I was in Hollywood last weekend to shoot some video interviews and to cover an event at the Roosevelt Hollywood Hotel. The Rodeway Inn was just a few blocks away and about 1/3 the price of the Roosevelt, so I chose it based on other positive reviews on Trip Advisor.

I have good and bad things to report about the Rodeway Inn. Let’s get the bad out of the way first: my biggest negative is that this place is incredibly noisy! In all fairness, there is nothing they can do about it. It is located right on Sunset Boulevard, which is always busy. At night I became more aware of the constant noise caused by the steady scream of firetruck, ambulance and police sirens. How can there be so many emergencies going on all night long? Top that off with constant helicopters doing something overhead, idiots on motorcycles giving it full throttle to get to the next stop light, big throaty trucks that vibrated my room, cars with stereos so loud I could hear them in my room… well, you get the picture. Don’t expect a nice quiet place to sleep. The shape of the motel may serve to capture and reverberate the road noise.

Continuing on the topic of noise, the walls in this Rodeway Inn are very thin. About 12:30 AM the second night I heard the phone ringing in the room next to me just as I was drifting off to sleep. The guy finally woke up and proceeded to have a long, loud conversation and I could hear every word he said. About an hour and a half later some drunk person was banging on a door nearby, demanding to be let in. Ear plugs are a good idea if you stay here. I really appreciated mine.

After a restless night you can expect either donuts, croissants or other sweet pastries as a main dish, little boxes of mostly sweet cereals, and milk, juice, coffee and fresh fruit for breakfast. On my last day the bananas looked like they had been up all night, too. They set it out once and once it is gone it is gone. It is served in the tiny registration office so you’ll want to take it back to your room.

The walls looked fairly recently painted and there was crown moulding on the ceiling, but the furniture needed replacing. One of my chairs had a big rip in seat.

Now, on to the positives: it is an inexpensive place to stay in Hollywood. There are lots of restaurants and shopping nearby and you are just a couple of blocks away from Hollywood Boulevard where there is always something going on. It does have location going for it.

Be sure to check out Off Broadway Shoe Warehouse just down the block. They must have the world’s largest collection of shoes at discount prices. I bought three pair.

After I checked in I asked to be moved from a tiny king bed room to a double queen room because I needed more space to set up a backdrop and light to shoot some interviews. They were accommodating about the move but charged me $10 more per night for the larger room. I have to say the person checking me in was friendly and helpful.

My bed was comfortable and the maid did a nice job of tidying up every day. It surprised me that the toiletries included trial packages of Breathe Right Strips (maybe to help keep snoring noise down) and even hair goo for men, as well as a travel size tube of toothpaste. I suggest they also include a set of earplugs. They left ample soap and shampoo, but no lotion or conditioner. Towels and washcloths were standard issue.

The bathroom was clean and had a nice size shower/tub. There was plenty of hot water but the water pressure was very low.

My towels and bedding looked clean but they seriously need to clean the carpets. Every time I walked barefoot over the carpet and got into the shower I left dirty foot tracks on the wet tub. I spilled a little milk one day and when I tried to blot it up with a washcloth the washcloth turned black. So, if you have toddlers I’d keep them off the carpet as much as possible.

There is free, fast wi-fi and it is very easy to connect. There is coffee service, a microwave and a small refrigerator in the room. I had to disconnect my refrigerator at night because it became very noisy. The airconditioner worked well and was quiet. The TV is an older CRT model, not a flat screen, but it worked OK. There is a tiny work desk. There is no closet; only an open area to hang your clothes. There is a small swimming pool, but I didn’t try it. They kept it clean.

So there you have it. If you want to visit Hollywood and are on a budget, it is among the least expensive places to stay. They try hard to make it look nice, the maid service is good and the beds are comfortable. You’re within a 5 minute walk of the center of Hollywood Boulevard, have lots of restaurants and shopping nearby. If you just need a place to sleep and can handle the traffic noise, it is a good choice. Just remember to bring earplugs.