I have stayed at this motel several times recently and it has an excellent location, nice rooms and very friendly front desk staff. The last time I stayed there there was some confusion about the room rate - I thought that you got a free room upgrade when you booked after joining their "value club" but was charged extra for requesting first floor room because a king was the only thing available. Unfortunately I got 2 bed bug bites and found a bed bug in the bed when I woke up in the morning. I check the bed/room before I bring my luggage in with a very bright flashlight and didn't see anything but they were still there. I addressed this with ABV customer service and while they did respond promptly with an explanation about the rate change they failed to address my concern over the bedbugs.

One of the main reasons I booked this place was because of the non-smoking designation and the good reviews for the price. It is what it is--a cheap motel. It is clean enough, and the rooms are non-smoking. However, there is an outside table right next door with an ashtray! The neighbors parked themselves there and chain-smoked and were very loud. It was right next to my car so I couldn't go back and forth without walking through a huge cloud of smoke. That and the fact that they were so loud right outside my door really upset me. I also knew there was only packaged sweet rolls. But if I have to take my husband to the V.A. hospital again and spend the night, I would rather spend the extra $20 for a newer place with a better breakfast, and just ask for a non-smoking room.
I don't understand how it got such good reviews.

Good Central location off of the El Camino Real. The off season rate was great, under $60. The rooms are pretty basic but clean, and the owners are very helpful and friendly. They are located near a Hobees restaurant which is a great breakfast place- the coffee cake is out of this world.

When in Palo Alto this should always be one to check on. Will consider using them again when in the area.

There's nothing fancy about this hotel, but if you're looking for a clean, comfortable, inexpensive place to sleep, then there's absolutely nothing disappointing, either.

My room had two beds--not two double beds, two queens. The mattresses and pillows were fairly new comfortable. The room wasn't lavish, but it looked recently updated. It had a TV with satellite and built-in VCR/DVD, a fridge, a microwave, a 4-cup coffee maker and a hair dryer. The hotel puts prepackaged danish and OJ in the room every day. (Look in the fridge for the juice.)

And the place is absolutely immaculate!

And way, way less expensive than most places to stay in Palo Alto.

There are trade-offs, but I found them minor: El Camino Real is a main drag, and I imagine the rooms close to the street could be a bit noisy until traffic calms down at night; while the hotel is indeed technically in Palo Alto, if it were any farther along El Camino Real, it would be in Mountain View.

Nevertheless, if you're looking for a clean, comfortable, safe, inexpensive place to sleep in or near Palo Alto, it would be amazing to find a better value than the Americas Best Value Inn.