Inexpensive and convenient, decent accomodations
I've stayed at the SF Holiday Inn Airport North many times now. The front desk staff is generally efficient, helpful, friendly, and accomodating. I have never had a problem with a 'lost' reservation or any problems checking in, although my room preference (1 or 2 beds, non-smoking) are not always given attention, so I did have to change rooms once (I now make sure to confirm the room setup during check-in).
The rooms are decent, functional, and seem to generally be clean.
My only request is that they get better mattresses, as the beds are the least comfortable of any hotel that I have stayed in recently (very little padding on the surface of the mattress, making them feel hard).
They recently (as of Q1 2005) made their Ethernet Internet access free in all rooms, which I very much appreciate. Just bring an Ethernet cable with your laptop, and the free Internet access works great. I was previously very reluctant to pay the daily fee when I only spent perhaps 15 minutes online each night. This service is a very welcome addition and gives this Holiday Inn several bonus points from me.
The hotel is literally 50 feet from the South San Fran Conference Center, and has a free shuttle from SFO that runs every 30 minutes.
The in-hotel restaurant is decent, but the menu is somewhat limited, and not surprisingly a bit overpriced. There are a few restaurants within walking distance (IHOP, Hungry Hunter, Sheraton Four Points restaurant), and numerous very good restaurants within a 5-10 minute drive (Chinese, Mexican, Italian, Thai).
If you aren't pretentious about hotel rooms, the Holiday Inn Airport North is a very good deal. The Sheraton Four Points North across the street is noticeably nicer, but is anywhere from $30 - $50 more per night, or about 40% - 60% more expensive than the Holiday Inn.
Happy Traveling!