Arriving Geneva in two days after 16 hours travel from Canada and require an overnight stay only. Renting a car and exploring Switzerland for 5 days before returning to Geneva for conference so could spend our first night outside Geneva just as easily. Please - any recommendations for a first night budget hotel - major sleep will be in order. thanks.

If you don't mind crossing the boader to France, Fromule 1, Ferney-Voltaire is only 10 minutes away from the airport. Geneva airport's land cross partly over the French boarder so you see how close it is. The price €29 for a room that accomodates up to 3 persons. F1 is the lowest category of Accor hotel group that includes Sofitel, Novote, etc. If you stay in Swiss side, perhaps you will pay minimum twice this price. Very plain facility but no bad surprise either, I suppose but I have never stayed any of F1 hotels.

http://www.hotelformule1.com/formule...he_hotel.shtml

I'd head to Lausanne or Vevey (about 1 hour along Lac Leman outside Geneva).

The Trente Trois is only 40 USD pp and is halfway between the airport and downtown Geneva.
www.allhotels.com

33 (Le Trente Trois) is actually very close to airport, not at all half the way. You can see the control tower of the airport from there. 1-2 minute drive from airport.

That reminds me there is a budget hotel Etap Suite of Accor group a little closer to city center than 33 on the same street. You might want to consider that one too. A hotel of about one year old, basic accomodation, might cost like CHF90 for a room for two.

Choose a hotel, like Citadine, in Gaillard, France. This way you can park your car for nothing or very little and take a ten minutes ride in a Swiss street car to the heart of Geneve. We have done this many times and it is great. Cheaper, with good food around and at the same time you can take the train as many times a day as you like. Good luck.
Everything is so convinient , and by the way you can fill your car in Switzerland which usually is much cheaper for gas.

Just to clarify, to reach Gaillard, you will have to cross all the city to the other side. Ferney-Volatire I mentioned above is just next-to-the-airport France.