I stayed at Rosemead Motel based on online reviews. I was traveling from the Bay Area and didn’t arrive until around 8:40 PM. Despite receiving two phone calls about my estimated arrival time, which I explained, the front desk still gave me a hard time for arriving "after hours." After a 7.5-hour drive, that was definitely not a great first impression.
The room appeared clean at first glance, but it smelled heavily of cigarette smoke. The smoke detector didn’t even have a battery, and its cover was open, which made it obvious. Housekeeping never emptied the trash during my stay, so I’m assuming they didn’t come by daily like they said they would.
On the second night, I was asked, along with the other party I was traveling with (who had their own room), to move our trucks because they were short on parking. They wanted us to park farther away and stack our vehicles one behind the other. I didn’t comply, as I had parked directly in front of my room for convenience and safety.
The AC only worked on the first night, and the pillows felt like they were meant for toddlers—small and uncomfortable. All the issues I’ve mentioned are basic expectations for any motel stay, so I left feeling short-changed.