Name: Quality Inn Santa Cruz Downtown Area
Address: 1101 Ocean Street, Westside Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, United States of America, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz County, US
Price range: $86–$270 per night
Rating: 7.15

What guests think

At Quality Inn Santa Cruz Downtown Area, travellers often find clean, reasonably spacious rooms and friendly, helpful staff in a convenient spot for reaching the boardwalk and eateries, though the surrounding neighborhood can feel sketchy with a visible homeless presence.

Rooms are basic but functional, with some updated finishes; recurring drawbacks include thin walls, occasional traffic noise, hard or squeaky beds, and intermittent issues with AC, water pressure, or Wi-Fi. Facilities are limited: parking can be tight, there is no elevator, the pool is small or sometimes closed, and the property is pet-friendly. Breakfast is generally simple and carb-heavy, sometimes opening at 8am with limited variety or inconsistent coffee and cleanliness. Overall, expect a budget, no-frills stay that trades convenience and price for modest comfort and mixed surroundings.

Facilities

Cleanliness

Rooms

Service

Location

Dining

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AI-generated summary based on recent guest reviews

Facilities

Facilities are basic, with reports of a small or closed pool and limited parking, and there is no elevator. The property is pet-friendly.

Related guest reviews

8

Karen

Jun 30, 2024

·

Stayed 4 nights

A good choice at a good price. Be aware there are no elevators and some rooms are on the 3rd floor. Breakfast is decent for an affordable hotel, the usual toast, cereal, yogurt, waffles, bananas, coffee. The only thing is the 8am start is a bit late, better if breakfast was available by 7am.

8

Lucila

Aug 3, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Clean room, nice size mini refrigerator. Continental breakfast is okay, but better than anything. Parking is limited at night, and a bit of homeless people in the parking on one of the nights but didn’t see any issues the next day.

8

kristine

Aug 4, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

The pool was too small to swim in and the neighbors were close. They gave us the nice third room which was nice to have.

10

peter

Oct 14, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Super easy access from PCH right to Ocean St and 500yards and you are there!! Great location to local Santa Cruz eateries and easy in and out from the property. We had our dog with us and the charge was a reasonable 30/night/per animal..

8

Larry

Jun 10, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

The front desk clerk was friendly and very helpful. Good location. I didn't rate the hotel higher as my bathroom's sink drain was broken and the desk clerk couldn't fix it. He moved me to another room; but, it was on the 3rd floor and there is no elevator. Also, there were several homeless people roaming the lots adjacent to the hotel and I felt uncomfortable walking my dog. Good wi-fi service.

10

Betty Lou

Mar 25, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Would have used pool if it was heated & open.

4

Michelle

Sep 2, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Seemed to have people living in the hotel. There is an alley way and screechy people walking up and done all night long. Parking was limited.

6

Ashli

Aug 14, 2023

·

Stayed 2 nights

Basic hotel not far from the boardwalk. No vending machine, no laundry facility, no hot tub. Floors inside the room are super dirty. Wear socks.

2

John

Apr 12, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Office closed when we arrived to check in. Pool closed. Sketchy neighborhood. Stay somewhere else.

8

Lynn

Oct 11, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Pets were welcome but no grass! The room was comfortable enough.

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AI-generated summary based on recent guest reviews

Cleanliness

Feedback is mixed: many describe clean rooms, but others report dirty floors, lingering smoke or strong cleaning odors, hair or dust, pests, and occasional maintenance issues like broken drains or non-flushing toilets.

Related guest reviews

6

Adriann

May 26, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

The two staff members were pleasant and welcoming. The breakfast room was well stocked. Everything has obviously been scrubbed clean. The room was very uncomfortable. It smelled really strongly of cleaning products. The sheets smelled like laundry detergent so much it gave me a little headache. The blanket was thin. There was no privacy curtain on the window. A small window in the back had privacy glass, but no curtain for light. The mixer for the shower was switched, so turning it to hot only brought cold water. It was frustrating and inconvenient for me, but could be dangerous for someone else. For the cost, I expected much better.

6

Barbara

May 29, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

Place was a bit dirty and smelly /fridge not working and a very bad/strong smell coming out of it Bathroom not clean or floors

4

Khain

Jul 18, 2023

·

Stayed 3 nights

The floors were really dirty. Socks turned blackish underneath. Not sure they clean the floors. Saw a piece of hair on a towel. There was a locked door connected to another room, which you could hear the neighbors through. Didn’t seem like walls were soundproof. Looked like some neighbors lived there in a motel type situation. They sat outside and hung out a lot watching people.

4

James

Jun 8, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

The floors in the room were old and dirty. Especially next to the walls. Initially, there was no hot water, we called te manager and he had someone come out and fix it within a couple of hours. The Bathroom was very dirty as well. And the bed cover had a cigarette burn it the middle of it.

2

Eddie

Jun 18, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Room 1 toilet didn’t flush.Room 2 smelled like cigars.Room 3 toilet also didn’t flush we just left the crap for the cleaners.this shouldn’t be a quality inn they are usually a good place to stay.

2

Jorge

Jul 15, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Bugs and cockroach

8

Larry

Jun 10, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

The front desk clerk was friendly and very helpful. Good location. I didn't rate the hotel higher as my bathroom's sink drain was broken and the desk clerk couldn't fix it. He moved me to another room; but, it was on the 3rd floor and there is no elevator. Also, there were several homeless people roaming the lots adjacent to the hotel and I felt uncomfortable walking my dog. Good wi-fi service.

6

Ashli

Aug 14, 2023

·

Stayed 2 nights

Basic hotel not far from the boardwalk. No vending machine, no laundry facility, no hot tub. Floors inside the room are super dirty. Wear socks.

2

david

Jun 11, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Rooms smell smoky, asked for another room and it wasn't clean then finally settled on the last room which is just so so

10

brittany

Nov 8, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Last minute booking but we are so happy with the stay. Room was very clean, beds/pillows were comfy, and the actual grounds was very very quiet. We had people staying on both sides of us plus right above us and we never heard anything. Breakfast was just cereal, oatmeal, and packaged sweets but it was a monday they said there was more options on the weekend. Overall we will be back for our next stay.

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AI-generated summary based on recent guest reviews

Rooms

Rooms are generally spacious with simple updates and often comfortable beds. Downsides include thin walls and street noise, some hard or squeaky beds, and occasional issues with AC, water pressure, fridges, or Wi-Fi.

Related guest reviews

10

Ahmed

Oct 15, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

the room floor is noisy and squeaking.

8

Nikki

Aug 8, 2023

·

Stayed 2 nights

Check in and out we were greeted with a smile and addressed by name. Very friendly. Surrounding buildings and area looked a little rough. The building is obviously older and small but they were working on improving the exterior. The room had modern looking updates and was very clean. King size bed was pretty comfortable. Small imperfections were noticeable but not impactful of our comfort. The Wi-Fi was easy to connect to and worked well for us. We were within about 5-10 minutes drive of everywhere we wanted to go.

6

Charlotte

Sep 22, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Beds are comfortable but noisy when you get in and out due to the metal frame. Room walls are very thin, you can easily hear the neighbors (and their dogs). Brekfast is very simple. Parking is convenient and the front desk was friendly. Area is slightly sketchy. For the price, it was ok.

10

nick

Apr 29, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

The room was much more spacious than anticipated. The room was clean and had some nice amenities, such as; a microwave and fridge. The rooms looked as though they had been recently updated. The only con I have was the water pressure in the shower, but it was better then some other top line hotels I've stayed in.

8

Lilly

Aug 8, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

good just no internet and couldn't get tv channels. Great location and staff very friendly

10

Mark

Nov 12, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

Beds are squeaky. All else good.

10

Prasad

Apr 18, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

The room given to us very spacious and clean. We had a comfortable stay.

6

Leslie-Ann

Jul 7, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Me, my husband, our two kids, and dog stayed for one night. It was reasonably priced and centrally located - the places we wanted to visit were within 10 minutes of the hotel. The person checking us in was very nice. He gave me the choice of upstairs or downstairs and I asked which is the safest and he gave me a good room. Now the room itself could use some work. The fridge didn't get very cold unless cranked all the way up and even then it took awhile to get to a good temperature. The AC was difficult to program and was also very loud. It also didn't cool the room down very well. Otherwise there were several areas of usual wear and tear, but nothing bad. The beds were comfortable the water pressure was sufficient. The room was spacious and I like that there was no carpet. Because the room is on a busy street we did hear a lot of traffic. There were also several vagrants who would pass or walk by, but none of them hung around that I saw.

10

Martha

Nov 25, 2023

·

Stayed 3 nights

It was very noisy. We could heard the people next door at midnight coughing or talking. The walls are too thin. Everything else was excellent Thank you!

10

brittany

Nov 8, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Last minute booking but we are so happy with the stay. Room was very clean, beds/pillows were comfy, and the actual grounds was very very quiet. We had people staying on both sides of us plus right above us and we never heard anything. Breakfast was just cereal, oatmeal, and packaged sweets but it was a monday they said there was more options on the weekend. Overall we will be back for our next stay.

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AI-generated summary based on recent guest reviews

Service

Staff are frequently described as friendly and helpful, with smooth check-ins. A few guests experienced lapses such as the office being closed early, room assignment errors, or disputes over third-party payment and cancellation policies.

Related guest reviews

2

Daniel

Jul 17, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

This was a horrible hotel. The manager was rude and would not give me a room since he said that Expedia had not paid yet.

10

Mirna

Aug 20, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Friendly staff. Thanks

2

Annette

Sep 8, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Entrance to hotel very narrow. Office still closed/locked at 7 in the morning with no sign of staff. Continental breakfast/coffee not available as indicated on website. Balcony was unkept and had debris. Coffee pot missing in room, so couldn't make own coffee. What appeared to be mould around shower faucets. Dirt smudged on bathroom light switch. Bed was made and appeared to be clean. Overall would NOT recommend this place to stay, especially for the price charged for the room. Have had better service at a Motel 6.

8

Marta

May 6, 2024

·

Stayed 14 nights

The hotel was comfortable and I felt safe. It was suitable for remote work during the day. Staff was attentive and helpful

8

Brionna

Aug 8, 2023

·

Stayed 2 nights

The thing that makes this hotel somewhere I’d stay again is the owner/front desk manager. He was so nice and treated my son so well. Always said good morning and there for whatever we needed. It’s hard to find places with nice people these days.

6

Calvin

Mar 30, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

There is one thing that stood out on this stay and that’s this. I check in a go to my room. I open the door to my room and there is a girl on the mattress and she looks at me and says hey what’s up. I look at her and reply the guy at the front desk gave me this room but clearly he messed up. The girl on the bed replies yeah the same thing happened to her yesterday as well. The whole experience made me want to pack up and leave but it was late and I was tired so I stayed. I told the fri tv deal about what happened and the gave me a new room Key

8

Larry

Jun 10, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

The front desk clerk was friendly and very helpful. Good location. I didn't rate the hotel higher as my bathroom's sink drain was broken and the desk clerk couldn't fix it. He moved me to another room; but, it was on the 3rd floor and there is no elevator. Also, there were several homeless people roaming the lots adjacent to the hotel and I felt uncomfortable walking my dog. Good wi-fi service.

10

Lisbet

Sep 21, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Lovely staff

10

Kristin

Apr 2, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

The gentleman that checked us in was very nice and personable. The room was clean and comfortable. I will stay again the next time I'm in Santa Cruz. One suggestion is to perhaps have trash cans available for pet owners to throw away their pet waste in. Otherwise, all was great!

8

James

Aug 3, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

I like to be honest when reviewing places I have stayed. Prior to booking I read some pretty nasty reviews of this hotel. It wasn’t the nicest place I have stayed in, but it was clean, convenient and well priced. I needed a bed and bathroom, and that is what I got. It wasn’t as bad as some of the reviews I read before booking. It’s location was perfect for my trip. I was visiting a friend and he was about 5 minutes from there. I will stay there again if I have another trip to Santa Cruz

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AI-generated summary based on recent guest reviews

Location

Convenient for reaching downtown, the boardwalk, and nearby eateries by foot or a short drive. Several reviews note a sketchy feel and visible homelessness, plus some traffic or freeway noise.

Related guest reviews

8

Hasley

Jul 21, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Very convenient location in Santa Cruz.

8

Karen

Sep 6, 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

Clean spacious room, ok breakfast, friendly staff; hotel in a marginal neighborhood with homeless sleeping here and there, trash and even a used syringe by the hotel. Price is good for Santa Cruz, so still a good place if you won’t venture out at night. Water street grill about 3 blocks away has good food. Not far to the freeway or coastline.

2

Shane

Mar 22, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Dint even check in. Pulled up and the parking lot was full of homeless people and people living out of there cars. I didnt feel like my work vehicle was safe. Easy potential break in . The pics of the hotel make it seem like its another hotel. Very deceiving. I will have tobyry and get my money back

8

Tamara

Aug 4, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Place was clean. Kinda creepy location. Little noisey cause its located right by freeway. Overall it was an comfortable stay.

8

Lucila

Aug 3, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Clean room, nice size mini refrigerator. Continental breakfast is okay, but better than anything. Parking is limited at night, and a bit of homeless people in the parking on one of the nights but didn’t see any issues the next day.

10

Rachel

Sep 25, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

The room was clean and quiet. Close to shops and restaurants.

10

Jessica

Jul 10, 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

Staff super nice & helpful. Great place to stay. Close to everything.

10

peter

Oct 14, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Super easy access from PCH right to Ocean St and 500yards and you are there!! Great location to local Santa Cruz eateries and easy in and out from the property. We had our dog with us and the charge was a reasonable 30/night/per animal..

6

Leslie-Ann

Jul 7, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Me, my husband, our two kids, and dog stayed for one night. It was reasonably priced and centrally located - the places we wanted to visit were within 10 minutes of the hotel. The person checking us in was very nice. He gave me the choice of upstairs or downstairs and I asked which is the safest and he gave me a good room. Now the room itself could use some work. The fridge didn't get very cold unless cranked all the way up and even then it took awhile to get to a good temperature. The AC was difficult to program and was also very loud. It also didn't cool the room down very well. Otherwise there were several areas of usual wear and tear, but nothing bad. The beds were comfortable the water pressure was sufficient. The room was spacious and I like that there was no carpet. Because the room is on a busy street we did hear a lot of traffic. There were also several vagrants who would pass or walk by, but none of them hung around that I saw.

6

Cassandra

Jul 29, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Not the best part of town but if your know Santa Cruz, you already know that. Staff warned about locking cars to avoid theft. No issues while I was there and the room was really nice and quiet. Smelled and looked clean. The bed was pretty comfy too. Not bad at all.

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AI-generated summary based on recent guest reviews

Dining

Breakfast is basic, typically waffles, cereal, toast, yogurt, and coffee. Several guests mention limited variety, an 8am start, and occasional issues with coffee quality or cleanliness.

Related guest reviews

8

Karen

Jun 30, 2024

·

Stayed 4 nights

A good choice at a good price. Be aware there are no elevators and some rooms are on the 3rd floor. Breakfast is decent for an affordable hotel, the usual toast, cereal, yogurt, waffles, bananas, coffee. The only thing is the 8am start is a bit late, better if breakfast was available by 7am.

2

Maria

May 26, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

It’s supposed to include breakfast, it’s a snack bar.

8

Lucila

Aug 3, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Clean room, nice size mini refrigerator. Continental breakfast is okay, but better than anything. Parking is limited at night, and a bit of homeless people in the parking on one of the nights but didn’t see any issues the next day.

6

Ron

Apr 2, 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

Good location in town, breakfast is quite meager

6

Luis

Jul 15, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

The room was clean. The Breakfast was disappointing not much of a selection, the Juice mache didn't work and the coffee was disgusting!

8

Melissa

Aug 19, 2024

·

Stayed 4 nights

The breakfast was very marginal - coffee poor choices of food very limited.

10

Billy

Sep 23, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Easy to go in and out of the property. Close to eateries. Easy to check in and out. Plenty of towels provided Beds were comfy Bathtub did not have plug for bath option. Breakfast option was not open early enough. SUNDAY was not available until after 8am.

10

Dianne

Apr 10, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Clean room, comfortable bed, nice staff. Older facility and nothing fancy, but if you need a place to stay in Santa Cruz, it works well. Small offering for breakfast.

10

brittany

Nov 8, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Last minute booking but we are so happy with the stay. Room was very clean, beds/pillows were comfy, and the actual grounds was very very quiet. We had people staying on both sides of us plus right above us and we never heard anything. Breakfast was just cereal, oatmeal, and packaged sweets but it was a monday they said there was more options on the weekend. Overall we will be back for our next stay.

4

Abram

Apr 4, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

The waffle maker was disgustingly dirty. Breakfast wasn't avaible until 8am. This place is only a 1 night stop.

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AI-generated summary based on recent guest reviews

Month	Average price
January	$89
February	$98
March	$99
April	$113
May	$117
June	$141
July	$149
August	$145
September	$134
October	$106
November	$99
December	$92

Su	Mo	Tu	We	Th	Fr	Sa
		1	2	3	4	5
6	7	8	9	10	11	12
13	14 $108	15 $98	16 $103	17 $117	18 $219	19 $270
20 $93	21 $105	22 $103	23 $102	24 $102	25 $145	26 $246
27 $101	28 $95	29 $103	30 $102

Su	Mo	Tu	We	Th	Fr	Sa
				1 $89	2 $113	3 $172
4 $87	5 $86	6 $86	7 $86	8 $88	9 $122	10 $155
11 $86	12 $86	13 $86	14 $87	15 $86	16 $110	17 $155
18 $86	19 $87	20 $86	21 $86	22 $86	23 $122	24 $155
25 $90	26 $95	27 $87	28 $89	29 $86	30 $88	31 $98

Select dates to see prices and availability

Monthly average prices

About this property

Location

Room options

Room, 1 King Bed, Accessible, Smoking

Standard Room, 2 Queen Beds, Refrigerator & Microwave

Suite, 1 King Bed

Room, 2 Double Beds, Accessible (Roll-In Shower)

Standard Room, 2 Queen Beds

Standard Room, 1 King Bed, Patio

Guest reviews

Good

Who stays here?

What guests think

Property Policies

Check-in instructions

Good to know

Optional extras

FAQs about Quality Inn Santa Cruz Downtown Area

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Prices for upcoming dates