kilometre or two as rough.
No hotel here is a walk to the terminal. The city hotels are roughly twice as far by road as the straight line suggests, per their own brand pages.
Five things make a night before easy or hard. In Quito the “ship” is the UIO domestic departures area, because the morning task is the Galápagos flight. Points come only from the hotel’s own site or its brand’s. Where we couldn’t read the hotel’s own site, we show what Hotels.com says, attributed, and it scores zero.
Silence scores zero, not a guess. Booking sites and other listings don’t count toward the score, even where we show what they say — and a shuttle counts only when the hotel or its brand prints it.
By band, from UIO: by the terminal, to about 3 km in a straight line, 30; Tababela and Puembo, to about 9 km, 22; the city 6. The city hotels carry a road-time label, because the road is roughly twice the straight line.
A transfer the hotel runs or arranges, with a published price, 25. A ride only inside a package 20. The hotel’s own ride with no published fare 15. A walk the hotel itself prints at half a mile or less 15. Wyndham, Holiday Inn and Rincón de Puembo score 25 for a free shuttle on their brand pages. Casa Gangotena scores 15 for an airport transfer it offers without a price. Shuttles that appear only on Hotels.com don’t score.
A published rate to leave the car at the hotel while you’re in the islands 20; offered, but unpriced or not guaranteed, 14. Day rates in a public garage don’t count. No hotel scores here — JW Marriott prints a weekly parking rate, but nothing says it’s for guests away in the islands, and Springhills’s extended parking comes from a listing.
A breakfast the hotel says is included scores 10. Only Rincón de Puembo’s brand page lists free breakfast. Wyndham, Springhills and San Carlos list free breakfast on Hotels.com, which doesn’t score.
Pool 3, food or a bar on site 3, a kitchen in the room 3, a sauna or spa 3, a gym 3. Wyndham, Holiday Inn, JW Marriott, Swissôtel and Mercure Alameda each take 12 of the 15 from their own pages. EB’s pool and spa come from a listing, so they don’t count.
Ties are broken in order: any published parking while you’re away, any stated ride to the airport, free breakfast, then the shorter straight-line distance to UIO domestic departures. Wyndham and Holiday Inn both score 67; Wyndham ranks higher on distance, about 2.2 km from the airport pin against 2.4 km. EB, Springhills and San Carlos tie on 22 and fall in order of distance; so do the three on 18 and the two on 9.
What’s left out is deliberate. Room rates move by the day, so they aren’t scored, and review scores neither. Distances are straight lines between our own map pins, not routed walks or drives, and we say so wherever they appear.
JW Marriott prints a US$35 weekly self-parking rate; ask whether it covers a car left while you’re in the islands. If you’re driving to Quito anyway, ask the hotel before you plan on it.
Why there’s no calculator. The one weekly rate we found, JW Marriott’s US$35, doesn’t say it’s for a car left while you’re away, and no other hotel or brand page prints one, so there’s nothing solid to feed a calculator.
What to plan instead. The bags. Ecoventura points to Avianca’s rules for the island flight, and the ABG bag check comes before check-in. Pack the fruit and the seeds out of the case before you leave the hotel.
We checked fourteen and ranked twelve. The two we left out:
| Hotel | Why it isn’t ranked |
|---|---|
| Quito Eco Lodge Airport B&B | A Tababela B&B we saw on Booking.com. Its listing page wouldn’t load for us and we found no own site, so we left it out rather than score it on guesswork. |
| Hilton Colón Quito | Our searches turned up only listings and meeting directories, not a Hilton page, so we couldn’t confirm it trades under that name today. |
UIO is about 18 km east of the city in a straight line, and about an hour from the old town by road. The airport hotels are the simplest night before an early Galápagos flight.
On a cruisetour? Check whether the Quito nights are already in your package: Celebrity includes two before its 10-night-plus trips. The Getting There table shows what each hotel publishes, and the airport page has the morning check.
Tours, tickets and things to do are on Booking.com. Book the day before, not flight day.
Booking.com links are affiliate links: Seabound Journeys may earn a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you. It doesn’t change what we recommend. Affiliate disclosure.
On our scoring, Wyndham Quito Airport, tied on 67 with Holiday Inn Quito Airport. Both list a free airport shuttle, a pool, a spa and a gym on their brand pages.
Wyndham, Holiday Inn and Rincón de Puembo, per their brand pages. EB lists a free shuttle on Hotels.com, unconfirmed by the hotel.
Of the brand and hotel pages we read, only Rincón de Puembo lists free breakfast. Several others list it on Hotels.com.
Before an early flight, by the airport. The old town is about an hour away by road, per Casa Gangotena. Spend a free day in the city earlier in the trip.
Celebrity’s Flora Inner Loop puts guests at the JW Marriott Quito for the post-cruise night, per its itinerary.
Holiday Inn Quito Airport, per IHG: dogs and cats with a US$200 refundable deposit.
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