We spent 4 nights in this hotel in a vacation trip for rose parade and rose bowl 2012. Since our arrival which was late due to air traffic and flight cancellations we felt a very bad image of the quality of service in the hotel front desk. The guy who receive people during late nights is always in a bad mood. We confirmed this in several occasions. During our stay we found a problem in the shower and the same guy (lucky me) again barely tried to fix the problem (sink clogged in the shower). I do frequent reviews of restaurants and hotels and obviously cannot rate this hotel more than 1. It is a hotel needing a better customer service and better maintenance.

The price is right at $65 a night and the location is excellent. The Pasadena Royale is an aging hotel that has been recently renovated to improve the bathrooms, carpets, drapes, and furniture. Its location is on Colorado Blvd., near where the annual parade is held, and also close to various shopping areas. The only drawback that we found was that when we showed up recently at 3 pm, the room wasn't ready and we had to wait a half hour. The hotel serves breakfast as part of the $65 rate, which makes it an even better deal for that part of LA.

This location has a hidden beauty, the room above the pool area! This is a HUGE suite like room. It is like a mini studio size... Excellent location. Very close to the METRO stop. Avoid driving around LA to do the tourist thing. Take the metro! I love the Sushi place across the start from this location. The staff at this location has always made me feel welcomed, and have been helpful to suggestions to local attractions and eateries. I have stayed here specifically for the ROOM size and the staff! This is an ideal place to stay when visiting the Pasadena area!

Good stuff - room was spacious, coffee surprisingly good.
Not good stuff - bathroom lights flickered but never came on fully so it was too dark to have a shower safely, hot tap in bath had constant trickle of water that would not turn off, there were two small fridges just on the floor of the living room with a microwave on top of one, furnishings were OK but room looked as if it needed redecoration, breakfast not ready 15 minutes after 6am start time.
This is why I prefer to stay at Holiday Inn Express - you always know what you will get. With Best Westerns being privately owned and managed, you never know if it will be a good or bad experience.