The Tustin Motor Lodge in Tustin, CA is probably the best deal I've seen in quite a while, especially in Southern California. I had a bad experience there once before, but I decided to give it a shot as a last resort since I was in a bind. The management has changed, and the rooms have been refurnished (dark wood & granite countertops). The price of a basic room with one queen sized bed, a tub in the bathroom, A/C and Heat, with free HBO and ESPN is an astounding $50 a night (after tax). The room was clean, the beds were freshly made, and the staff was always courteous and friendly, and happily accomodated my need for more towels. This motel is close to old town Tustin and right off the I-5 freeway.
As always, I asked for a quiet room in the back, and the manager happily obliged. The motel is quiet, clean, safe and well maintained. I would recommend the Tustin Motor Lodge to anyone who is looking for a good, clean place to stay without spending a ton of money.

Do all motels perpetuate the alleged stereotype as “TACKY” and “RUDE” establishments? Yes, only if you book a room at the Tustin Motor Lodge Motel. Not only is there the challenge of parking into compact-sized space (considered “guest parking”) but one would have to deal with the rude profiling from guest services.
This “opened 24 hour” motel doesn’t require holding reservations, but a booking upon request. In this sense, this is to mean that all available rooms will be ready and clean upon reservation. Unfortunately, there was a “mishap” and we received a room that looked already occupied.

When we entered the unit and it smelled of opened beer and smoked cigarettes.
Next to our honestly advertised color television set were roughly 40 beer bottles. Half were empty in trash bags, and the other half were full scattered all over our bathroom counter. There was a disposable razor on top of the drawers, toe nail clippers, and a used nail file on our dresser drawer. As well as a portable stereo CD player, a stack of CDs labeled in Spanish titles. We found about 20 more CDs in a trash bag in one of the drawers. Obviously, we booked a room that had an ongoing party. We questioned whether did this room was double-booked, and we were scared of encountering them. Since we were already made that the room was already lived in, how would they react to people with another key?

After witnessing this dissatisfaction, we alerted the “self-proclaimed” manager about the condition of the unit and received no help.
“Only leave it inside,” she said. “There was nothing I could do about it ‘my friend,’ she said condescendingly. She directed to me as ‘[her] friend’ I’m sorry have I met you? Her sarcasm was atrocious and the lack of performing guest services was unacceptable for this business. As a manager I would think it to be her responsibility to clean it up and she failed to have it done before we entered the unit.


The condition of the room was adequate quality. There were cigarette burns on the toilet seat and used cigarettes outside our door. Hanging in our closet was a soiled shirt with pictures of beer bottles hanging on a coat hanger covered in grime. The towels, soap, cups, and toilet paper were not sufficient for two bedroom room.


The next day when we complained about the apartment and asked for a refund or partial refund or something since we did not get what we paid for. She would do nothing to appease the situation.

As far as I’m concerned, we did not receive these services that we paid for. This was the WORST motel service I have ever experienced. Personally, I found the beer and cigarettes offensive since I take ill whenever they’re in my presence.

This is by far the worst motel I have experienced. These privately-owned, small businesses will continue to lose competition to chained businesses, like Travel Lode Motel or Motel 6, for not holding descent quality guest and room services.