On the cusp of mediocrity
This is not too bad of a hotel. My reason for rating the hotel this low is that the desk workers were arguing with each other during check-in. And, within its category--budget hotels--there is some strong competition these days.
The main attraction of the hotel is that it sits in a city at the northern end of the Redwood forest and the California coast. And, it is relativley cheap. Otherwise, it is a standard budget hotel, which has not seen much renovation in the past 20 years.
It still has smoking rooms, which we were assigned and which smelled awful. But, there were no bugs to mention. The service was standard (with respect to me, although between employees it appeared pretty terrible). The room was basic.
It lags a bit against modern budget motels, which can be found cheap and renovated. But, in a pinch, this hotel is serviceable.