First the positives, the inside of the rooms is amazing. Looks like it was probably a top of the line hotel 20 years ago. The rooms are very large, especially for the price, and are very well decorated. The front desk help was also very courteous and helpful. Unfortunately, the prices are low for a reason. First of all, the area is not very good at all. Not that Los Angeles has lots of nice areas but this certainly isn't one of them. It does, however, put you within a couple miles of downtown (Staples Center, Convention Center, USC, etc). As I was checking in, the man who had checked in right before me came back immediately to report that the door of his hotel room was wide open and hadn't been cleaned. As I checked into my room, I found that my room hadn't been cleaned either. I waited about 30 minutes for the room to be cleaned, which was inconvenient but something I have grown used to while traveling. Upon entering, I noticed the room smelled very strange. As I walked into the bathroom, I was greeted with an extremely strong smell of marijuana. I then noticed several ashtrays throughout the room, which was strange since the room was clearly marked as non-smoking. Since the hotel had no other clean rooms available, the hotel clerk offered to let me view any of the other vacant rooms and the maids would clean whichever one I chose. I wasn't interested in waiting another half hour for a room that I felt would most likely have the same problems, so I left for a new hotel.
I feel bad since the staff was so polite and courteous, there is just really not a whole lot that can be done with this hotel, which will probably soon turn residential. If you have a small travel budget and you are firm about having a nice large room and don't care what comes along with it, this place is a steal, but I would strongly recommend spending the $30 for someplace more livable.