OverviewThis hotel is situated within a 10-minute walk of the Santa Cruz Beach, the Beach Flats Park and Garden and the boardwalk area. With the town centre area about 12 minutes away on foot, this property is centrally located for guests looking to walk to area attractions.
This hotel is smoke free and all rooms include free Wi-Fi, free local calls, a TV, a coffeemaker and a hair dryer. Suites provide more spacious accommodations. Family suites offer two separate bedrooms, while the suites with three queen beds also include a kitchenette. The kitchenette is not equipped with utensils or dishes. Accessible rooms are available.
Free parking is available on site and pets are permitted for an additional fee of $25 per night.
Free coffee, juice and pastries are served in the morning from 7 am to 9:30 am. This hotel does not have an on-site restaurant.
Other on-site amenities include an indoor pool, a hot tub and guest copy/fax service.
*At the time this editorial was written, the hotel was embarking on renovations to re-brand the hotel as an Econolodge. Renovations in the breakfast area and lobby were due to be completed at the end of December 2013, while room renovations were due to be completed in January or February 2013.*
The Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium and the Museum of Art and History are both 15 minutes away on foot, while Neary Lagoon Park is about a 17-minute walk away.
The Lighthouse Field State Beach and Dog Beach are both about 7 minutes away by car, while UC Santa Cruz is about a 10-minute drive away. The Watsonville Municipal Airport (ARC) is about 25 minutes away by car. (All walking and driving time estimates: Google Maps)
Verified by a front desk agent on December 3, 2013: Hours of the free coffee and pastries, pet fees, accessible room availability, Econolodge re-branding and renovation schedule.
The GoodAmong the reviews used for this analysis, many guests found the location convenient for accessing the beach on foot.
Several guests thought that the room rates were reasonable.
There were mixed reviews for the customer service (see below), however, several guests said that the front desk agents they encountered were friendly and efficient.
While many reviewers were disappointed with the quality of their rooms (see below for more details), a few guests thought that their rooms were clean and generally comfortable.
The Bad
As mentioned above, many guests were disappointed with the quality of their rooms, among the reviews sourced for this editorial. However, as stated above, this hotel was beginning renovations to re-brand the hotel as an Econolodge property at the time this editorial was written. Some of the concerns regarding rooms may be addressed by the renovations.
Many guests said that their rooms did not meet their cleanliness expectations, while many other reviewers agreed that their rooms were dated. Guests specifically mentioned that the flooring, paint, fixtures, furniture and appliances were in need of upgrades. A couple of reviewers said that their bathrooms were half painted and one guest said, "it looked like someone had gotten distracted and didn't finish." A couple of guests mentioned an unpleasant smell in their rooms.
Several reviewers complained about being disturbed by TV noise and guests partying in neighbouring rooms. A few guests complained that their rooms were not equipped with a mini-fridge, a microwave or air conditioning, while a couple of reviewers said that the in-room phones were not working.
While some guests praised the staff, a few reviewers thought that the front desk agents they dealt with were unfriendly. A few guests complained about being assigned a room that was already occupied or complained about other guests coming into their room because the front desk issued them the wrong room keys.
Expedia.ca gave this hotel an average score of 2.4 out of 5, with 52% of 429 guests recommending the property.
TripAdvisor.ca ranked this hotel #48 out of 52 hotels in Santa Cruz, with an average score of 1.5 out of 5, from 75 reviews.
The author called the hotel on December 3, 2013 to verify some information.
