South America - Quito: best lodging choice for overnight stay?

I'm transiting from the Galapagos with my family and, due to the AA award travel rules, we are not allowed to stay in Quito for more than 24 hours. So this means I arrive at 4 pm and leave at 10 am the next day. My wife and I have been to Quito before (brief stays all more than a decade ago on our way to the mountain villages), but this is the first time my kids will ever be in Quito. Obviously, they're not going to see a lot!

Given our extremely limited time in town, where's the best area for us to stay? My ancient recollection is that downtown can be interesting, but also a little sketchy at night -- which is basically the time that we would be there. It seems like there are also some hotels closer to the airport in the newer district (most famously, the Marriott).

Realistically, I think all we can do is get a decent dinner and (perhaps?) do a tiny bit of walking around/shopping. Which area should we stay in?

Thanks.

My advice would be to stay at a hotel based on a cost/benefit analysis ie price versus frequent guest benefits.
With a 4pm arrival/10pm departure you are realistically arriving at your hotel at 5-6pm (sunset) and departing the hotel at 8am which isn't going to give you daylight/security assured touring opportunities, although renting a cab for a couple of hours to visit the old city perhaps including dinner at the Theatrum Restaurant (if still operating) which has very good food/service http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g294308-d780870-Reviews-Theatrum-Quito.html . It is located in the old city on the 2nd floor of the historic Teatro Sucre.might be able to do a ride on the Teleferico prior to dinner for a good view of Quito by night, although an early morning on the way to the airport trip if it operates at that hour would provide a much better view of the surrounding volcanoes.
In terms of hotels -ease of access to the airport is paramount for such a short stay. The Sheraton offers a free shuttle best to email the hotel with flight details and they will have a meet and greet for you at the airport.They also have a good selection of restaurants close by. The Holiday in Express is a bit closer and more basic but perfectly OK.The Radisson is closer to the commercial/tourist precinct around Amazon/Colon and if available on F+F rates is a bargain.The Hilton is right on Amazonas but for the hours you are there offers no real benefits over the other hotels as it is really a daytime wandering area.

Thanks, quebec. I've got a few months to ponder it further, but I went ahead and held the HIX for 15000 points/room. It must be a nice HIX, because it's almost as expensive as the JW Marriott :eek:, and does get excellent reviews on tripadvisor. They also have a free airport shuttle, and that seems useful for my short stay. The HIX breakfast in Quito is apparently quite good, too, which would also be a plus (and I don't have to wonder whether they'll comp it for me).

You've confirmed my hunch that staying in the old city probably doesn't make much sense given our schedule. I did check out that Theatrum link and will definitely consider dinner there.

I will keep an eye out for any great deals at the chain hotels, as there are obviously a lot of choices, and the HIX doesn't immediately standout as the obvious choice (as opposed to in Guayaquil, where the Sheraton at C&P seems like a no-brainer for a short stay). Without points, in Quito, I would probably stay at one of the decent local places (as I have in the past), which seem to provide better value for money, and are easy to compare thanks to the tripadvisor reviews.

I would email the HIX to get details of their airport shuttle - I seem to recall that it was quite limited. I think it had scheduled runs in the am which should be OK for your airport return but can't remember what the airport pick-up situation was.
The hotel is perfectly fine, nothing luxurious and I wouldn't necessarily wax lyrical about the breakfast although I am always impressed by those machines that you throw whole oranges in and they squeeze out the juice.

I would email the HIX to get details of their airport shuttle - I seem to recall that it was quite limited. I think it had scheduled runs in the am which should be OK for your airport return but can't remember what the airport pick-up situation was.
The hotel is perfectly fine, nothing luxurious and I wouldn't necessarily wax lyrical about the breakfast although I am always impressed by those machines that you throw whole oranges in and they squeeze out the juice.

Thanks. Yeah, I recall that cab fares aren't expensive in Quito so shuttle buses aren't essential. But if I could arrange one conveniently, it would seem like the best option.

And it does seem like on tripadvisor folks consistently overstate the quality of free hotel breakfasts. Many times, I've had a completely "blah" Choice hotel free breakfast and, from reading the tripadvisor reviews, you'd think there was a chef in the lobby preparing crepes or something. Given this experience, I'm not surprised that folks are waxing lyrically about the Quito HIX juice machine! :)