The hotel was probably nice 100 years ago. Today, it is very run-down. It smells very old, has flies, the mattress was moldy, no mattress pad, polyester sheets, no air conditioning, issues with fixtures, squeaky bed, shared bathroom, no hair dryer, one pillow per person, broken toilet paper dispenser, etc. If it were priced like a youth hostel, some of this would be forgiven. No parking and no pets allowed. The towels were nice, and there's a great coffee place nearby. The area is both sketchy and amazing - it's downtown Berkeley.