This a not a bad hotel for a short stay, but putting aside its age and design things they can't change it still could be better if they made a little more effort.

On the good side is the great location only blocks from the Pier and 3rd St. Promenade. The price is likely the lowest you'll find in the area without going inland and over to the other side of the 10. It seemed to attract a lot of international tourists.

There is a 'very' basic continental breakfast (think coffee and sticky buns) provided in the lobby (no coffee pot in room). .(tip -Right next door (turn right) is an excellent place for breakfast). You also get a free new paper (USA today)

The rooms are a basic square shape, not large. The inner rooms (which we had) over look the hollow center of the the building which houses various vintage HVAC infrastructure. This is not uncommon in older building in the region, but it can be a little noisy and not much of a view, I suggest seeking higher floor rooms. The bathroom was clean and the paint seemed reasonably fresh, albeit I'd say it was a dozen coats think over a stucco finish. A small flat screen TV and reasonable furniture are provided plus the bed was comfortable.

On the down side, in our room the electrical outlets were well past their service life and desperately need replacing (good thing there is no coffee pot!) and the shower head provided is an ultra low flow unit, think drinking straw. If you require a hair dryer you need to sign one out from the front desk (call and they'll bring it up and you sign for it), then fight with the plug hole. There is a medieval A/C unit in the wall that is both loud and erratic, fortunately the window does open, plus there is a ceiling fan (putting A/C on low and fan on low/med. worked well at night).

It is evident that they are trying to keep the place up but at a minimal investment. The corridors had relatively new carpet, but it clearly had been overlaid onto the older carpet...(short cut, might explain slight dank smell in places) and the main stairs carpet could do with a good cleaning. The elevator is quite small but seems to work fine. Parking is offsite valet. The lobby is not large but has a bit of that nice old world hotel feel with a few table sets and chairs to eat or wait at.

Front desk staff where businesslike helpful but not bubbly; cleaning staff where friendly.

Would I stay here again?.. yes, for a few days at most, the price and location can't be beaten, which puts up the value score.. it wasn't too bad... hopefully they'll change out the plug holes.. and maybe I'll bring my own shower head next time... :-)

In the 3 weeks we travelled the USA in October, this Hotel was our most expensive and most dissapointing. It's in a great location, hence the only reason this Hotel can charge what they do. The room we had on the third floor had a funny smell, in fact the whole Hotel did but it was part of it's quaintness I guess. No air conditioning, just a ceiling fan, no view at all and very small. But the water pressure in the shower was good (always a bonus for me) The Staff were friendly and accommodating which made up for the rest. Breakfast was definitely unusual in the fact it was in the Hotel Reception area and very cramped. It's a lovely area to visit but definately overpriced. I do know it was the cheapest Hotel for that area and location and we only stayed one night so not a big deal.

Hotel is a short walk to Santa Monica Pier, beach, shops/shopping malls/cinema and restaurants/cafes.
Didn't try the continental breakfast as I wasn't into the pastries or instant coffee.
Staff were generally friendly and helpful. Doorman may have assisted with bags ... if I asked.
Hotel is old but good price for its location, and really just needed somewhere to securely put my luggage and sleep.

We stayed here for four nights in September 2012. The person that checked us in was not very friendly or helpful, the main light in our room did not work and was not fixed while we were there, even though we told the front desk twice about this defect. Also the fan had a mind of its own it would turn off for no reason. The room was of an acceptable standard but the location was the standout of this hotel, one block from the Santa Monica Pier, one block from 3rd street mall and across the street from a shopping centre