The name says it all. This is a tough one. It's clean but it's old. You don't want to drop any belongings on the floor here. Employees are very friendly and location to USC is great. You can handle this for 1 night. When Radisson is sold out this is the only place within walking distance to USC. I would consider sleeping on my kids dorm room floor next time. Really.

Based on the online photos, I was skeptical of what to expect of a drive-up motel right off a main drag in L.A. But I was pleasantly surprised by the friendly service, the size of the room(much larger than what you'd find at your typical midtown hotel), the close proximity to USC, and the array of food establishments nearby. Compared to the Radisson, this was a much better value, both in terms of the free parking and the room rate that was about $75 less per night. And, as it turned out, the Vagabond is only about two blocks farther from the campus than the Radisson. The only shortcomings I noticed are that the rooms are showing their wear (worn carpet, toilet leaking slightly at the base, need for a new coat of paint on the walls) and that the free breakfast wasn't particularly appealing (glazed donuts and pastries mostly). But with a Grinder restaurant nearby, it wasn't a big deal. Unless you're looking for all the creature comforts of a fancy hotel, the Vagabond was fine for my purposes; I'll definitely stay there again when I come to visit my son at USC.

We came for the USC-UCLA game. We booked the Vagabond in September. The price and location cannot be beat. It is HANDS DOWN superior to the nasty Radisson down the street. It is literally a block off the northern most part of campus. You can park for free and walk to the game. We stayed here last year. The place looked cleaner this year. The rooms are just basic with reasonable furniture and a fairly comfortable bed. NO BUGS. NO SMELLS. The bathroom is also quite basic but there was plenty of hot water. No exhaust vent in the shower area so things get a little steamy. Keep the window open. AC works well. The folks at the front desk were very nice to us. We used the printer to get boarding passes. Coffee in the am was decent. There was some major rave party going on about a block away one evening that literally shook the floors and the walls. This is beyond their control and had nothing to do with the hotel. It was hard to believe that LA allows permits for 40,000 random partiers. But hey, it's LA. Tip: bring ear plugs, then you won't care about any noise. Overall, you should use common sense when running around at night in the area. The hotel does have security (who were quite visible) and security cameras. Tip: Ask for extra towels when you get there because they are a tad small. And with all that steam, you need more drying power. We will be staying here again for sure. The great change over the last year is that the University Gateway apartment complex is now complete and features many decent fast food restaurants and a CVS within a minute walk from the hotel. Things are definitely improving around the whole area. You cannot beat this hotel for a game weekend or any other USC event. It is not posh but it's so worth it not to waste time in the car trying to get to campus from downtown LA (not to mention waiting to get your car out of valet at say, the Biltmore), And you don't have to pay to park on campus which saves time and lots of money on game days.

This Vagabond Inn has one overwhelming asset--it is next to USC and one of only two hotels in the area. This made it our choice for Parents Weekend.What we did not know--and the manager claimed ignorance as well--was that a "rave" was planned at a venue a block away, on two nights of our stay. Outdoors. Incredibly loud, shaking the building. Until 2 a.m. The solution offered by the management was that we could move to another hotel and they would refund those two nights' stay. Oh, right--pack up all our stuff and find another hotel at the last minute, on a busy weekend in LA and miles away from the university and the festivities we were there to attend. We stayed, put on earphones and gritted our teeth. Oh, gosh, almost forgot, they dropped off several sets of earplugs while we were out. On top of that they charged a premium for it being Parents Weekend and supplied as few towels as possible. And there were bugs in the bathrooom. If you can get a really low price or must be near USC, go for it; I will be searching for alternatives next time.