The airport is actually located south of San Francisco, by Millbrae and San Bruno, so the closest hotels are in those towns if you are doing a search.

There's a Clarion and a Comfort Inn, both in Millbrae about a mile from the airport with shuttle service available. Also, there's a Westin in Millbrae which may be a little pricier. Good luck!

Most of the hotels are in Burlingame and South San Francisco. Since they all have shuttles, those two areas are as close as Millbrae and San Bruno. South San Francisco has the more economical hotels and those in Burlingame are generally the fancier chains - Sheraton, Hyatt, Red Roof. If you have any particular ones in mind let me know, as I am quite familiar with the area.