The Saga Motel in Pasadena, is located across from the Pasadena City College. The first impression was in the check-in office which had a really bad old smell. Parking is mostly in the back. It has a really nice pool, compared to the tiny pool at the Howard Johnson's next door. The rooms are relatively large, with a big windows. Windows either face an apartment building (North side) and the parking lot on the backside, or Colorado Blvd. And Pasadena City College on the south (Front side) I stayed in a King room on the second floor. There are no elevators, no luggage carts, no microwave. You'll need to be able to climb up quite a few stairs if your room is on the top floor. Rooms feel very dated with the only USB or 3-Prong AC slots being on a desk. All of the rest of the AC slots are ancient two prong slots. You'll find it amusing if you've stayed at other motels and hotels, when they hand you a physical key for your room. Lose it and you'll be charged $200. There are two locks on the door. A lock in the door knob and a deadbolt lock. I thought I had the wrong key, because I didn't realize it had a lock in the door knob, and the key provided does not work in the deadbolt lock, which I was trying to open. The bed was an old school spring mattress and wasn't very comfortable. It was too firm. The furniture is well made and good quality, but reminded me of something I would see at a Goodwill or Salvation army thrift store. The television was the smallest I've seen in any motel or hotel in recent years. Not having a Microwave, for the price charged to stay here is a big disadvanatage. It had a well working air conditioner and a large mini-fridge with a separate freezer section. I wouldn't recommend these rooms for watching the Rose Parade from the room. You wouldn't be able to see much and the noise would be pretty bad. There was considerable noise from guests and room doors closing and opening in the hallway. The shower and restroom is relatively small, with no hand rails in the tub. You'll need to put a rubber non-slip mat down inside. There was no-ventilation fan in the restoom. Interestingly, there were quite a few books in the room under the TV for those who enjoy reading, and I think this location might be an o.k. place for an avid book reader who wants to get away to an 1950's t0 70's experience. It reminded me a little of rooms I saw while watching the, "I love lucy" tv show. A continental breakfast is provided each morning, bigger and better than what you'll get at the Howard Johnson's next door. I met several guests while entering and leaving my room, they all seemed to be from outside of the United States, from perhaps Canada or Europe. Which honestly makes sense, because this location is primarily listed on large booking websites only, or its own website. It was clean, didn't have any unusual old smells, chemical smells, etc. Which means it's probably fairly safe for those with allergies or respiratory issues. This would not be a location I would want to stay at for more than a few days. It is a little pricey for the area based on its limited amenities. You'll need to eat out most likely unless you're eating cold food and sandwiches. There are a lot of food options within walking distance. I would stay here again, but not for more than one or two nights max. I would stay here over the Pasadena Travel Lodge, or Ramada. This location is family owned and operated, speaking Taiwanese and English. My only encounter with an a non-front desk employee was less than desirable. read more

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If you are someone that prefers to stay at nicer, fancier hotels don't think a place like Saga Motor Hotel is for you ........... However, if you are someone who stayed at Motel 6 type places like we did, a family of 5 who took station wagon car trips back in the 60s and 70s, then this place might just be for you ;) I discovered the Saga Motor Hotel when researching hotels for our two person trip to the 2024 Rose Parade and Rose Bowl. By the time we had decided to attend (12/14), hotel options in the Pasadena area were limited. We decided to look closely at a couple of options that seemed similar. Located on the parade route, free breakfast and free parking were key factors in our decision to stay at the Saga. Additionally, when I called them, front desk people were very friendly and extremely helpful. The only thing was the price but reality was that every room at every hotel along or in close proximity to the parade route was highly priced. Upon arrival the front desk folks shared info and provided helpful tips especially useful as first time Rose Bowl attendees. We walked into a retro vibe room from the 60/70s but It wasn't until breakfast the next morning that we came to understand why this is the case. The Saga Motor Hotel is used as a filming location!! They have posters in the front office showing Apple TV's "Palm Royale" and Showtime's "Dexter" as recent shows filming there. The free breakfast was plentiful both mornings The free not to mention secure parking was great We walked across the street to our ticketed Rose Parade seats Free WiFi Someone on staff helped me with my bags (we stayed on the 2nd floor) Overall a great place to stay for Rose Parade / Rose Bowl events around New Years Eve/Day Note that their prices drop when it's not New Years / Rose Bowl time. Bottom line, met our needs for a place to sleep/shower, eat a free breakfast and park for free from afternoon of Dec 31 thru morning of Jan 2nd! Would consider the Saga for a future stay. read more

This place was such a gem! We attended a concert at Brookside park. The location was perfect. Front desk staff were extremely kind and super helpful. The property itself was so clean uncomfortable. I highly recommend and will definitely be back if ever in the area. read more

As a Pasadenan who due to a divorce and a job offer I couldn't refuse, I relocated to the East Coast in 1999, however retuning every other year to visit family and friends. I've stayed at the Saga 9 or 10 times. It's an throwback experience where they still give you a physical key attached to the traditional lodging fob, they still feature a land line phone that works in the room and it's in great section of Pasadena's renown Colorado Bl. A bonus for me is that it's across the blvd from my Alma Mater-PCC. Close to Old Town, the Theater District and El Paseo. It's family owned, I like supporting small businesses. read more

The people here are great and if this was just a review of people they unequivocally deserve 5 stars hands down. But it's a hotel and as a hotel it kinda blows. Geographically it's in a great location. But I just don't know what it is with these dilapidated shitbox buildings that are infested with mold and roaches, in a teetering state of disrepair that people try to pass off as hotels and then wanna charge you upwards of $200 a night. I get it from a greed perspective but, I don't wanna rent someone's crappy rundown apartment even if it's in a nice area. read more

It's really not all that. From the room to the parking and the area. Love Pasadena but there are better spots. Also because they have had shows shot at this hotel they don't allow you to do any type of photography without prior approval. Even if it's just for yourself they were even weird about iPhone photos!!! They just try to make as much money off of you here so be careful. After I took a few photos by the pool they kicked me out and said they'd refund me so let's hope they actually do since I was only there for less than 10 min when they started calling the room asking if we were going to be taking photos. Which they never asked or mention on the website. It was a wild experience and I don't recommend. I was planning on staying with my boyfriend for our anniversary but we just ended up staying in the Hilton not too far from here and it was way more luxurious and nice. The pool was also FREEZING definitely not heated. read more

Saga Motor Hotel - Pool - Hotels Near Me - Pasadena, California

Friendly guest services staff in the reception area, beautiful landscape and cute pool area, awesome retro vibe and original neon sign, clean and tidy room with fridge, very high walk ability score with restaurants & shoppes nearby - all make for a solid 5 star review! We traveled up for 3 nights from San Diego. Our usual spot for a weekend getaway is Orange County but thought we'd venture up North further and check out Pasadena. We're so glad we did! Definitely going to add Saga Motor Inn on our rotation for weekend getaways! read more

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A cute hotel with three floors and mid-century vibe. The elevator is broken and has been broken apparently for quite some time. If you're staying on the second or third floors and have limited mobility or difficulty carrying luggage up flights of stairs you may want to reconsider staying here. There's only one elevator and it's been broken for several years now. Rooms are a bit dated and it seems it's under new ownership. It's lost the charm It had years ago when we stayed here. read more

Made a reservation over the phone, including providing my credit card, but when I arrived, the woman behind the counter said there was no record of the reservation. She said she suspected I called another hotel by mistake. Gave all my info again, which made the check-in take much longer than it should've (also made me nervous another hotel was going to charge me for not showing up). The following morning, I got a call from the front desk at 8 AM saying I was "a no show." I called back and told the clerk (the woman I initially made the reservation with) what room I was staying in -- turns out she had misspelled my name and the clerk the night before hadn't been able to put the pieces together? During this process, I realized that the 1990s desk phone in my room did not work. It would ring, but when I picked up the receiver, nothing happened and the phone would just keep ringing. Then I took a shower, and the steam set off the smoke alarm - which had no reset button and had to be removed from the ceiling? The second night of my stay, I woke up at 2 AM because drunken guests in the room next door were laughing and talking at the top of their lungs. I called the front desk and asked to be moved to another room. I had to pack up all my stuff and take it down the hallway, ended up taking until 5 AM to go back to sleep. When I checked out, the woman at the front desk (the one who misspelled my name) did not offer any sort of discount for the trouble of losing sleep and relocating rooms in the middle of the night. Just handed me the full bill without any sort of apology or acknowledgement of the trouble. When I asked if she could knock a bit off the bill, she refused and told me that because I changed rooms, they would have to clean two rooms (like that was my fault) and that "they couldn't control everybody" that stayed there. It's only their property that they're charging people to stay in, but I guess they have no responsibility for the quality of their stay? She also said I had gotten "a good rate" -- $150/night, which is a joke for this experience. I didn't ask for the room to be gratis. Just SOMEthing for the trouble, a goodwill discount of ~$50 so everyone could walk away feeling they'd been treated fairly. But at the end of the day, the most important thing to the stingy, greedy clerk was for me to pay in full despite them failing to deliver a half-decent experience - in a variety of ways. Businesses should be profitable, yes, but they also should be FAIR. Not only for their personal long-term gain, but they should have a responsibility to treat customers with a sense of decency and respect. This place is overall disorganized and pathetic. Would not recommend, especially as it's only slightly cheaper than REAL hotels in the Pasadena area -- especially if you're a AAA member. read more

I loved this hotel! It was so perfect for my stay and I am so thankful that they offered two dog friendly rooms for my service dog to accompany me. The staff was friendly and helpful! staff always makes it. read more

Stayed here while out of town. Booked for location. Its a much older spot so you get what you get. Had a driveway blocked off on side, only grab and go breakfast which we didn't bother with. Bed was decent. The large gaps at the bottom of both doors was crazy big. Heater ran all night because of cold air coming in. Uses old actual keys for doors but cant lock deadbolt only from inside. Probably wont stay again but was decent for a 1night stay read more

I was there once. I was alone and didn't make any noise. I just had a few beers and left the empty cans in the trash can. Weeks later when I returned they didn't want to give me a room. read more

We've stayed here a number of times over the past 10 years. It never disappoints. New owners, well, new to us. And the lovely Saga continues humming along nicely. It's not fancy. But...if you like clean, friendly, very good and a lot more imaginative than most inclusive breakfast in a superb downtown location, well, sign right up. It was a wintery few February days. I tried the pool but only got up to my knees. Not heated....but I know how refreshing it is in warmer weather and look forward to returning then. We enjoyed self-prepped lunch every day under the palms. The sun shone. It was so pleasant. Great staff. Manager, owner, kindly and efficient every one of them, esp cleaners who worked long and hard. Always with a smile on their faces. That tells one a lot I always think. They had a microwave that they brought for us to use in our room for re-heating. We took our elderly dog who enjoyed herself too. They have specially allocated rooms for that. Honestly?, they can't put a foot wrong imo. read more

This is usually a top place to stay for Route 66 travelers, as it was for me. Or for just anyone seeking the retro vibe. Let's just say it's okay, which is why I gave it three stars. They had an outdoor pool, and no breakfast. But they have vending machines outside the office. Plenty of parking. I was irritated that I had to use my card to get into the hotel and my room. But because parts of the hotel are open air, I guess I can see why. Staff was friendly, but overall I found this hotel to be mediocre. A better way of putting it would be that I just felt like it was missing something, unlike some of the other older places I've stayed at. read more

A decent motel for the price. Definitely needs some upgrades but the rooms are very quaint and cozy. 4 Stars for the friendly staff, cleanliness, sparkling pool, and continental breakfast. Location is right across from the Pasadena City College library on Colorado. Decent location. Very low key and safe. I would recommend if you're looking to say in Pasadena on a low budget. read more

The Saga hotel deserves 4 stars for their friendly customer service and the cleanliness of the hotel overall. It's conveniently close to a lot of good eats, such as the fast food dim sum restaurant within the same block. You get croissants, muffins, yoghurt, fruit, tea and coffee for breakfast. I would be more satisfied and give a higher rating if they served more proteins for breakfast. There is a "bed tax" for each night you stay at the hotel, I'm assuming this is their bed cleaning service fee. Not the best thing about staying at a hotel, but it is what it is. Overall I had a good stay and would definitely refer the Saga to others! read more

Had a really nice stay there Rooms are clean and staff is super nice. Location is the best in Pasadena read more

I stayed at the Saga with my dog in June 2021. It used to be quite the 'go to' for people with a great retro vibe. I went online and tried to book, but because I had a dog, I had to call ahead and check for a pet-friendly room. I ended up paying extra for me and $50/night extra for Izzi (almost $200/night all together). I felt like it was a fairly hefty price for that level of accommodation and by the time added my dog, I can't say it was worth it. When I arrived, staff was friendly enough, but the room was definitely sub-par. It smelled like dog pee was in the carpet and bathroom flooring and even though I asked them to use a little bleach in the bathroom, the smell never left. My bed had an unappealing old, gross polyester comforter which was reminiscent of fleabag motels of the 1970's and was very uncomfortable. Bathroom was pretty much an afterthought to them and the fixtures were hard to turn. The one thing that was great was the Bath and Body Works toiletries. Unless you're desperate, I'd pass on this place unless they remodel. read more

Loved this spot! We were traveling from Seattle to Phoenix via I-5 and then 210 and wanted a safe and perhaps unique spot to stay around the LA area. Pasadena fit the bill and the Saga won us over with the "historic Route 66 motel" description and great reviews. It didn't disappoint, the staff was very friendly, rooms are cute and ours even looked over the pool, which is a heated outdoor pool and closes at dusk. We just missed it. I personally enjoyed the Olive Branch provided bathroom soap, lotion, shampoo and conditioner and bathroom cap. However, I was surprised that the room did not have a coffee maker. There is plenty of coffee at the complimentary continental breakfast in their adorable breakfast room, which overlooks the street where the Rose Bowl parade takes place. Travelers with trailers beware: you can't pull your trailer through where you check in at the office. Park on the street with your trailer or tall truck and they'll give you a key to open the back parking lot and you can park in there. Perhaps with a really large trailer you should call ahead to make sure there is room, or you'd have to park on the street. read more

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Tired but clean & quiet. Nostalgic! Better than some big impersonal chain. In the heart of Pasadena

Poor customer service, very disappointed. I received a email letting me there was a issue booking the room. They Said it was on my end I replied back letting them know that it wasn't it shows the card went through and that I booked using there website. I asked them how they wanted to proceed on the room if I should rebook or book somewhere else I got no reply from them. I called them to follow up no reply either. read more

MID-CENTURY GEM!! Cool retro original mid-century "motor hotel", not your cookie cutter motel/corporate hotel. Finally stayed here after driving by for years when I visit family in Pasadena. This is an iconic property on Colorado Blvd that's been around forever with lots of excellent cheap eats near by, Starbucks few doors down. Rooms are simple, clean and prices reasonable. Their complementary continental breakfast included croissants, bagels, English muffin, yogurt, juices and fruits. Great coffee too. Staff are super friendly and helpful, recommended great restaurants and places to visit nearby that I never knew. The pool is surrounded by lush landscaping and was just so nice to sit and enjoy the sun. They use the Bath Body Works Stress Relief line of bath amenities which was a nice touch. I also liked the wooden shutters in the room. The surrounding decorative wall art should not be missed. Close to Metro Gold line, Caltech and Old Town Pasadena. Great location. Will be back, my new favourite place. Don't miss the mosaic knight guarding the lobby. Really a great deal with free parking and breakfast. I thoroughly enjoyed my stay. Thanks Saga!!! read more

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It's an older hotel that's been maintained well, although some mild renovations would do the place well. Very convenient location, and their pool area is very cute. Staff are extremely helpful. read more

This is the worse place you can go to get raped off from the rate they give you the rate on the phone different from the one they tell you at the front desk and different from the actual charge on your credit card. Booking.com show $95 + tax same rate they give you by phone front desk tell you $109 + tax actual charge on your credit card $114 + tax and they charge it after you check out. After they make sure you left to don't know the actual amount. And they charge tax rate 15% Is not even worth the money and not safe and dirty inside the room. I will never go back. I never advice anyone to even consider this place. If I can give zero star I will do it. read more

Stayed here for 5 days 6 years ago when I first moved to the area (work chose the place, not me). The quality of the room and hotel is what you would expect from a sketchy motel, no surprise tere. What WAS creepy was that one of their staff, Roger Padayao, decided to look me up on the internet (info in the reservation was from the company I worked for then) and reach out to me to offer to show me around LA. It was INCREDIBLY CREEPY that their staff went as far as to stalk me by looking up my information to reach out under the "guise" of "doing a project" (NO thank you). I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS PLACE AT ALL, especially knowing what these people will do with your information. (I still have the email where I kindly refused his offer---didn't want to be rude to someone who could possibly be damn insane, aside from being creepy AF). I'm still disgusted thinking about how creepy that encounter is, who knows if that person tampered with my room when I wasn't there? Who knows how many other women he reached out to to "offer to show around"? I've lived in 4 countries and traveled to more, and I've never encountered ANYONE who would try to pull that crap on a customer. Absolutely DISGUSTING and APPALLING. read more

I stayed a couple of nights this past weekend. Check in was smooth, the room immaculate and things were quiet. It's not fancy but a great location and the basics are done well. Wished there was a coffeemaker in the room though' read more

Staff was kind and courteous. Rooms are clean. The shower was broken. Decor and fixtures in desperate need of renovation. A little disappointed that the 60s motor inn midcentury retro vibes are not being accentuated here. So much potential. read more

It's retro. It's cute. But it takes more than style points to make my stay worthwhile. If you're a glass half empty guy, Saga's narrow, empty halls look creepy--like a snuff film waiting to happen. If you're a sucker for vintage stuff like yours truly, you'll enjoy some of the anachronisms here...like the physical keys you'll need to open your door. Or random books on your shelf like "The Bourne Identity". That took some getting used to. But there were just too many things about Saga that got on my nerves for me to give it any higher than two stars. Unlike many hotels with a pool, there was no hot tub. And the time for the pool to close? "dusk". As in not even 6pm at this time of year. Without that, there's no common area for guests from different rooms to gather and relax without leaving. The utilities could use a major upgrade. The water pressure in the shower was way too low. The water coming out of the sink was cloudy with sediment, and didn't get that hot. Only the outlets along the bathroom wall were 3-pronged. This meant I had to sit on the floor if I wanted to use my laptop while it charged, and not the desk area meant for me to do such work. Wifi was also terrible. Our connections were slow and inconsistent. The 4G on my phone was faster, and I have Sprint! Analog air conditioner was fun, though! Without any sort of thermometer attached, you could just put it on full blast and it would keep going. Cool (literally), but sucks when you accidentally freeze yourself in your sleep. :-p So yeah, Saga is cute and charming, but only when you're not actually spending a night in it. Then it's cramped and old and irritating and boring. DO NOT WANT. read more

The Saga Motor Hotel is the best Hotel in Los Angeles...They are extremely nice and professional...The rooms are the best and the pool is one of the reasons we stay here...We have stayed here 10 times since the year 2000 and we always say we will return and we do...They have a great breakfast and are there 24/7...They are extremely friendly and will accommodate you in every way...Please bring your family here and enjoy the pool and the facilities...You will be staying here for a long time to come!!!!! Sincerely, Bill Owen 503-703-2759 read more

A wonderful little spot of history. The rooms are well maintained and SUPER CLEAN. It obviously a historic hotel with little historic remnants that make the hotel fun, murals on the wall and the pool courtyard and an old-fashioned motor hotel layout. However the important pieces for me in a hotel- clean, safe, well cared for, and a reasonable price- were all absolutely met. The staff was fabulous and I am thrilled I stayed here over a generic Hilton any day. I'd bet big money it was cleaner too!! read more

If I ever return to Pasadena there would be a good chance I would stay here again. I came to stay for The Lambretta Jamboree and fortunately this was the host hotel for the event. This place is retro cool, has a nice pool and the staff is friendly and helpful too! It's an older hotel which is maintained well. I myself work for a different hotel chain in Oakland and know the industry quite well. The room was clean and the beds were comfortable. The soaps were of decent quality and the towels were decent as well. There is free parking at the property and there are places to eat right outside on the main street and it's only a 5min drive to downtown. The continental breakfast wasn't bad for a hotel of this caliber. Yes, I would recommend this place to others! read more

Aside from the nostalgia of this place, all of the past owners and current owners and employees have always been amazing to me. There is one book in one of the rooms that I want to get my hands on because it's based on how Disneyland started but neither here nor there. The pool is an oasis and everything about being here is a vacation even if you live around the corner. read more

Great hotel! Good location and excellent price. We used to live up the street from this hotel. We had to stay here for a week when our apartment building was having some work done on it. I love the 1960s feel to this place and the staff was very nice. One of my favorite things about this hotel is the big sign. I've uploaded photos of that cool sign. read more

Saga Motor Hotel - Classic 1960s style motor Inn with palm trees and court yard - Hotels Near Me - Pasadena, California

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The hotel is nice and clean. Ive stayed here three times. All rooms are clean and spacious. The hotel is in a great location; it's across the street from Pasadena City College. read more

My wife and I were planning on spending the week-end in a more expensive place, like the Sheraton. But when we arrived in Pasadena, the SMH had vacancies and we were tired so we decided to give it a try. All the rooms are unique, the pool is nice and heated and the place definitely has the feel of a B&B. I will stay there again next time I go to Pasadena for more than a day. read more

Saga Motor Hotel - A bedroom - Hotels Near Me - Pasadena, California

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Highly recommend calling a head of time and letting them know you will be utilizing the check in offer on yelp. Which saved us one whole Benjamin. Good looking out Yelp ! Because if we didnt they would of charged us a higher then usual rate due to the Arroyo Seco concert at the rose bowl we attened. Which they did to guests checking in before us. I informed them of the Yelp offer when I over heard this to help them out. The guy at the front desk wouldnt let them. Be sure you let them know you are checking in with Yelp to lock in the offer. And get a confirmation number. So he cant deny you the discount from checking in with Yelp. After check in we go to our room, upon our entry the smell of urine slaps us the face. So we went back to the front desk to ask to switch rooms immediately. The gentleman that just helped us didnt answer the door. So we call no answer. We go back and the smell went away. We figured out later this was probably due to the lack of the fart fan in the bathroom. Luckily I had some sage and Palo Santo to cleanse the air in the room. Now when its time to shower make sure to go first! So that you dont have to stand in water with floating snot rockets and dingleberries because of the extremly slow drain. Now for the Plus side they dont mind you robbing the continental breakfast. We got enough food for breakfast and for our 5 hour road trip back up north. They were on top of refilling water and coffee as it ran out. Overall the experience was mediocre for your typical motel experience. Not horrible not magical. Just thought I would share so that your hopes dont get as high as mine were. To expect just another mediocre hotel stay. Until next time champagne wishes and caviar dreams read more

We stayed at the Saga earlier this week. When I was looking for a place to stay in the Pasadena area, I stumbled across this little gem. It's a motor inn, whose heyday was probably back when Colorado was known as Route 66. We were able to check-in to our room early when we arrived. it appears that we had accidentally made two identical reservations (beware that if you reserve online, you may not get a confirmation screen OR a confirmation email, so you should call them to confirm). We were given a second-floor room overlooking the pool. The room was simple and clean. The wifi worked well. We had a refrigerator in our room which was nice. The beds and pillows were comfortable. The wallpaper looked a little worn (if that's something that you take into consideration). Continental breakfast was served from 6:00 - 9:00 am in the office. Cereal, english muffins, pastries, coffee, and juice. If you are interested, there is a Vons Supermarket maybe six or eight blocks east on Colorado. We picked up some breakfast supplies there and kept them in our fridge. I will stay here again the next time I'm in town. It's not the type of property that will appeal to everyone, but if you've got a soft spot in your heart for the bygone days of travel, the Saga is worth checking out. read more

Saga Motor Hotel - Hotels Near Me - Pasadena, California

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Beautiful mid century motor hotel. Truly enjoyed staying there. Lovely pool, directly on-route of the Rose parade and great service!

We love, love, LOVE the Saga Hotel. We love our room and the management is awesome. And it's very, very clean. We love the retro look and feel. Just beautiful! Now we are going to go take a dip in the pool. We are in the middle of our stay and will tell you more later. read more

This is our go-to lodging spot when Santa Anita hosts the Breeder's Cup. It's convenient to the race track. The nightly rate is reasonable (sub-100) and it's clean, quiet and comfortable. The friendly clerk working the check-in desk can get bogged down a bit using a process that involves a lot of paper. But once you get the room key, all is great. The swimming pool looks inviting. The grounds are well-kept and there's no mistaking you're in the great state of California when you look out the window. I love the Saga and I hope it remains as is for years to come. read more

Saga Motor Hotel - Distinctive neon out front of the Saga. - Hotels Near Me - Pasadena, California